Moon Knight is something special among the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ever-expanding connective tissue. While it still is definitely part of this universe, it’s probably the most standalone project since Phase 1. Still, there’s always going to be the hope that Oscar Isaac would reprise the role in future projects, especially as the Disney+ series was hinted at as a limited series. In an interview with New York Times, he has talked about the future of his character and highlighted that he’s just happy that the project is a more self-contained story.
It’s a new character that we’re taking a chance on. The nature of the story is this investigation, this slow-reveal mystery. If it goes somewhere else, that’s great. I’m glad it’s not just an advertisement for synergy.
Oscar Isaac
He does compare it to his experiences with previous blockbuster projects like X-Men: Apocalypse and the Star Wars Sequel trilogy. While he seemingly burnt out on these types of franchises, the Marvel project reignited that excitement and pulled him back in. He was also the one that pulled in Ethan Hawke to join the project, as it gave him that spark he was hoping to get.
It’ll be interesting to see what the future has in store for Marc Spector beyond his own series. We’re only a few days away from the Moon Knight finale finally releasing on Disney+. He’s been a prominent member of the Avengers and Marvel comics throughout the years. It would be a shame to not see him interact with others throughout, especially replicating some of his hilarious interactions with Spider-Man as well as further exploring his psychology.
Moon Knight is set to wrap up its six-episode run this week with its finale that hopefully can avoid the curse of other series rushing its ending. The finale will see the next confrontation between the avatar of Khonshu and Arthur Harrow, whose determination to free Ammit may have unleashed an unexpected evil.
It looks like this was not always the plan, however, and the series initially featured a much more familiar foe to fans of the Moon Knight comics. In an interview with the House of R podcast, Jeremy Slater revealed that Raul Bushman was originally set to be the main antagonist of the series.
There was a lot of specifics in the pitch that didn’t wind up working in the show, Bushman was intiailly going to be the main villain, I think he was going to be possessed by an egyptian god by the end of it, and you’d have a big sort of avatar battle.
Jeremy Slater
This of course did not happen, and we’ve only gotten a brief reference to Bushman. So, his only real “appearance” was in the recent episode where Marc confirms that his partner killed the group of archeologist when he got greedy, leaving Marc for dead. So, the series still is following the comic’s origin story but does not focus too much on it, keeping it open for future exploration.
Its been reported that when developing the story the team had decided that the character of Bushman was too similar to that of Erik Killmonger, the main antagonist of Black Panther. The series instead opted to take a minor character from the comics and rework him into a bit of an original character, but it seems like they may have kept the plans for Bushman and used him for Harrow.
Here’s a rather surprising reveal, but it seems that at one point Echo, better known as Maya Lopez, was considered to be the love interest for Marc Spector in the Moon Knight Disney+ series. Head writer Jeremy Slater revealed in an interview with the House of R podcast that they had Echo as the love interest at one point in its scripting phase, especially as Marvel Studios was interested in introducing the character.
At the time, Echo was going to be our love interest, solely based on the fact that they knew Marvel liked the character of Echo and was trying to find a show to put her in.
Jeremy Slater
While the character was a love interest in the comics, they had a hard time fitting her into the storyline. As it’s a collaborative process, they pitched different ideas and it seems that they’ve realized the bigger potential to explore her character in Hawkeye at some point in the process.
They were like, ‘You know what, we’ve got this Hawkeye show and we feel like she would fit in a lot better there and we were like, ‘Oh, thank God.”
Jeremy Slater
It looks like they had gone through quite a few ideas early on in the process, which was teased in the past as they had concept artists and writers support the teams to bring these ideas together. The Disney+ shows are also a new venture for Marvel Studios which also comes with many new learnings moving forward. So, we’ll see what other projects went through quite a few changes as they release more.
We still know very little about the upcoming animated I Am Groot project. It seemingly may be a small project similar to the final Blue Sky series, Scrat Tales. Instead of a fully-fledged show, it’s more like a vignette of small episodes featuring the adorable version of Groot we were introduced to in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. While we are still waiting for an update on the project, it seems that some merchandise has found its way online.
