Moon Knight is shaping up to be something special, and the first trailer has promised a Marvel Studios TV series drastically different from anything we've seen up until now.
That's never a bad thing, and following the supernatural adventures of this vigilante promises to shed new light on previously unexplored areas of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While this teaser has clearly only scratched the surface of what to expect from the six-part series, plenty of intriguing reveals were scattered throughout that highlight more than you might have noticed at first glance.
Luckily for you, we've scoured through this sneak peek to bring you an in-depth breakdown. From unexpected cameos to Egyptian Easter Eggs and even that mysterious villain, we have you covered!
So, to take a look through our Moon Knight trailer recap, simply click on the "Next" button below.
8. Steven Grant
It appears, at least initially, that Marc Spector won't be Moon Knight's lead. In the comics, he's a mercenary who gained the powers of Moon Knight and used them to become a vigilante, though dissociative identity disorder would lead to the emergence of Steven Grant and Jake Lockley.
Having won millions of dollars through gambling, "Steven Grant" became Marc's financier, while Lockley was a cab driver who would gain information on the streets to help his crimefighting activities.
In the MCU, Steven is described as a "mild-mannered gift-shop employee," so Marvel Studios is clearly taking some liberties with the source material. Rather than Marc showing up and developing his new personalities, we'll be following Steven as he "discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector." That means the series will likely deliver an unconventional origin story which reveals how Marc became Moon Knight to us and Steven at the same time.
7. Khonshu
Khonshu is an Egyptian God, and resurrected Marc after he was left for dead by a fellow mercenary.
While Khonshu initially served as something of a guide to the hero, the fact that his mind fractured and broke ultimately led to something of a tumultuous relationship between the two. It reached a point where no one was quite sure (including Marc) whether the God was just in his head, but he's definitely an ally, and even helped Marc gain control over his other personalities.
In the trailer, we see Khonshu stalking Steven, though we'd bet he's not a threat to him. Instead, he's likely just trying to help restore Marc's senses, but he's a scary-looking figure, so it's no wonder the "gift-shop employee" is freaking out. It's also worth noting that Khonshu has history with Rama-Tut, a Kang the Conqueror Variant who he crossed paths with in Ancient Egypt.
6. About That Crocodile...
What's the significance of the wallpaper on that old cell phone? Well, this appears to be a nod to Sobek, the Crocodile God. He was among the deities worshipped by the people of Egypt, and spawned by Ra alongside the likes of Bast, the Panther God, and Sekhmet, the Lion God (yes, the same Bast we saw T'Challa and the rest of the Wakandans worship in Black Panther).
Ammut is another possibility, especially as she once tried to help Khonshu cure Marc of his mental problems. However, as with many Marvel Comics characters, they've been allies and enemies over the years, and the hero fought them both during the "Mr. Knight" era of storytelling.
This could be a minor Easter Egg or a sign of things to come in Moon Knight, but we're intrigued, and it surely can't be a coincidence that the trailer makes a point of including this shot.
5. Marc Spector
As noted, Marc Spector is a complex guy, and someone who started off primarily facing supernatural threats before becoming a character more akin to Batman in recent years.
With Daredevil about to make an impact in the MCU again, we don't really need a character like that, likely explaining why Marvel Studios has decided to adapt Moon Knight's earlier adventures. Despite battling his demons (literally, at times), Marc is a good guy and has done his best to be a hero. He's definitely gone to some dark places over the years, but his friends are often there to help.
We've seen no sign of Frenchie or Marlene in Moon Knight yet, but the subtitles for the trailer confirm that's Layla on the other end of the phone. Played by May Calamawy, it appears she's a newly created character for the series because there's no one in the comics close to Marc with that name.
4. Arthur Harrow
We now know that Ethan Hawke is playing Arthur Harrow, a very obscure villain from the comic books who is seemingly being reinvented for the MCU. On the page, he was a mad scientist with connections to the Nazis who became obsessed with pain. That led to him conducting horrific experiments on humans and animals alike, but why is he being worshipped in the trailer?
It appears he cures people here, hence why Steven has gone looking for his help. We'd bet there's more to him than meets the eye, though, and it's possible "Arthur Harrow" is a pseudonym.
We'd still bet on the possibility of Hawke playing Dracula, though the fact that he's out in the sunshine admittedly hurts that theory. There's a strong chance Harrow is tied to another Egyptian God, of course, but whatever the case may be, it's likely the villain will be pivotal to Moon Knight's emergence.
3. Anubis
At first glance, it might look like Moon Knight is fighting Khonshu here, but that's not actually the case.
Instead, we believe this is Anubis, the Egyptian God of the Dead. Marc came face-to-face with him when he died, so it does seem a little surprising that the hero has overpowered him in a bathroom stall! That could be explained by this being one of Anubis' jackal-like henchmen, though, monsters we actually saw Moon Knight square off with during Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood's run.
It's worth acknowledging that Jack Russell, a.k.a. Werewolf-by-Night, is another possibility. It was in the pages of that monstrous character's series Marc Spector made his debut, and it's already been confirmed that a Halloween special is in the works revolving around the lycanthrope. However, this beast seem a little too small in stature, though we can't fully discount it being a werewolf.
2. That's A Cool Costume
We definitely need to discuss Moon Knight's costume because that's another fairly significant change to the comic books. Like most superheroes, Marc Spector typically wears a regular suit he changes into in order to fight crime, but in recent years, it's become more Batman-like in terms of tech.
This thing is basically magic, though, and seems to form around the hero at will. We're not sure if it materialises out of nowhere or if he has to wear something it's contained within.
Marvel Studios appears to have taken inspiration for this costume from Earth X, a.k.a. Earth-9997. Making it mystical in nature likely suits the story they're telling (it certainly makes more sense than him constantly having to change), but it's possible he'll get something a little more traditional down the line. Those glowing eyes, however, make us think his powers are tied to the Mummy-like bandages.
1. Where's Jake Lockley?
So, we've mentioned Jake Lockley a couple of times here, but who is he, and why are fans losing it that there was no mention of him in the first trailer for Moon Knight? As noted, this personality was a cabbie who gained information by keeping an ear to the ground and feeding that information back to Marc.
It would be surprising for Jake not to factor into the series in some way, but it would be understandable for the Disney+ show to focus on Steven and him learning he shares his body with a mercenary.
Jake could be an amalgamation of both personalities and the MCU's "Moon Knight" by the time the series ends, or just another facet to this very complicated hero. Whatever the case may be, Oscar Isaac rocks a few different looks in this trailer, so it's possible we've already seen Lockley in action...