Somehow we live in a world where Oscar Isaac is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Isaac is Marc Spector and Moon Knight. It’s still surreal to even wrap our heads around, and we knew this day was coming. All we know is the world could always use more Oscar Isaac.
Marvel Studios released the first footage of Isaac in character for its Disney+ Day Special, which you can only watch on the streaming service. We don’t blame you if you stop reading this right now to watch the sneak peek. It’s Oscar Isaac; we get it.
The Special doesn’t reveal its whole hand. It rarely lets Isaac get too close to the camera while suited up as the titular hero. There are glimpses at his suit, even if one of them is in the glisten of moonlight.
No matter, fans are okay with the crumbs because it means the series is coming soon.
According to Marvel, the series “is a new globetrotting action-adventure series featuring a complex vigilante who suffers from dissociative identity disorder. The multiple identities who live inside him find themselves thrust into a deadly war of the gods against the backdrop of modern and ancient Egypt.”
Spector living with dissociative identity disorder can explain why we hear Isaac speak with a baffling British accent at one point in the footage. The accent may be distracting, but what Spector says matters — “I can’t tell the difference between my waking life and dreams.”
There is another point in the footage when Spector’s reflection moves independently of him. Two beings in said reflection could be his other identities from the comics Steven Grant and Jake Lockley.
It’s still unknown whether the show will use those identities or create new ones that divert from the source material.
We can hear another voice in the footage, and while we never see who it comes from, one can assume it’s Ethan Hawke. The being says, “The voice in your head, it devours you.” We still don’t know who Hawke is playing, but maybe he will be the Moon-god Kohnshu.
Kohnshu is the being that revived Spector from a near-death experience while he was in Egypt. According to the comics, Kohnsu’s consciousness also resides in Spector’s psyche after that traumatic event. It’s unclear how accurately the Disney+ show will represent all of this.
Representation and mental health matter, and the MCU is starting to get better at its thoughtful representation on screen. Movies like Black Panther, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Eternals are huge steps forward from how the franchise started. We will try to remain as optimistic as possible because we’re hoping for the best.
There is still plenty to learn about Isaac’s time as Marc Spector and Hawke’s true role on Moon Knight. However, the teaser does give us glimpses at what we can expect. For example, eagle-eyed fans think that the white outfit Spector wears at one point is a reference to the Mr. Knight costume from the comics.
As far as superhero properties go, Moon Knight, known both as an anti-hero and a vigilante, takes a page out of Robert Pattinson‘s The Batman in the teaser. Okay, we know it’s unlikely that one inspired the other, but the similarities are pretty uncanny. We aren’t the only ones who notice it, either.
Spector stands in shock at one point, not remembering a fight he just participated in, apparently. Later on, he is suited up as Moon Knight and inflicting “justice” on someone in one of the most ominous shots of the teaser. We can only see the character’s form as he displaces his rage on someone else.
That feels a lot like the “Vengeance” scene from The Batman trailer, right? Maybe this connection is solely due to the oversaturation of superhero content, but we’re not mad about it.
No matter what, we know that we are on the edge of our seats to see Oscar Isaac join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even if it means he doesn’t sport his now-infamous beard. You win some; you lose some.
Moon Knight is directed by Mohamed Diab and is coming to Disney+ in 2022.
What do you think about our first look at Isaac as Moon Knight? Let us know in the comments below!