Moon Knight remains a topic of conversation among Marvel fans even a month following its finale on May 4th. The series was something quite new and unique among the other series and films elsewhere in the MCU. It is considered by many to be one of the best-acted shows so far, uniting the impressive talents of Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, May Calamawy, and F. Murray Abraham. At this point, however, it is unknown whether there will be a second season or where else Moon Knight will be featured. Nevertheless, in examining the series, Moon Knight suggests an exhilarating and intriguing path forward for the ever-evolving MCU.
Disney+ Is The Home To New Heroes
Moon Knight was the first of its kind among the Marvel-Disney+ slate of content as it introduces an entirely new hero as the protagonist. This is different than the year past, wherein each show from Hawkeye focused on preexisting heroes. Yes, they of course also introduced new and important characters, yet not to the same extent as Moon Knight.
This seems to be the trend for 2022, and Moon Knight was its conception. Coming up next is She-Hulk. As such, Disney+ is being utilized as a launch pad for these new heroes, before they, hopefully, feature in the films and beyond to further explore what was already established in the MCU.
More Characters Studies
One of the best aspects of the tv/mini-series format is just the sheer amount of time available to showcase and examine the characters. Compared to the films, there is just more opportunity for exploration and study in these shows. Moon Knight, in particular, benefitted from this as the audiences really got to understand Marc Spector and Stephan Grant individually and together, and without it feeling rushed.
Framing these Disney+ shows more as character studies will therefore help acquaint viewers with the characters so that they can quickly become prominent figures in the films – and there are several other Marvel characters who deserve such attention. Such progress in understanding who these characters really are and how they operated, could take multiple films to achieve, so this expedites the process.
Marvel Horror
An exciting element to Moon Knight was the implementation of more mature aspects to Marvel comics. Now, some viewers wished it had gone farther or better lived up to the hype and expectations that built up ahead of its premiere. Nevertheless, in the context of Disney+ shows and the rest of the MCU, Moon Knight was still quite gruesome and violent.
The show nudged open the door more to explore the horror-centric stories and supernatural characters. villains who could feature, such as Mephisto or Dracula.
True Street Level Heroes
In the lead-up to Avengers: Endgame, the stakes of the MCU continued to rise. Now into Phase Four, in some regard, they have rightfully lowered. This is important because like in the comics, not every story should involve the end of the world. Some of the best stories are quite insular, which is why Hawkeye and Moon Knight were so popular.
Yes, Moon Knight is special since he engages with gods, but in the end, it was still a low-scale fight, relatively speaking. Therefore, this could signal a wider array of stories with some being global and cosmic-level events, and others being more street-level. As per the former, there is plenty to look forward to, such as the return of the Netflix-Marvel heroes, Spider-Man 4.
New Obscure Characters
When Marvel announced the slate for Phase Four in 2019, many fans were surprised to hear Moon Knight was one of the projects. While he has had a steady presence in the comics since his introduction in 1975, he is definitely not as popular as say, Iron Man or Captain America. Nevertheless, this worked to the show’s advantage as the mystery around the character drew in the audience.
This selection better exemplifies how Marvel is testing out numerous characters to become important figures down the line. It was also done with Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and a sequel was quickly announced. It is set to happen again with the arrival of Werewolf by Night and Elsa Bloodstone in the Halloween Special. It then opens the door to other characters largely obscure to the general public like Squirrel Girl, Songbird, or Man-Thing.
Original Characters
Something many a fan foresaw as the show progressed, given different easter eggs throughout the series, was the transformation of May Calamawy’s Layla El-Faouly into the Scarlet Scarab. The Scarlet Scarab is not a new character from Marvel, but Layla is, and it marks the first time that an original character was not only a protagonist but also a costumed hero.
Whether they are amalgamations of different characters in the comics like Layla, or completely original, this could have lasting and important implications. Decisions like this can help with better and more accurate representation, and also ease cautious minds who find the MCU and Marvel so daunting given just how much there is.
The Rise And Fall Of The Gods
Ahead of the show’s finale, some fans fully expected Moon Knight to tie into the film, Thor: Love and Thunder by having Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher feature to kill the Egyptian Gods. Of course, this didn’t come to . Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow as part of his service to Ammit did kill the god’s avatars, but they still live, for now.
Nevertheless, Moon Knight was clearly positioned in its release window to tease the arrival of the gods in Thor: Love and Thunder. While many fans expect very few gods across all sorts of pantheons to survive the film, it is also theorized they could continue to be featured in the future – such as Bast in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
International Heroes
Importantly, Moon Knight is also a departure from the norm as it features international heroes. For most of the MCU, it has been very American-centric. However, if the MCU is for global audiences, it should make strides to actively represent heroes from all over the world - rather than having Earth's mightiest heroes, mostly from one country. Moon Knight introduces Scarlet Scarab as an Egyptian hero, continuing a trend in recent years to explore heroes from around the globe.
Of course, there’s who can feature elsewhere in future MCU projects – and Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. There are plenty more possibilities like Alpha Flight or Excalibur.
Future Team-Ups
Despite there being no public information about Oscar Isaac returning as Moon Knight, whether in a second season or elsewhere, many fans are still betting on it. The post-credits scene introducing Jake Lockley – and the ambiguity over if he actually killed Arthur Harrow – really sets the stage for his return. Excitingly, his return could then signal the introduction of several, different teams from the comics.
Predominantly, many fans pointed to the Midnight Sons, a supernatural team composed of Moon Knight, Doctor Strange, Blade, and Werewolf by Night to mention some . The Secret Avengers – a covert black-ops team that could be the next major team-up following Secret Invasion – or the West Coast Avengers are viable options too.