Moon Knight finally premiered on Disney Plus this past week, introducing Marvel-loving audiences to not just Oscar Isaac’s Marc Spector but also his nemesis, creepy cult leader Arthur Harrow, as played by Ethan Hawke. Harrow was a surprising choice for the show’s big bad, seeing as the character is a very minor player in the comics. But it turns out that Moony’s most frequent foe was off-limits — due to Black Panther‘s Killmonger.
In response to a fan questioning why Harrow was utilized over more familiar rogues, Moon Knight showrunner Jeremy Slater took to Twitter to explain that the hero’s “only recognizable villain” Bushman was ruled out as an option due to perceived similarities with T’Challa’s evil cousin, as played by Michael B. Jordan in the 2018 Oscar-nominated movie.
“His only recognizable villain was Bushman, who just felt too close to Black Panther’s Erik Killmonger,” Slater revealed. “So we decided to invent a villain instead. Ethan Hawke in particular was instrumental in creating Harrow.”
So who is Bushman? Otherwise known as Raoul (or sometimes Roald) Bushman, he is a ruthless mercenary who was once Spector’s partner until he betrayed him, beating Marc senseless and leaving him for dead. It was while in this state that Spector was approached by the Egyptian god Khonshu and transformed into his avatar. The TV series has yet to explain the character’s origins, but clearly, Bushman won’t be figured into them.
Given both Bushman and Killmonger being militarized maniacs on the hunt for power — Bushman desires powers like Moon Knight’s, just as Erik covets his cousin’s Black Panther mantle — it’s easy to see why Slater and his team decided to skip over using him in the show. Still, the option is there to adapt Bushman in subsequent seasons, as Hawke has teased that Moon Knight might not be a one-and-done event.
Moon Knight continues Wednesdays on Disney Plus.