Oscar Isaac is joining the ranks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) leading their next series, which has been confirmed to stream exclusively on Disney+ from 30th March.
He will play Steven Grant, a mild-mannered man who becomes haunted with memories of another life. Discovering he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector, Grant's world is turned upside down as he's thrust into a deadly mystery.
Watch the trailer here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Krla_UxRg
It's both intriguing and exciting, giving us a glimpse at what we can expect from the MCU's take on this rather complex comic book character.
Let's dive into it with a full trailer breakdown.
Welcome To Staying Awake
The first scenes of the trailer introduce us to Isaac's character of Grant, who is listening to a programme called Staying Awake, seemingly trying to avoid sleep.
Locking the doors and securing himself to furniture, something menacing is going on here, as Grant's voiceover also hints at saying: "I have a sleeping disorder. I can't tell the difference between my waking life and dreams."
The implication is that the "dreams" Grant is having are violent, hence he is locking himself away as he doesn't trust what he will do whilst in this state.
We also learn that the Staying Awake programme isn't exactly working, given that we see Grant suddenly wake up screaming, scrambling to the floor... something which doesn't bode well especially since he later tells us that he's "losing it".
London Calling
It's then revealed that the show will at least be partly set in London, which is a surprise given that in the comics Moon Knight mostly operates in New York.
However, it has to be remembered that the character has several identities, and whilst the expectation was that Spector would be put front and centre, the show has instead gone for Grant. Which explains Isaac's accent and the setting.
It's worth noting that the show has put a twist on Grant's background as here he's a "bloody useless" shop assistant, whilst in the comics he's a millionaire movie producer.
Khonshu
A brief moment in the trailer introduces us to the character of Khonshu, the Egyptian moon god who will play a crucial role in the show.
In the comics he is the one who saved the life of Spector on one of his missions, reviving him. Since then he remained as a constant voice in Spector's head, commanding him to do his bidding.
With Grant seemingly in control of the several identities here, is Khonshu terrorising him to bring back Spector as Moon Knight?
The moon god is definitely haunting Grant, although it's unclear what is real and what's in his mind as the sight of Khonshu blends with that of an elderly woman.
The Phone Call
A key moment in the trailer sees Grant discover a mysterious phone and key, belongings we assume belong to his other identity of Spector. That's then confirmed as the female voice on the other end of the phone says: "Oh my god you're alive, what's wrong with you Marc?"
This implies that Spector has not been present for a while, with Grant forgetting the identity. Our bet is that he will soon come out to play though...
As for the voice on the phone, whilst it says "unknown caller" if you watch the trailer with closed captions we are told this character is Layla.
Not a common name in the comics, it could possibly be Layla Miller, a mutant known as Butterfly who possesses powers including resurrection and healing.
It's more likely though that it's Moon Knight's love interest Marlene from the comics, with the show changing her name or obscuring it for the trailer.
Meet Arthur Harrow
We then cut to a sequence which confirms who Ethan Hawke is playing - Arthur Harrow, who is positioned to be the primary antagonist of the piece.
In the comics Dr. Harrow is a scientist who experiments on humans on behalf of the organisation O.M.N.I.U.M., but here our guess is that he will be someone else entirely.
It's worth noting Harrow only appears in one comic, and so the character name is likely to be a red herring. Given that the trailer shows him to be a cult leader, our guess is that he's actually the Sun King.
A popular villain, the Sun King leads a cult that revolves around the Egyptian sun god Amon Ra, who happens to be a rival of Khonshu, placing him in conflict with Moon Knight. Oh, and he also has the ability to use fire!
Telling Grant to "embrace the chaos" within him, Hawke's character seems determined to unleash Moon Knight, although it's currently unclear why.
A montage of action scenes though shows that Grant follows his advice, which leads him to Egypt which we guess is where the finale will take place.
Suit Up
Fully embracing the chaos, we see Grant transform into Moon Knight, with what appears to be bandages wrapping around him.
Interestingly, in the comics the character doesn't have any superpowers aside from strength and reflexes, relying on gadgets similar to the likes of Batman. Only when Khonshu possesses him does he have special abilities which have ties to the moon.
With the trailer placing emphasis on the fact we don't know what's real, Grant's transformation might only be happening in his mind, or maybe something supernatural is indeed going on.
Notably, as we learnt earlier, Spector has been present before, implying that Moon Knight has too, suggesting that this show won't be an origin story.
Our guess is that Grant's research into his backstory sees the return of Spector and Moon Knight, rediscovering these identities as he is thrust into the central mystery.
Whilst this moment in the trailer is unlikely to be a flashback, maybe we will see some of Spector/Moon Knight in action from the past.
Beat Down
Before the trailer ends with some close-ups of Moon Knight in all of his glory, we see the character punching down what appears to be a hairy man.
Our guess is that this is either Werewolf, a comic book character Gael García Bernal is rumoured to be playing in the MCU, or a jackal, a henchman of Egyptian god of the dead Anubis.
Whoever it is they are definitely a poor soul having got on the wrong side of Moon Knight.
Moon Knight streams exclusively on Disney+ from 30th March.Shop all things Marvel here.
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