Worried 'Moon Knight' will be Disney-fied? Kevin Feige promises they're 'not pulling back' on brutal tone

Don't expect Marc Spector (or any of his other identities) to be softened around the edges when Moon Knight lands on Disney+ at the end of March. During an interview with Empire for the magazine's April 2022 issue, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige promised a faithful representation of the character played in the realm of live-action by Star Wars vet Oscar Isaac.

“He’s brutal,” Feige teased. “It’s been fun to work with Disney+ and see the boundaries shifting on what we’re able to do. There are moments [in the series] when Moon Knight is wailing on another character, and it is loud and brutal, and the knee-jerk reaction is, ‘We’re gonna pull back on this, right?’ No. We’re not pulling back. There’s a tonal shift. This is a different thing. This is Moon Knight."

Fans got a small taste of Spector's penchant for unadulterated brutality in the first trailer that dropped online last month. In particular, the footage ends with the eponymous hero wailing on what looks to be a werewolf (or perhaps some embodiment of the Egyptian god Anubis?) in a destroyed bathroom. Created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin in the mid-'70s, Moon Knight is sometimes described as Marvel's answer to Batman, albeit not as well-known.

“It is risky,” Isaac also told Empire, echoing similar comments he made earlier this month. “He’s an obscure hero, and the things we’re dealing with are very different. But because it’s a limited series, rather than a movie, the pressure isn’t there to make sure the opening weekend is massive. We’re able to take more risks, to bring that experimental quality on a huge scale.”

When the story opens, Marc Spector is not Marc Spector. He's Steven Grant, a jumpy gift shop employee in London who often finds himself plagued by blackouts and fractured memories of another life. Soon enough, he realizes that Mr. Grant is one of several personalities occupying the body of Spector, a mercenary who was left for dead in Egypt before being saved by the Moon deity Khonshu. Marc was given a second shot at life if he promised to serve as Khonshu's proxy on Earth. At least that's how it goes in the comics.

Led by head writer/executive producer Jeremy Slater (Death Note, The Umbrella Academy), the small screen project co-stars Ethan Hawke (playing the main antagonist, Arthur Harrow) and May Calamawy (her role is still TBD). Mohamed Diab and the duo of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead share directing credits. Isaac, Diab, Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Brad Winderbaum serve as executive producers. Grant Curtis, Trevor Waterson, and Rebecca Kirsch are co-executive producers.

Moon Knight will rise Wednesday, March 30 on Disney+ .