Fans spent many episodes of Marvel Studios’ Disney+ series Moon Knight wondering just what the story was behind Oscar Isaac’s Steven Grant and Marc Spector. Where did they grow up? Were their parents still alive? It wasn’t until Episode 5 that some of those answers were revealed in tragic flashbacks; they weren’t very pretty, to say the least.
One of the biggest shockers was how Marc’s mother, Wendy Spector, abused him both when Marc as he was growing up. Why? Well, she blamed him for the death of his brother. His father, Elias Spector, remained in the picture as well. Though, the show never dove too far into his role within the traumatic proceedings of Marc’s life.
The Direct got to sit down with actor Rey Lucas, who brought Marc and Steven’s dad to life, to discuss his character, his relationship with his son, and how Wendy may have ended up passing.
Rey Lucas on Wendy, Marc, and Elias
In an exclusive interview with The Direct's Russ Milheim, Moon Knight actor Rey Lucas, who portrays Elias Spector, talked about his fatherly role on the show, while also addressing the abusive side of the family: Wendy Spector.
In fact, the last time viewers saw Elias was at her funeral. But how exactly did she end up dying?
While it was never set in stone, Lucas revealed that he and director Mohamed Diab discussed possibilities, and “one of the things that came up was alcohol:”
“I think I asked Mohamed what his thoughts were on that, you know, when I got there and had those pages. And if I remember, right, one of the things that came up was alcohol. And I think we see her in that scene [at] Mike's birthday scenes where she comes in drinking. I think that idea was introduced [then]. That [was] sort of just the beginning of [that]... [and it] just got the better of her. I remember that being talked about as a possibility. You know, I feel like this was also a project where everyone was really just given a lot of freedom to go with whatever, you know, in many cases to work from whatever felt strongest to them.”
With everything that happened to Marc thanks to his mother, does Elias Spector hold any guilt? The actor noted how he feels his character “would feel some sense [of guilt],” and that he likely came to “[wish] he’d have done more:”
“To me, it only makes sense that there has to be some, you know, that he would feel some sense [of guilt]. Maybe he didn't see it at first, but definitely, by the time that Marc is a teenager and he’s trying to get on that bus and skip town. And, you know, if he hadn’t seen it before, he definitely, by then, realizes that he wishes he’d have done more and, or wishes he’s seen sooner… and I think that’s pretty universal with a lot of parents [about] whatever struggles the child has, even in adulthood… I think for a lot of parents, there's a universal, you know, sense of looking within to see what they should have done differently, or, you know, how they might have been at fault or play[ed] some role…”
He also noted that Marc's father “maybe didn’t want to see [it] at times, because it was [just] too difficult to accept:”
“The loss of a child is something you don't wish on anyone. So I imagined that he was so focused on taking care of her that he didn't see, and missed, some of what was happening between you know, her and Marc. And, maybe didn't want to see at times, because it was [just] too difficult to accept. He seemed to me, someone who stands by people, you know, and maybe to a fault. Maybe not balanced enough, maybe not prioritizing his own, protecting his own.”
The actor noted how he imagined Elias was “someone who focuses so much on the community outside of his house, that he might miss some things that are going on inside of [it]:”
“I felt that if I thought of him as someone who felt responsible [to make a] significant contribution to his community and his neighbors and in his family… maybe [he’s] someone who focuses so much on the community outside of his house, that he might miss some things that are going on inside his house. Someone [who is] always tending to, you know, the neighbor's needs, or the school board's needs. Maybe that's how there's a bit of a blind spot at home, not seeing what's going on with his own child and his own wife.”
The question now, with the series over, is: will Marc and his father ever reconcile? Lucas says that he believed the two had “a lot of unresolved [things],” but has “hope that they could find some reconciliation:”
“I interpreted that as, there's a very strong connection there [and] a great amount of emotion, but there's [also] a lot of unresolved [things]... I left with hope that they could find some reconciliation, one day, or healing or something. We see in the series, he's always calling his mother, but he never calls his father as Steven…I didn't have any of this information at all [when] I was working on it…”
The Rough Parenting of the MCU
It makes sense how Wendy may have succumbed to alcohol, something that fits within the abusive tendencies she sadly had. Though, it’s important to note how this isn’t 100% canon, seeing as it was the topic of an on-set conversation.
So it’s not quite set in stone, and could easily be changed down the line. But how much more of Marc and Steven’s parents will be explored? Lucas’ character Elias is still around, so a potential second season could easily explore the dynamic with his son. As the actor pointed out, there are undoubtedly some complicated factors at play.
All this means is that the writers for Moon Knight’s future will have plenty to play with whenever he comes back into the spotlight.
Moon Knight is now streaming on Disney+.
