Jeremy Slater, the head writer behind Marvel Studios' Moon Knight, assures that the fast-approaching Disney+ original series will not shy away from depicting its lead character's Jewish heritage.In the lead-up to Moon Knight's premiere, there has been a lot of speculation regarding whether or not Marc Spector's Jewish faith would be depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe show, with some concerned that this aspect of the character would be erased. Rest assured, Slater has promised that isn't the case. "Preserving the character's Jewish faith was important to our entire writing team," he wrote on Twitter. "It's something that definitely gets explored in later episodes."
Marvel Studios' Moon Knight is slated to premiere on Disney+ tomorrow, March 30. The show stars Star Wars alum Oscar Isaac, who portrays main protagonist Marc Spector/Moon Knight, as well as his alters, such as Steven Grant and Mr. Knight. There was a bit of controversy when Isaac was first cast in the role, as Marvel Comics' Marc Spector has long been depicted as being Jewish, whereas Isaac is a Guatemalan-born Latino who was raised "very Christian." That said, Isaac's Cuban father does apparently have Jewish roots. Hence, the actor's given middle name of Isaac (his full legal name is Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada).
Created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin, Marc Spector/Moon Knight first appeared in 1975's Werewolf by Night #32. The character was confirmed to be Jewish by writer Alan Zelenetz in the 1980s and has been depicted as such ever since. However, promotional material for Disney+'s live-action Moon Knight series hadn't explicitly stated whether or not the MCU's version of Marc Spfector would be Jewish as well, fueling the concern among fans.
Interestingly, though, the prospect of the MCU erasing Moon Knight's Jewish roots didn't seem to bother Zelenetz himself all that much. "If he's not Jewish because there's a good artistic reason he's not Jewish, that's perfectly okay," Zelenetz said in an interview with The Forward. "I don't care."
That said, even before Slater's comments, Moon Knight head director Mohamed Diab seemed to confirm that Isaac's Marc Spector would indeed be Jewish. "Wait until the end of the show," he told a concerned fan on Twitter. "You'll be pleased."
A former mercenary who was betrayed and left for dead by his comrades, Marc Spector was saved by Khonshu, the Egyptian God of the Moon. Khonshu chooses Marc to become the bearer of his powers on Earth, instructing him to protect the innocent as Moon Knight in order to make amends for his life of violence.
In addition to Isaac as Moon Knight himself, Disney+'s Moon Knight stars Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow, May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly, Gaspard Ulliel as Anton Mogart/Midnight Man, F. Murray Abraham as Khonshu, Antonia Salib as Taweret, Rey Lucas as Elias Spector, Fernanda Andrade as Wendy Spector, Lucy Thackeray as Donna, Ann Akinjirin as Bobby and David Ganly as Billy. Meanwhile, Saffron Hocking, Sofia Asir, Ahmed Dash, Hazem Ehab, Amr Al-Qadi, Zizi Dagher, Sofia Danu, Karim El-Hakim, Shaun Scott and DÃana Bermudez have all been cast in undisclosed roles.
Marvel Studios' Moon Knight premieres Wednesday, March 30 on Disney+.
Source: Twitter