Moon Knight trailer reveals the identity of Ethan Hawke’s mysterious villain

The first full Moon Knight trailer is here and it’s... confusing? If you’re looking for a Marvel show about a delirious Oscar Isaac doing a British accent, this is the show for you — but maybe there’s more to Moon Knight than that.

Released on Monday, January 17, the new Moon Knight trailer appears to show Marc Spector (Isaac) as we’ll first meet him before the truth about his superhero status is revealed. It’s all very mysterious though, but the preview did reveal one exciting new thing: Ethan Hawke’s role as the show’s presumed main villain.

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Hawke appears as a nondescript character with flowing hair and a monotone outfit making his way through some European city. He’s flanked by followers, and moments later stands still as they bow before him.

Ethan Hawke’s Moon Knight character

Thanks to the magic of closed captions, we know Ethan Hawke plays Dr. Athur Harrow, a minor character from the comics with connections to Moon Knight/Marc Spector.

Also known as Agent Harrow, Arthur first appeared in 1985’s Moon Knight: Fists of Konshu #2. He is a scientist and a candidate for the Nobel Prize in medicine thanks to his research in “pain theory.” However, his findings were later found to be copied from secret Nazi experiments conducted at Auschwitz.

Harrow’s research continued, but when he started abducting innocent people for his research Moon Knight took notice. During their confrontation, Harrow escaped and his research continued.

Considering he’s a pretty minor character in the comics, it’s likely Marvel Studios will take some creative license with Arthur Harrow in Moon Knight. Maybe his research involved Marc Spector directly (Moon Knight famously has a high tolerance for pain). Or maybe his character will be merged with another Marvel villain, like the popular Moon Knight antagonist the Sun King.

Either way, at least now Ethan Hawke’s mysterious Moon Knight villain finally has a name.

Moon Knight release date, cast, and plot

Moon Knight stars Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector (aka, Moon Knight) and Gaspard Ulliel as Anton Mogart (a master thief in the comics known as Midnight Man not seen in this trailer). It also stars Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow and May Calamawy in a still-unknown role.

Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin in 1975, Moon Knight is a new addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marc Spector is a Marine who becomes a hesitant mercenary. After almost dying during a mission in the Sudan, he’s left in front of a statue of Khonshu, the Egyptian moon god. He survives, seemingly saved by Khonshu, who gives Spector the title of “moon’s knight” and essentially tells him to become a superhero.

Spector has dissociative identity disorder and assumes a handful of different identities to fight crime. Moon Knight doesn’t possess any superpowers (at least not in the comics), but he’s skilled in hand-to-hand combat, guns, and more. He also has a high tolerance for pain and wears a custom-made silver glider cape capable of lifting him up with the wind or an updraft. He’s carried a variety of weapons over the years.

Moon Knight’s head writer Jeremy Slater (Fantastic Four, The Umbrella Academy). Mohamed Diab directs four episodes, with directorial duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead handling the remaining two — though rumor has it George Clooney may also direct one episode.

Moon Knight premieres March 30 on Disney+.