Michael Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve John Shepherd. The character is a second cousin once removed of Alfie Moon (Shane Richie), and first appears on 1 October 2010 after Alfie's return. He is also the father to Tommy Moon, whose mother is Alfie's wife Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace). Michael is later joined by his father Eddie Moon (David Essex) and half-brothers Tyler (Tony Discipline) and Anthony Moon (Matt Lapinskas).
A psychopath, Michael is described as a competitive and manipulative risk-taker who lives dangerously. He is a charmer with an eye for the ladies, but is willing to stab anyone in the back. He has a relationship with Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons), which is disliked by Roxy's sister Ronnie (Samantha Womack), and later marries Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks). In June 2012, it was announced that Shepherd decided to leave the role. Michael's last episode is on 1 November 2013, when Michael is murdered by Janine. Shepherd quit to explore new roles.
Casting and characterisation Shepherd's casting in the role of Michael was announced on 28 July 2010. Shepherd said of his casting: "I can vividly remember watching the first ever episode of EastEnders and I'm very excited to be joining such a fantastic and iconic programme. Michael Moon will be an exciting character to play". Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood explained that he had been a fan of Shepherd for many years, adding: "He's a fantastic signing for EastEnders, an exciting addition to the Moon family, and is set to cause a big splash in Albert Square from the moment he arrives." Shepherd's contract was a long-running negotiation and he received confirmation whilst filming Waking the Dead. His first appearance on screen was on 1 October 2010.
Michael is described as a competitive and manipulative risk-taker who lives dangerously, and a charmer with an eye for the ladies, but he is willing to stab anyone in the back. Shepherd said that "on the surface he's a loveable, cheeky chappy, but underneath he has hidden depths which will be exciting to explore." Shepherd opined that viewers would be unlikely to vote for him in polls such as 'sexiest male' because his character is "duplicitous": "I think viewers tend to fall in love with the character you play, and if they go for a duplicitous rogue, I'd be very surprised!" He told What's on TV that Michael can be mercenary and has a cruel streak, but "there's darkness and light to him, really. Some moments you can see him being really quite cruel and then the next he can be quite compassionate and thoughtful." He told We Love Telly that "[Michael] takes pride in the way he dresses and he's always been quite successful with the ladies." Daniel Kileklly from Digital Spy called Michael "enigmatic", and said he has a nasty side. Kirkwood compared Michael to Ronnie and Roxy's father, Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb), saying they approach life and treat people in similar ways. The EastEnders website additionally calls Michael a "sinister", "flashy" and "jealous" man who "wouldn't think twice about screwing people over—even those he loves". It continues to read: "Michael possesses all the charming characteristics of his loveable rogue of a cousin Alfie, a cheeky-chappy with a silver tongue and an eye for the ladies, but with a more sinister and cruel streak. Michael is a serial womaniser and with a string of broken hearts and failed marriages behind him, he’s got the track record to prove it. Whenever he needs a port in a storm, there’s a girl he knows that will put him up for a night, a week or more." The London Evening Standard dubbed Moon as the "Albert Square psychopath"; Shepherd has described the character as a "functioning psychopath".
Storyline development Michael leaves Walford when he is rejected by Kat. When Alfie sees Kat kissing Michael, he feels embarrassed and shocked, but also concerned about Alfie and Kat's marriage, which Shepherd said shows a new side to Michael. After going on a date with Roxy, Shepherd said that Michael likes her no-nonsense, feisty nature and her wild side, adding that they make a good couple. Kirkwood said that "Roxy's a little girl lost and Michael could be the worst possible man for her. But how long will it take her to realise that?"
On 24 January 2011, it was announced that David Essex had joined the cast as Michael's father, Eddie, with whom Michael has a "fractured relationship". Shepherd said that Eddie's arrival will allow the reasons behind Michael's behaviour and his personality to be explored. Shepherd explained that animosity between Michael and Eddie exists because of "something dark and it's still very raw for Michael. It's made him the person he is today. It's why he is so damaged. And dangerous." He added that Eddie's return would stir up bad memories which could have a "damaging effect on Michael's relationships with the people around him". It was announced on the 10 May 2011 that Michael's half brothers were being introduced; Tony Discipline playing Tyler Moon, and Matt Lapinskas playing Anthony Moon. Kirkwood said, "The Moon clan are on their way to becoming an established family in the Square." It was revealed by Inside Soap that the rift between the two is because Michael's mother committed suicide and Michael found her body but he is convinced that Eddie killed her.
