As is customary with comic-book adaptations, Marvel Studios' Moon Knight took a few liberties with its source material to best adapt it for live-action. One of the show's biggest departures from the comics was the Mr. Knight persona. In the Marvel Universe, Mr. Knight is Marc Spector's fourth personality, created in Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood's "Moon Knight" series from 2016, which involves the hero fighting to escape the clutches of Khonshu when he attempts to take over his body.
In the show, Mr. Knight is just the costume that Steven Grant (Marc Spector's second personality) summons when he transforms into his own version of Moon Knight. Originally, though, the Mr. Knight attire was supposed to be worn by the hero's main personality, Marc Spector.
In Marvel Studios' Assembled: The Making of 'Moon Knight' — a documentary about the creation of the series streaming on Disney+ — Moon Knight star Oscar Isaac discussed the matter, explaining that the costume went to Steven once the show's creative team realized it would fit his personality better (from the 18:04 mark):
"Here's an interesting little tidbit: Originally, Marc had the Mr. Knight outfit and Steven had the Moon Knight outfit. And then, as Steven became this very English bloke, [I was] like, 'I feel like Steven's Mr. Knight. Don't we think that?' And then they were like, 'We were thinking the same thing.' And so, then that got switched."
The show's co-director, Aaron Moorhead, also offered some details on the origin of the costume, stating that its in-story design came from what Steven Grant believed to be cool (at the 16:39 mark): "Mr. Knight is what Steven imagines is cool. James Bond. Something like that, right? A dapper gentleman that's a trickster and strong and funny."
Moon Knight Costume Designer Meghan Kasperlik then discussed Mr. Knight's design, breaking down the intricate details of the hero's attire (from minute 16:56):
"For Mr. Knight, we have a custom three-piece suit. We took references from the comic. We really wanted to make sure to bring in a little texture and not have it be flat white. So, when the light hits it, there's a slight lamé [glossy fabric, usually with silver and/or gold threads interwoven] that comes out to have a little brilliance to the suit."
Kasperlik further stated that Mr. Knight's footwear is actually sneakers modified to be reminiscent of mummies: "[The suit] has a waistcoat with custom buttons — the Khonshu symbol. We adapted a sneaker, because I wanted to give it a modernized look. Mohamed [Diab], our director, wanted [the shoes] to have some straps on them in homage to mummies."
Moon Knight is now streaming all of its episodes on Disney+. Marvel Studios' Assembled: The Making of Moon Knight is also available on the platform.
What do you think about the origin of the Mr. Knight costume? Which of the two Moon Knight suits shown on the series was your favorite?