It has been a little over a year since the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) expanded from being just a sharped movie universe into a fully interwoven movie-and-television project. From WandaVision to Hawkeye, these Disney+ releases have been smash hit successes. Among the four live-action Disney+ shows, they are all helmed by familiar characters. The most recent members of the MCU among the headliners on the Disney+ Marvel shows are the Scarlet Witch and Vision. Still, they have been in the MCU since 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, so they are not exactly foreign entities in the MCU.
The next MCU project is about to take a brave, fresh step forward. That would be the Disney+ series, Moon Knight, which debuts on Wednesday, March 30th.Moon Knight promises to be a different directionfor Marvel Studios. The show’s tagline is, “embrace the chaos,” and the content in the trailers matches this slogan. The show appears dark, shrouded in mystery, and deeply psychological.
RELATED:Moon Knight Could Be The Stylistic Shift Marvel Needs
However, MCU projects have previously been somewhat formulaic. This matured interwoven fictional universe is now 14 years old, so it makes sense that there would be some kind of a formula. However, if Marvel Studios does not want its fans to become complacent, it should keep Moon Knight fresh by having it stand alone from the rest of the rapidly-evolving MCU.
No Need to Reference Past Films and Television Shows
InWandaVision, there are many references to the events ofAvengers: Age of Ultron.Lokicovers practically the entirety of Loki’s activities, even his death, across his entire MCU existence.The Falcon and the Winter Soldierdeals with the fallout of the return of some 4 billion human lives following the events ofAvengers: Endgame. Lastly, Hawkeye pays specific attention to the events of the breakout 2012 filmThe Avengers.
Moon Knightshould avoid being so referentialwith the MCU. So many references to past MCU events lately have felt somewhat gimmicky, and require a broad amount of knowledge of the shared universe across several television shows and movies. It would be wiser to simply have Moon Knight take part in other Marvel projects, particularly crossover films. But in his own show, in the inaugural season, Moon Knight should be a fairly stand-alone project in the MCU.
No Need to Include Other MCU Superheroes and Supervillains
In Marvel Comics, Moon Knight occasionally crosses paths with other superheroes. This is most true for New York City-based superheroes such as Daredevil and Spider-Man. Within the past decade, he has even been a member of the Secret Avengers.
However, theMoon Knighttelevision show should avoid including other major superheroes and supervillains that the general public is well-accustomed to at this point. IfMoon Knightis supposed to take Marvel in a new, spooky, mysterious direction, it cannot be predictable and formulaic.
Not Everything has to be Tied to the Thanos or His ‘Snap’
Each of the four live-action Disney+ television shows that precededMoon Knightweredeeply tied to Thanos. The Mad Titan killed Vision (twice) and Loki inAvengers: Infinity War. Both Falcon and the Winter Soldier were brought back from death and fought against Thanos and his invading army inAvengers: Endgame.Hawkeyelargely evolved around how Hawkeye became Ronin inAvengers: Endgame, laying waste and bringing death to criminal enterprises around the globe.
Moon Knight should be its own event. After all, Moon Knight is the Fist of Khonshu (Egyptian god of the moon), and the Protector of Night Travelers. These concepts are going to be brand new in the MCU, and would be overshadowed if the show had ties to Asgard or Wakanda. Let Moon Knight’s world be his own, at least in the beginning.
Lean Into Moon Knight’s Mental Maelstrom
Moon Knightshould embrace the chaos with a full throat and no apologies. In Marvel Comics,Moon Knight has Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). This essentially means he has multiple personas, and is an intensely paranoid man.
TheMoon Knighttrailer expressly states that Moon Knight has trouble discerning when he is awake and when he is asleep. The prospect of such a condition would terrify anyone. Coupled with his DID, this could be a real chance for Marvel to give representation to those with mental health conditions while simultaneously educating and entertaining its audience.
Not Everything has to be Explained by Science or Magic
In the MCU, almost everything can be explained by science or magic. If Tony Stark cannot fix a problem scientifically, then Doctor Strange will do it by means of the mystic arts.Moon Knightshould zig where the MCU zagsby alluding to neither science nor magic for the purposes of the Fist of Khonshu’s origins. It would be both interesting and fascinating to leave some things, and perhaps reality itself, up to the viewer’s interpretation.
Moon Knighthas a real chance to be something different for the MCU and to subvert viewer expectations. By avoiding the regular MCU pitfall of referencing other happenings in the shared universe,Moon Knightcan keep the MCU fresh and have fans yearning for more.
Moon Knightstreams on Disney+ March 30th.
MORE:Will Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Be As Thematically Rich As Its Predecessor?