In May 2011, it was reported that Michael would develop an obsession with Ronnie Branning (Samantha Womack) and start to stalk her, with scenes including him sneaking into her bedroom to watch her sleep and going through her underwear drawer. It was also reported that Michael would spread lies about Ronnie, and ask Roxy to wear the same perfume as her sister. A source told the Daily Star, "Everyone knows Michael has a mean streak but he is set to get a whole lot worse. He's trying to meddle in as many people's lives as possible. It seems he wants Ronnie all to himself. But what exactly is he up to?" The storyline was reportedly filmed in May 2011. Speaking of Ronnie's dislike of Michael, Shepherd said "He can't work out why Ronnie doesn't like him, so he assumes she must fancy him."
Upon the reintroduction of Derek Branning, it is revealed that Michael and Derek have clashed in the past. Speaking to Inside Soap, Shepherd promised that he will continue to "oppose" Derek. He commented: "It's already been alluded to that Derek and Michael didn't get along in the past. The true extent of Derek's emotional and physical bullying of Michael still hasn't been revealed, but Michael's well aware of how unpleasant he is. Derek's a nasty piece of work." Asked whether Michael will "settle the score" with Derek, Shepherd replied: "Absolutely! Michael holds grudges and doesn't forget anything. He has a bad feeling that the Brannings will become too powerful in Walford if Derek continues to ride roughshod over everyone, so he's definitely in Michael's sights. We can expect these two to clash, that's for sure."
After Janine becomes pregnant with Michael's child, their relationship has seemed to be smoother. Shepherd revealed to Inside Soap that their relationship is set to get "rockier" in the coming weeks. He commented: "The relationship is going to get very fraught and rocky—mountainous, actually. I gather that Janine has made a habit of killing off her husbands, so Michael will have to keep one eye open where she's concerned!" Discussing Michael and Janine's connection, he continued: "They both have this 'black dog' that follows them around—it's a darkness. They share similar histories with family dysfunction, so he knows why Janine is so unpredictable and uneven. He sees himself in Janine." Shepherd also joked about how Michael and Janine's child might cope with having such twisted parents. He added: "I pity Michael and Janine's baby! How would I rate his skills as a father? Quite low. Imagine Michael changing a nappy! But he sees this as a chance to redeem himself."
Shepherd explained why his character starts to turn against his friend Jack Branning in early 2012. It was earlier reported that Michael will discover that Jack has forged Roxy's signature in order to get their daughter Amy and then shares this information with Roxy. Asked whether Michael is worried about betraying Jack, Shepherd commented: "No, as Michael doesn't like Jack's attitude towards Derek. Derek has come in and assumed the role as head of the Branning family. He's bossing everyone around and he's committing all sorts of low-level crime. Michael is galled by this. He also doesn't want the Brannings to be too powerful on the Square." Discussing his character's twisted personality, he continued: "I like his complexity and I do enjoy playing him. I feel very fortunate to be able to explore his darkness. There's a lot more territory to cover too, so I'm looking forward to that. People have taken to him as well—but one woman I met once did scream at me!" Even though Janine's pregnancy has brought Janine and Michael closer, Shepherd had revealed that it will not last.
Investment fraud In April 2012, it was announced that Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) would form an unlikely relationship with Michael. Michael seizes this opportunity to trick Jean into giving him a large sum of money. Michael tells Jean, that because one of the suspects for the murder of Heather Trott (Cheryl Fergison) had a large sum of money, the police could easily target Jean as an additional suspect. Jean gives her scratch card winnings consisting of £8000 to Michael so he can invest it into his gym, but in fact Michael plans to use it to pay for his wedding to Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks). Michael, seeing that Jean is an easy target, decides to con her again by asking her for a second investment by "lending" him Alfie Moon's (Shane Richie) savings. Even though Jean is initially reluctant at first, she hands over the VAT money for The Queen Victoria. Shepherd expressed his excitement for forthcoming storylines for his character Michael and Wright's character Jean. Speaking to All About Soap, Shepherd said: "We are building up to something, but I don't know what the pay-off is. It'll be a real crescendo and the thing with Jean becomes extremely intense. It's a bubbling cauldron." Shepherd later confessed that Michael doesn't care if Janine finds out where the money is coming from. He added: "He balances the risk he might be thrown out of the relationship against the benefits and decides it's worth the gamble."