Oscar Isaac debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Moon Knight four years ago, and now we have a better idea about why it’s taking so long for him to return.
Just like Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk and Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel, Isaac’s take on the white-garbed superhero debuted in his own Disney+ show. Yet, while Ms. Marvel later resurfaced in The Marvels, just like with She-Hulk, fans remain in the dark about when Moon Knight will be seen again in the MCU. He also hasn’t been referenced in any of the franchise’s other projects.
While speaking with Comicbook.com, Jeremy Slater, who created the Moon Knight TV series, revealed that Isaac has a sizable amount of creative control over what’s done next with the character due to the conditions of the contract he signed. In order for Moon Knight to come back, Isaac would be involved, but there needs to be a compelling enough story to entice him to return. Check out Slater’s comments below:
The contract Oscar Isaac signed was very much like, we will do more stories when we find stories that he is creatively excited to tell. They can just sort of snap their fingers and summon him back for another adventure. He’s really creatively involved in the future of that character. So I would imagine part of the challenge, and part of the joy over there, is finding: what stories does Oscar want to explore, and how does he want that character to be used? What’s something that would entice him to get back and play in that sandbox one more time?
Because Moon Knight was structured as a six-episode series that contained few connections to the wider MCU, there’s nothing to say that Isaac’s protagonist is required to come back. As seen with the aforementioned She-Hulk and the Eternals, Marvel will sometimes stop revisiting certain characters. Perhaps there just isn’t a good fit for Moon Knight in any of the upcoming Marvel movies or TV shows.
In this case, though, Slater clarified that whenever Marvel does come up with another idea for the live-action Moon Knight, Isaac has to like it as well. That begs the question about whether the Disney-owned studio has already approached the actor about a potential Moon Knight return, but he turned it down because he wasn’t sold on the pitch. Whether or not that’s happened, Moon Knight has been active in the Marvel Comics space for over 45 years, so it’d be surprising if the MCU didn’t do anything else with him.
If or when the day comes that Oscar Isaac approves of an idea to bring Moon Knight back to the MCU, there’s at least one plot thread said project would need to follow up on. In the Moon Knight finale, it was revealed that Jake Lockley was the secret third personality that lived within the body that also contained Marc Spector and Steven Grant. Unlike those two, Jake was in league with Khonshu and killed Arthur Harrow, which in turn also eliminated the deity Ammit.
While Moon Knight season 2 hasn’t been entirely ruled out, there’s also no indication that Marvel is seriously considering making it. If it does happen, Slater said in the same interview that he doubted he’d be “creatively involved.” He doesn’t have “any inside information in terms of the character,” but he is “very hopeful and optimistic that we will see him again at some point” because Isaac was “happy that a lot of fans responded positively.”
If another season of Moon Knight is off the table, then it stands to reason that Marc, Steven and Jake would all return in some kind of ensemble project or as a supporting character in a project led by another MCU protagonist. As a hypothetical example that Slater presented, perhaps he could be featured in a Midnight Sons movie or TV show. This would also be a good way to finally bring Blade to the MCU forefront, since his own movie has stalled.
Though details on Moon Knight’s future remain shrouded in secrecy, the MCU continues later this year on Disney+ with the TV special The Punisher: One More Kill on May 12, followed by VisionQuest at a yet-to-be-announced date. Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday will also be released in theaters on July 31 and December 18, respectively.
- Release Date
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2022 – 2022-00-00
- Showrunner
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Jeremy Slater
