For those of us who have missed out on Werewolf By Night #32, fortunately, there are still affordable key issues out there related to Moon Knight. For example, we know that Ethan Hawke has been cast as a yet unnamed villain. The question is -- which villain will he play? We'll speculate on two villains that he could play and their first appearances (FYI, I've chosen not to write about Hawke portraying Werewolf by Night since that first appearance is also out of reach for most collectors).

We all know Moon Knight is scheduled to make his appearance in the MCU in 2022 in his own Disney+ series. In terms of speculation, it's too late for average collectors to invest in Moon Knight's first appearance in Werewolf by Night #32. This book has been scorching hot for years. According to GoCollect, the FMV of a CGC 9.8 copy of his first appearance is now an insane $52,000. This far exceeds the FMV of a CGC 9.8 copy Amazing Spider-Man #129, the first appearance of the Punisher (which is estimated to be $33,000). Considering that these two issues came out nearly within one year of one another and that Moon Knight is a second-tier superhero, I'd stay away from his first appearance. To me, this comic is overheating.

Moon Knight #1 (1980): First Appearance of Bushman

The villain Ethan Hawke is most likely to play is Raoul Bushman. Bushman plays a central role in  Moon Knight's origin story. After Bushman kills Marc Spector's friend, Spector challenges Bushman to a duel. Bushman defeats Spector and leaves him to die in the desert. Several Egyptians find Spector and take him to the Temple of Khonshu, an Egyptian god. There, Khonshu appears to Spector in a vision and revives him. Spector then defeats Bushman and chooses to become the crime fighter Moon Knight.

This story is told in Moon Knight #1, Moon Knight's first self-titled & ongoing series. Although it's not Moon Knight's first appearance, this issue does contain the first appearances of Bushman, Khonshu, and Moon Knight's origin story. Because few people are familiar with Moon Knight, it's likely the Disney+ series will tell his origin story and draw from this comic.

The Hulk! #17: First Appearance of Shadow Knight

Another villain Hawke could portray is Shadow Knight, Marc Spector's brother, and an antagonist to Moon Knight. Shadow Knight first appears as a serial killer known as Hatchet Man The Hulk! #17 (a magazine format). When Moon Knight attempts to stop Hatchet Man, he learns that the killer is his estranged brother, Randall. Randall later becomes Shadow Knight and attempts to replace Moon Knight as Khonshu's next avatar. As many people can relate to conflict with siblings, I personally hope Hawke plays Shadow Knight.

According to the CGC Census, graded copies of this magazine are rare; CGC has only graded 37 copies of Shadow Knight's first appearance. Decent-looking raw copies of this magazine have sold recently on eBay from $9 to $50.

Do you think Ethan Hawke will portray either Bushman or Shadow Knight? Or is there another character you think he'll portray? If so, please tell us in the comments section below!