The first episode of Moon Knight is out now on Disney+, and it’s making waves. We dubbed the premiere the “strongest debut for a Disney+ Marvel show since Loki.” From its original storytelling to the excellent music choices and surprisingly on point humor, Moon Knight got off to a great start.
A large part of the reason it’s so good is because of lead Oscar Isaac, who feels like an actor at the top of his game as he portrays the multiple personalities of Steven Grant, aka Marc Spector, aka Moon Knight. We’ve only seen a little bit of the show so far, but already we have no doubt that Isaac is going to do something really special with the role.
It’s somewhat surprising to learn that Isaac has only signed on to do one season of the series. Marvel Studios has long had a reputation for using contracts that lock actors into multiple appearances across the MCU. Yet Isaac has managed to navigate the process without signing on for a similar deal.
“I had heard of the golden handcuffs,” Isaac told Variety. “That was something that I was reticent about. And luckily, we all agreed that this is what we’re going to focus on. This is the story. And if there’s any kind of future, I think it just depends on if people like it, if people want to see more, and if we find a story that’s worth telling.”
Oscar Isaac hasn’t signed on to reappear as Moon Knight in the MCU
The fact that Marvel was willing to meet Isaac halfway and do a shorter contract speaks well of the company’s willingness to try different things this late into the MCU’s life. By necessity, Marvel’s projects are shifting and changing in Phase 4. Perhaps part of that is allowing actors to come and go with a little more freedom. For Isaac, it all came down to him being willing to stick to his guns when it came time to discuss contracts as well as creative ideas.
“I was in a position — because I wasn’t actively looking to get back into something this big — to say, ‘This is how I see it, and if you guys don’t see it that way, that’s totally okay, but then maybe it’s not the right fit,’” Isaac said. “And so I wasn’t afraid that I was going to do the wrong thing.”
This seems to be working out for the best. And it’s reassuring that Isaac isn’t outright saying he doesn’t want to do more Moon Knight, just that he wants to let the storytelling and audience reaction determine whether he signs on to reappear as the character. Based on how amazing his performance has been so far, we hope to see plenty more of him in the role in the future.
Moon Knight’s first episode is available now on Disney+. New episodes drop on the platform on Wednesdays.
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h/t Syfy Wire