Box Lunch has shared some promo art as part of its clothing line which teases Baby Groot. They are titled “I Am Groot” which would hint at a connection to the upcoming release, and it’s not uncommon for its merchandise to find its way online long before the project does. There is one rather curious detail that stands out, it features a second Groot with a mustache.
Now, facial hair isn’t the actual big aspect, even if it’s a funny design element. It may tease that the upcoming animated series may include multiple different versions of Groot, as we can clearly see them with different facial hair. Now, it seems unlikely that this project will explore the multiverse but there is one possibility that works within the series canon.
In Guardians of the Galaxy, Groot sacrifices himself and is blown up while protecting his friends. The current Baby Groot was made from the remnants of some twigs that would eventually grow into the current Groot we know and love. Yet, there’s a possibility that other versions were born the same way and his upcoming adventure may end up meeting other versions of himself.
Marvel Studios’ latest television series, Moon Knight, has been notable for plenty of things including Oscar Isaac’s performance, the focus on a relatively obscure Marvel character, the exploration of complex mental health issues, and the wacky journey into supernatural realms not yet seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Another interesting aspect of the series is how distant it can be from its comics source material at times.
After the reference to Jean-Paul “Frenchie” Duchamp, multiple cameos from Bertrand Crawley, and Layla’s similarities to Marlene Alraune, a decent proportion of Marc Spector’s classic supporting characters have made some type of appearance in the live-action series. One of the biggest characters in Moon Knight’s history has been notably absent, but Episode 5 of Moon Knight dropped a quick reference to him.
‘Moon Knight’ (1980)
While Marc was revealing to Steven how he met Khonshu and became his avatar, they walked through the desert area where numerous people, including Layla’s archaeologist father, were killed. Marc explains to Steven that he was not responsible for the massacre and that his mercenary partner, Bushman, got greedy and killed the crowd. It is a single, quick reference, but it is the latest purposeful inclusion of Moon Knight’s classic characters.
In the comics, Bushman (or “the Bushman”) is easily Moon Knight’s greatest enemy, and the villain appears many times over the decades of comics. As Marc mentions in the episode, he worked with Bushman while a mercenary, and Bushman killed those people in a tomb raid before nearly killing Marc as well. The superhero’s origin story in the comics is almost identical with respect to Bushman’s role in those events. Since then, Bushman remained iconic in Moon Knight comics and was a major part of numerous different arcs.
Marc did not need to say “Bushman” in Episode 5. But, obviously, the writers of Moon Knight included it for a reason. In a story that has not relied on the comics, these references were probably placed throughout the live-action series for a couple of reasons. On one hand, they could be simple nods to Moon Knight’s history and nothing more. While fan service can be great (and may sometimes be the best route), there are reasons to believe that the superhero’s supporting characters are being saved for future stories.
A couple of references to the comics stand out, but Bushman in particular should pique people’s interest. As mentioned, Bushman is an absolutely integral character in the Moon Knight comics. The villain’s actions and presence have influenced the costumed vigilante time and time again. Bushman’s importance goes far beyond the hero’s early days. Moon Knight’s arguably most violent moment came decades after his origin and involved Bushman (he tore off his face), which led into a severe depressive episode for Marc that changed the character’s course as well as heightened the mental health element of his stories.
‘Moon Knight’ (2006)
The point is that Bushman has always been an obvious choice for a live-action Moon Knight adversary. If the superhero gets more time in the MCU, he remains a clear choice. If the series wanted to totally avoid the character and his impact, he did not need to be name-dropped. Similarly, the Crawley cameos in Moon Knight make his future appearance seem more likely—not only did he make a physical appearance, but he has appeared across multiple episodes.
