Moon Knight's Mister Knight was almost very different, according to head writer Jeremy Slater. The MCU Disney+ series premiered on March 30 and concluded its initial run on May 4, just in time for the theatrical release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While Moon Knight reviews were generally positive, there were a few aspects of the character's adaptation from the comics that were controversial with fans.
One of these was the portrayal of Mr. Knight, an alternate costume made up of the Moon Knight mask and a white suit, which Marc Spector used in the comics when serving as a police consultant. This version of the superhero was more brutal and efficient than his caped counterpart, which left some viewers surprised when Moon Knight episode 2 established Mr. Knight as the costume of Marc's mild-mannered alter, Steven. The museum giftshop worker had clearly never been in a fight before, and some fans complained that this was a disappointing direction for the MCU show to go in.
Now, in an interview with Inverse, Slater reveals that the original plan for Mr. Knight was to have it be Marc's suit instead of Steven's. Knowing the character's nature in the comics, the writer says it made more sense to him for the mercenary to be the more violent fighter, but this would've taken away from the Moon Knight episode 1 bathroom scene that the team had planned since their pitch. In the end, Kevin Feige suggested switching the suits, and Slater liked having the opportunity for Steven's Mr. Knight to develop rather than be a fully-formed fighter. Check out his quote below:
In my head, it made more sense for Mister Knight to be Marc’s because in the comics he was the more brutal, efficient, violent Moon Knight. [...] Problem was, if the first time he’s suiting up is the first time you’re seeing him, and if it was Mister Knight, it didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel as cool. We wanted that moment with him, in the cape, towards the camera.
I think [Feige] was right. A lot of hardcore Moon Knight fans were like, ‘That’s not my guy.’ I agree. But you don’t want your guy to be perfect out of the gate because there’s no room for him to improve. We knew we would have Mister Knight kicking some ass, and my plea to the fans was, ‘Just wait.’
While it's interesting that Slater originally had a very different plan for Mr. Knight, it's clear why they went the direction they did, as it wouldn't have made much sense to give Steven Khonshu's more ceremonial suit. The writer's plea for fans to be patient also showed signs of paying off, as Steven's Mr. Knight displayed some nice moves in the Moon Knight episode 6 fight against Arthur Harrow. There's clearly some room for him to develop, though it's hard to imagine Steven's personally allowing Mr. Knight to be the more brutal fighter of the two.
That said, the Moon Knight suit change also creates an interesting opportunity for Marc Spector's third alter, Jake Lockley. While only really appearing in the Moon Knight finale credits scene, Jake has already been established as the most ruthless killer of the three, and the show's logic dictates that he will have a completely different suit from Marc and Steven's. Fans of the show are surely eager for Marvel to confirm Moon Knight's MCU future, so they can know when to expect that first glimpse of Jake's new suit.
Source: Inverse
