Like Captain America’s super strength or Iron Man’s intellect, Marvel Studios has the incredible superpower to turn even the most unknown comic book characters into box office juggernauts. It’s not like Drax the Destroyer, the Winter Soldier, or even the Mad Titan Thanos were that well known outside of comic shops before their appearances in the MCU, but today, they’re household names, marketed on backpacks and billboards around the world.
Now, it sounds like Disney is hoping to make a star out of Moon Knight, one of the darker heroes from the comics’ lore. According to our sources – the same ones who told us that the actual Mandarin will show up in Shang-Chi and that Taskmaster will be the main antagonist in Black Widow – Marvel is actively developing a Moon Knight project, though it’s unknown at the moment whether it will be a feature film or streaming series. However, the former option is what we’re told is most likely.
The character, who at one point was almost introduced in Iron Fist season 2, has been described as a bit like Marvel’s take on Batman. A Chicago-born mercenary with multiple personalities, Marc Spector becomes the human embodiment of the Eygptian God Khonshu, donning a silver cloak to fight crime in the darkness of night. It’d be a pretty meaty role for any actor to tackle and though there’s no confirmation just yet on who may eventually snag it, we’re being told that former Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield is one of several names on the studio’s wishlist.
As with all reports of this nature, we imagine both Garfield and Marvel may publicly deny this, but as mentioned above, our source has a pretty strong track record. Even revealing to us the Endgame re-release post-credits scene well before it hit theaters. As such, we’re inclined to believe them.
In any case, while Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige says he has no intention of going too dark with the MCU, we know Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is going to incorporate plenty of horror elements, as well as tie into the WandaVision Disney Plus show, so a live action take on Moon Knight could easily follow its darker tone.
We’ve also heard that Feige and co. are interested in casting a Jewish lead, keeping with both the character’s established backstory and Marvel’s promise to increase diversity and representation in the franchise’s future. So, sorry John Wick fans, even if Garfield doesn’t land the role, it sounds like you shouldn’t hold your breath for Keanu Reeves to receive a phone call from the studio asking him to suit up as Moon Knight.
