It's hard to believe now, but back when Marvel kicked off its cinematic universe, Iron Man wasn't a household name and fellow Avengers like Thor and Captain America weren't particularly well-known outside of comic book circles either. That all changed following each of their movie debuts – but not every Marvel hero has been so lucky.
While Moon Knight has never been as popular as Steve Rogers or Tony Stark, the fan-favourite vigilante eventually shrugged off lazy Batman comparisons to shine in his own right. Despite that, various attempts to adapt the character have failed miserably.
Aside from a few appearances in video games and animation, Marc Spector's heroic persona is yet to see the light of day or night on screen.
Whether it's because of his similarities to another dark comic book knight or whether his multiple personalities are just too hard to grasp, the chances of seeing Moon Knight in his own movie or TV show have waxed and waned over the years.
However, now that Thanos has quite literally dusted off half of the MCU, there's plenty of room for someone even more unhinged than the Mad Titan himself to step in and take care of business. In the meantime, join us as we take a look back at the history of Moon Knight on screen to figure out where it's all gone wrong for one of Marvel's most beloved characters.
1. First Bite
Blade might have the strength of a vampire coursing through his veins, but not even that could help prevent the Spike network from putting a stake through his TV show after just one season.
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Following its cancellation in 2006, the producers revealed that they had planned to bring Moon Knight into the fold at a later date and the name of his secret identity, Marc Spector, was even mentioned in the pilot.
2. Just a Phase
In the same year that the Blade TV show described Spector as a 'werewolf expert', Marvel Studios and No Equal Entertainment announced that they had begun to develop a live-action Moon Knight TV series. Two years later, writer Jon Cooksey confirmed that he was working on Spector's first small screen outing, but it seems like that might have just been a phase and to this day, no one seems to know why this didn't pan out.
3. Don't Jump the Gunn
Before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 hit cinemas, a Marvel fan asked director James Gunn whether Moon Knight would ever team up with the loveable rogues in the MCU. While Gunn didn't believe that the self-proclaimed Fist of Khonsu belonged with the Guardians, he did reveal that he once pitched a Moon Knight movie to Marvel and that this would be a priority for him if he had more time.
Fast forward to 2018 where Gunn now has a lot more time on his hands after Marvel fired him in light of his controversial tweets. Unfortunately though, it doesn't seem like the studio would ever greenlight Gunn's version of Moon Knight now, no matter how good it might have been.
4. The (Iron) Fist of Khonsu
Following the success of Marvel's The Defenders on Netflix, there have long been rumours that Moon Knight and other heroes like Blade and Ghost Rider could unite to form their own supernatural version of the team.
Former Daredevil showrunner Steven S DeKnight has expressed interest in the character too, but the closest we've come to seeing Marc Spector in the Netflix shows was just recently when screenwriter M Raven Metzner revealed that Moon Knight influenced the story behind Iron Fist season 2.
Tweets originally hinted that the vigilante could suit up alongside Danny Rand. Later on though, it became apparent that the showrunner was simply discussing Moon Knight in relation to Typhoid Mary as they both have Dissociative Identity Disorder.
Given that Netflix's Marvel shows are all either O-V-A-H or soon to be so, we can probably draw a line under that one.
5. A Spector of Hope
Although Moon Knight has never directly appeared in a Marvel movie, the scene in Captain America: Winter Soldier where Agent Sitwell discusses potential threats to HYDRA includes mention of a dangerous man in Cairo, which also happens to be where Moon Knight first gained his powers.
In 2018, studio head Kevin Feige revealed that Marvel would finally deliver on this promise and bring Spector to the MCU, although it might not be any time soon. Speaking to Screen Rant, Feige confirmed that Moon Knight will appear eventually, but that this could happen five, 10 or even 15 years from now.
While this is ultimately good news for fans of the character, we can't help but feel that another lunar eclipse is more likely to rear its head in real life before the spectre of Moon Knight finally appears on screen.
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
