Marvel Studios' new Moon Knight series has finally landed on Disney+- and it is dark.
Starring Oscar Isaac in the lead role, the new series has significant connections to the Mena region, from the director to the cast and shooting location.
Here is everything you need to know about the new Marvel series:
When is 'Moon Knight' coming out?
Moon Knight debuted today, March 30, on Disney+.
The first season is set to include six episodes, which will be released weekly on the streaming platform.
Who stars in the 'Moon Knight' series?
Star Wars actor Isaac plays the protagonist Marc Spector/Moon Knight. In the trailer, we were also introduced to the series' villain, Arthur Harrow, a cult leader played by Ethan Hawke who encourages Spector to embrace his darkness.
Egyptian-Palestinian actress May Calamawy co-stars in the series, along with French actor and model Gaspard Ulliel as Anton Mogart/Midnight Man.
Bahrain-raised Ramy star Calamawy was not shown in the trailer.
The links to the region are not limited to Calamawy. Four of the six episodes have been directed by Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab, and it was partly filmed in Jordan and Egypt.
Diab told The National last year: “It’s one of the most interesting comics [in the Marvel universe] because it’s about someone who has DID – dissociative personality disorder. Formerly known as multiple-personality disorder … just imagine Oscar Isaac doing that. He is killing it!”
Who is Marc Spector aka Moon Knight?
Marc Spector aka Moon Knight is a Marvel anti-hero. Spector is a former boxer, US marine, CIA agent and mercenary.
In the comics, when he and his employer, Raoul Bushman, come across an archaeological dig that Bushman wants to loot. Spector tries to stop him but is attacked and left for dead by his employer.
Minutes from death, he is approached by the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, who offers him a second chance at life and special powers in exchange for becoming his avatar on earth.
The ex-solider has a severe case of dissociative identity disorder, a mental health condition usually caused by past trauma. He is unable to differentiate between his real life and dreams, as his disorder manifests itself as distinct individuals.
What does the trailer tell us about Moon Knight?
The trailer, released in January, was certainly dark. Set to the soundtrack of Kid Cudi’s Day "N" Night, we meet Steven (Isaac), a man with a sleeping disorder who "can't tell the difference between his waking life and dreams." Evidently trying to self-treat, he listens to a service called Staying Away and plays with a Rubik’s cube in bed, which he is chained to.
However, it's then revealed that he's not Steven at all, but Marc Spector.
The series is set in London, where we see Steven – or is it Marc? – at work in a museum with an exhibit on ancient Egypt. Presumedly, it is here that Khonshu takes over his body and mind.
The trailer is then a series of quick glimpses of the show, with a shot of the pyramids, a fast-paced chase in a colourful van and a scene that looks like it's set in a mental health facility. Isaac's character is also seen out of control and falling, a common dream sensation.
"There's chaos in you," Hawke's character says. "Embrace the chaos."
By the end of the trailer, which has its fair share of violence, the protagonist has evolved into the part-mummified masked anti-hero, Moon Knight.
