Isaac’s previous comic book effort “X-Men: Apocalypse” was lambasted by critics and was a nightmare for the actor to film, but he wasn’t ready to swear off superhero stories entirely. So when Marvel came calling again, this time to join the MCU properly for the starring role in their latest Disney+ series, he kept an open mind. As the titular superhero in “Moon Knight,” Isaac got a chance to play a hero this time — but not just one, as he took on dual roles in the series.
As Marc Spector, Isaac got to play a brutal, skilled contract killer, recruited by the Egyptian god Konshu and granted the powers of his avatar, Moon Knight. Now, Marc is on a mission to thwart the villainous Arthur Harrow from resurrecting Konshu’s nemesis, the ancient god known as Ammit. A man with a troubled past, his task is complicated when we learn he suffers from dissociative identity disorder and has a second personality.
Spector’s second persona, which he created in his youth to help him cope with childhood trauma, provides Isaac’s other role in the series as the bumbling British museum worker Steven Grant. The polar opposite of Spector, Grant is knowledgable in Egyptian history but also naive, awkward, anti-social, and averse to violence. Forced to work with Marc’s ex-wife Layla to stop Harrow, Isaac masterfully plays out two parts of a love triangle between himself and Layla as the two personalities fight to control his body.
To play two vastly different roles plus a costumed superhero in a big-budget series would be tough for anyone, but Isaac has proven more than up to the challenge.