Is Moon Knight The First Jewish Superhero In The MCU?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently immersed in Phase 4 and shows no signs of fatigue. In fact, it's an exciting time to be a fan as the franchise has unleashed a slew of fresh characters into the mix. While franchise veterans such as Spider-Man and Doctor Strange continue to thrive, obscure heroes in the form of Shang-Chi, the Eternals, Ms. Marvel, and Moon Knight look set to have a bright future in the MCU alongside them. Who doesn't love an underdog story?
"Moon Knight" is the latest MCU series to hit Disney+. The story follows the titular character as he juggles multiple personalities and adapts to his newfound life as a superhero. The show is dark, thrilling, and downright weird, making it a unique entity in the MCU canon. Furthermore, the character's Jewish background reaffirms Marvel's commitment to diversifying its storytelling on the screen.
In recent years, Marvel's cinematic franchise has made efforts to reflect the progressive legacy of the comics by showcasing characters from different cultural backgrounds at the forefront of its tentpole releases. Marvel CCO Kevin Feige believes that the company's output should be diverse as it makes for more interesting storytelling possibilities at the end of the day (per Variety). Moon Knight isn't the only Jewish superhero to grace Marvel comics throughout the years. But is he the first Jewish caped crusader to appear in the MCU?
Is Moon Knight Jewish?
Moon Knight is an amalgamation of several aliases that exist because of the character's dissociative identity disorder. These monikers include the American mercenary Marc Spector, British gift-shop employee Steven Grant, the well-dressed Mr. Knight, and the titular superhero. However, as Oscar Isaac told USA Today, the real person is essentially a "Jewish Chicago guy who is enslaved to an Egyptian god," confirming that the MCU iteration of the character honors his Jewish legacy. Director Mohamed Diab also confirmed that the character's Jewish background is present in the Disney+ series in a recent tweet.
Of course, whether or not Moon Knight really is the first Jewish superhero in the MCU is up for debate. For instance, many people believe that Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is Jewish, even though this notion is more implied than factual (via STL Jewish Light). Wanda (Elisabeth Olsen) and Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor Johnson), aka Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, also come from a Jewish background in the comics. However, their heritage is only acknowledged as Eastern European in the MCU, presumably due to Disney having to ignore their longstanding connection to Magneto, whose film rights were owned by 20th Century Fox prior to the studio's acquisition by Disney in 2019.
All in all, Moon Knight is the only outright confirmed Jewish superhero in the MCU as of this writing. At the same time, there is an argument to be made that he isn't the first due to the ambiguities surrounding other characters.