Moon Knight Directors Describe What Sets Oscar Isaac's Costume Apart From Other MCU Costumes - Exclusive
Whether in comic books or on the big screen, the characteristics that set superheroes apart from their human counterparts are generally comprised of two things. For one, superheroes (usually) have superhuman powers — and secondly, they wear distinct costumes that set said super-powered beings apart from ordinary people. As such, a superhero in the MCU like Spider-Man wears a red, blue, and black spandex suit and mask, while the sorcerer Doctor Strange dons the wardrobe of a mystic, which is complemented by a cape.
Many superheroes have human alter-egos, too, and in the case of the new Marvel Studios series "Moon Knight," the human identity of the titular character is Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac) — who, due to his struggles with dissociative identity disorder, lives an alternate life as Steven Grant. When summoned by Khonshu (voice of F. Murray Abraham), the Egyptian god of the moon and vengeance, Marc-slash-Steven becomes Moon Knight, who serves as the powerful deity's avatar.
Directed by filmmaking team Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, as well as executive producer-director Mohamed Diab, "Moon Knight" — new on Disney+ — is based on the beloved Marvel Comics character who made his debut in the comic "Werewolf by Night" #32 in 1975. Naturally, the look of the character has changed over the years, which presented an opportunity for Benson, Moorhead, and Diab to collaborate with the "Moon Knight" series' costume department to create a costume that not only helps define the sensibilities of the series but also pays homage to the character's comic book past.
The directors of Moon Knight call the ceremonial version of the costume 'beautiful'
In an exclusive interview with Looper, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead described the feeling of watching Oscar Isaac wear Moon Knight's ceremonial costume after only seeing it exist for decades in the panels of Marvel's comic books.
"When you look at 50 years of a character off the page, you're looking at it, and you're witnessing how a superhero costume evolves over time, given the times you're in and what people's expectation is for that costume," Benson said. "To see what everyone collaboratively came up with for this costume ... it's like, 'Oh, it's not necessarily any of those things you've seen prior, but it's something very special.' It's something that feels like it's the greatest hits of everything, yet also something entirely its own."
Moorhead affirmed Benson's assertion that the ceremonial costume the character wears was "something entirely on its own" by recalling the way their collaborator, Mohamed Diab, described it. "Mohamed used a very particular word to describe it earlier today that I couldn't agree with more. The costume is 'beautiful,' and that might be obvious to some, but I can't describe other Marvel costumes as 'beautiful,'" Moorhead observed.
But the ceremonial Moon Knight get-up Isaac wears isn't the only costume the miniseries showcases. Isaac also dons a more modern-looking ensemble when his character is in the guise of Mr. Knight, similar to how many Marvel heroes' get-ups have been modernized for the screen.
"They're very cool. They're interesting. They're kinetic," Moorhead described. "They're fun to look at, but there's something elegant about all of 'Moon Knight' and Mr. Knight's looks that we really love."
Executive produced by Grant Curtis, and also starring Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy, "Moon Knight" is streaming exclusively on Disney+ with new episodes dropping every Wednesday through May 4.