Moon Knight lead actors Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke -- who respectively play the titular antihero and the evil Arthur Harrow -- revealed that the upcoming Disney+ series' lack of connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe was what caught their interest.
Speaking to IGN, Isaac said Moon Knight's relationship to the MCU reminded him of 2008's Iron Man. "For me, my favorite Marvel film is still the first Iron Man," Isaac began. "You know, it's the one that feels like it's breaking through in some way, and it has such an indelible performance, [where] [Robert Downey Jr.] comes in and just owns every minute that he's on screen. It also feels quite adult, and it's messy, 'cause it's the first one, you know? So I like that a lot."
Isaac added Moon Knight had "a similar approach," as the cast and crew is "building this thing from the ground up." The actor went on to say that Moon Knight is still part of the MCU, but that the larger universe is "not part of the story – [Moon Knight] rests on its own terms, and it's really an internal exploration of [the character]."
Hawke, who shared Isaac's views on Moon Knight being a standalone project, continued, "I love – you know, when you first see Iron Man, or when I first saw Black Panther – where I don't know the origin story, I don't know all the characters, I get to really be told a new legend. And I was so happy when we first talked about this that it was disconnected, because it gives us so much more freedom. And as an audience member it's what I want, I want to not know what's going to happen."
Moon Knight's distance from the MCU was previously teased by executive producer Grant Curtis, who stated, "[Moon Knight's] brand-new, and he is going on a brand-new adventure. We really think the fans are going to enjoy it." Curtis had also called the series "a story about identity and finding one's true self."
But story is not the only way Moon Knight separates itself from the rest of the shared universe. Regarding the tone of the show, Marvel Studios President/Marvel Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige delved into how brutal it will be. Feige noted that Moon Knight, which has been rated 14A, will have instances where the Fist of Khonshu "is wailing on another character" and that the studio will not pull back on the violence.
Moon Knight arrives on Disney+ March 30.
Source: IGN