'Moon Knight' Star Oscar Isaac Teases A Series That Doesn't Follow Typical Superhero Logic

In the comics, Marc Spector (aka Moon Knight) has a well-established history of eccentric, unpredictable behavior amid sudden bouts of violence. You know, classic superhero stuff. What makes him unique among other comic characters is his dissociative identity disorder, giving Moon Knight an extra layer of instability that can serve as both a strength and weakness at times. Oscar Isaac, who portrays the titular character in the upcoming Moon Knight Disney+ series, suggests that the show will take some cues from the character in order to stand apart from the crowd.

It was no sure thing that Isaac would return to the world of superheroes after his last attempt, playing the eponymous villain in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, didn't go very well. Thankfully, the Ex Machina, Star Wars, and Dune actor returned Marvel's calls. In an interview with Total Film, he gave the distinct impression that he couldn't be more thrilled with this role. When asked about his previous experiences with superhero movies, Isaac explains what drew him to this story and what makes Moon Knight different:

"It's not so much about the genre of things. It's the people. And is there room to do something interesting in it? And sometimes there is, and you think there will be. And sometimes it turns out there isn't.

So with this – I love the people involved. I thought there was an incredibly unusual story to tell within the world of, you know, the superhero language. But we're making something that's quite different, and that doesn't follow the same...not necessarily even logic of what a lot of superhero films do.

I think because of that, I just found an opportunity to do something that I've not done at all yet, and to have a lot of creative collaboration with the rest of the people making it."

The idea that this series will purposefully stray from the "logic" of conventional superhero storytelling is both eyebrow-raising and encouraging. Much praise has been heaped onto previous shows like WandaVision and Loki for accomplishing something similar, which they certainly did far more than the movies would ever allow. Yet I also couldn't help but come away with the feeling that they still hewed pretty close to the same stories we've seen before, despite their outward appearances and surface-level wackiness.

Moon Knight should provide the opportunity for Marvel to really put their money where their mouth is. We'll find out for sure when the series premieres on Disney+ sometime in 2022.