Though it wasn’t quite the critical darling as some of its streaming predecessors, Moon Knight landed with fans and was one of Marvel’s most watched series, beginning with a strong premiere on Disney+. Samba TV, which measures viewership in millions of households, indicated that the first episode’s viewership was comparable to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and exceeded that of WandaVision and Hawkeye in the first five days of release. This suggests that Moon Knight garnered significant interest and viewership upon its debut which continued as it became the most in-demand series on the streaming service.
Despite the strong viewership and strong interest in the future adventures of the character, it was unclear if Marvel had plans for a sophomore season of Moon Knight. Following the season finale, director Mohamed Diab made it clear that if a second season of the series was part of the studio’s future plans, nobody had told him.
“We don’t know if there’s a next season,” said Diab. “I’m kept in the dark, just like the fans…Marvel doesn’t go with a conventional way, so even if they like the character and want to extend the world, it could be Season 2, it could be a standalone film, or he can join another superhero’s journey. We never discussed it being a Season 2, but one day there’s going to be an expansion, but I don’t know how it’s going to look like.“
Where Moon Knight lands in MCU after this, I actually don’t know. As a fan, I want to know, because Oscar created such an engaging, emotional performance that people want to see more of the Steven-Marc-Jake story.
-Moon Knight executive producer, Grant Curtis
Even series star Oscar Isaac, who drew rave reviews for his portrayal of The Fist of Khonshu, was kept in the dark about the studio’s plans for the character. “And let’s just put everything out on the table on this story. There’s definitely no official plans to continue it,” said Isaac in 2022. As it turns out, Isaac wasn’t dissembling and nothing has changed behind the scenes.
In an interview with Comicbook.com, Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum ended nearly three years of rumors and speculation about a second season of Moon Knight. According to Winderbaum, while the studio does have plans to bring Isaac back in the role, it won’t be in Season 2 of Moon Knight.
“So I think Marvel Television has happened in waves, and I think Moon Knight happened in a wave of shows that were going to establish characters that would tie-in to the future,” said Winderbaum. Though he didn’t define it, the wave referenced by Winderbaum also likely included She-Hulk Attorney at Law and Ms. Marvel. Reading between the lines, one might infer that second seasons of those series are also unlikely to be developed as the studio has rethought its streaming strategy.
“Moving forward our priorities have shifted,” Winderbaum explained. “We’re making shows as shows that can exist as annual releases, more like television. I would love to see a Moon Knight Season 2, but there are plans for Moon Knight down the road.”
And so as Marvel Television makes the move toward transforming Disney Plus into network television and putting out only two series each year, there’s simply just not enough room for everyone, something Marc Spector knows a little bit about.
Source: Comic Book
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