Oscar Isaac is set to grace TV screens soon for Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ series Moon Knight. But just how much about the mythological comic book superhero did the actor know before signing on to do the show? It turns out he was on the dark side of the moon when it came to that particular avenue of Marvel protagonists.
The Addams Family star spoke to Fandom about his role as Marc Spector in Moon Knight. Like most other Marvel projects, Moon Knight is adapted from a vast array of comics of the same name, which follows an athletic former soldier and government agent-turned-mercenary. Oscar Isaac admitted just how much he knew of Moon Knight and what really drew him to the series:
That’s really what it was. I collected comic books in the 90s but I had not heard of Moon Knight. It wasn’t on my radar at all, so when it came my way I didn’t have any baggage on it. I didn’t really know anything. I read the first episode, I spoke with Kevin [Feige], I tested some stuff out on my kids…. And I just got really excited about the story and about the character and the potential there and I found there to be a lot of space to try some really out-there stuff.
It looks like Isaac didn’t know too much about Moon Knight, which really turned out to be for the better. It’s not always easy portraying a universally beloved superhero, given all of the expectations invested. Without all those pre-requisites, however, only having some basic knowledge makes it easy for an actor to make the character their own, since they're not trying to imitate or copy pre-existing material.
Plus, Oscar Isaac knows all about starring in Marvel projects, and what the fandom can be like, as he portrayed supervillain En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse in X-Men: Apocalypse. Isaac has also starred in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, as well as quitea few brainy dramas. So he knows all about leading both big franchises and quirky projects, making him a solid star for Moon Knight.
In August 2021, Oscar Isaac explained why he decided to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Moon Knight and it was a simple as loving the people involved with the project. There was also the fact that, although he didn’t know much about Moon Knight, he still loved the “incredibly unusual story” that the series will be telling with with the titular character. It will definitely be interesting to see what Isaac will bring to the MCU as a hero following his stint as a supervillain in X-Men. It seems like he’s ready for this story to be told and despite his lesser knowledge, it looks like he’s pumped to bring the Fist of Khonshu to Disney+!
Moon Knight was first announced in 2019 at Disney’s D23 Expo and filming began earlier this year. The series is set to feature six episodes, and will also star Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy. Currently, there is no set release date for the series, but considering Disney’s recent pushback of the 2022-23 Marvel movie slate, hopefully fans won’t have to wait too long to get a Marvel fix.