Moon Knight may very well be saving some of these classic characters for future stories with Oscar Isaac’s hero. As was clear from Episode 5, the live-action series is not making too big of a deal of Marc’s original meeting with Khonshu where he agrees to be his avatar. The Disney+ show is likely setting up its finale to be, for all intents and purposes, the Moon Knight origin in the MCU.
If that is the case, the character moving forward may likely take on a more traditional superhero role. With that role, a solid supporting cast is bound to follow. The basic setup in the live-action series could be signaling that the iconic comics characters will be around in the long run. And who knows? The Moon Knight finale could prove quite informative about the future of Marc Spector’s, Steven Grant’s, and Jake Lockley’s classic entourage.
‘Moon Knight’ (2016)
The first five episodes of Moon Knight are now streaming exclusively on Disney+.
We’ve had a few set photos in the past from the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. It teased that the upcoming special will see the Guardians return to Earth. There were even rumors that hinted at Kevin Bacon potentially appearing in the Disney+ special but there was no hint on what role he might have in the project. No matter what it might end up being, a new batch of set photos has found their way online with our best look yet at Dave Bautista‘s Drax and Pom Klementieff‘s Mantis.
The photos provided by @guardiansupdate offer some close-up images of the two seemingly enjoying the wonders of the Holidays on Earth. The reaction of the Mantis to a human statue is an adorable addition. Her costume has seemingly changed the least between films but Drax got quite an upgrade with his outfit.
It’s strange not to see Bautista shirtless as Drax, as there was an ongoing joke that his nipples are sensitive in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. We’ll see if the others forced him to put on some clothes while on Earth so that he wouldn’t stick out too much, but they may not include any reference. Still, it seems likely that this is also the design he’ll have in Vol. 3, which might wrap up his story in the franchise.
Guardians of the Galaxy’s current roster might undergo quite a change moving forward if the team remains at all. Director James Gunn will wrap up his time with the team and move on to other projects afterward. So, we’ll see who will remain within the MCU or who might be leaving the franchise behind.
MoonKnightEpisode 5 is arguably one of the best installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s television series. While answering a lot of questions about our protagonists and the nature of the show itself, it managed to feel incredibly unique from its companion episodes. Despite being a standout for the Oscar Isaac-led series, it had quite a few similarities to a popular episode of the first Phase Four installment, WandaVision.
If Episode 5 of Moon Knight reminded you of Episode 8 of WandaVision, you are not alone. Both penultimate episodes carried similar themes and structures that ultimately accomplished the same task: rewriting the origin stories of the MCU characters. This article explores the resemblances and differences between the two episodes to highlight Marvel Studios’ fresh technique in introducing or re-introducing heroes.
Marvel Studios’ ‘WandaVision’
No Flashbacks
While often referred to as the “flashback” episode, WandaVision Episode 8 does not actually feature any true flashbacks, and the same can be said for Moon Knight’s most recent installment. While there are numerous memories showcased in each, they are in the form of physical spaces that the main characters can, essentially, be a part of. In both episodes, the physical path to the memories was represented by doors–Agatha leads Wanda through a door in her basement, while Marc Spector and Steven Grant travel from room to room in the mentally-projected psych ward.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’
A slight difference is how the characters exist within these memory spaces. In Moon Knight, Marc and Steven could move around as separate entities from their past selves as highlighted by Steven desperately trying to save the young Marc and his brother from drowning. In WandaVision, however, Wanda generally relives the memories and takes on the form of her past self. For example, rather than watching herself go through the HYDRA experimentation with the mind stone, she inhabited that past body and lived through it once more. Even with that slight variation, the outcome is the same. The memories of the lead characters play out in what feels like real-time, and the fact that our heroes relive these dark moments makes it more potent for the audience.
Timing
Obviously, both of the episodes at hand were the penultimate installments of the series. Both Moon Knight and WandaVision took a break from their ongoing plots to spend virtually an entire episode in the past. Because they were immediately before the finales, they changed the momentum of the Phase Four entries and paved the way to conclusions that feel drastically different than their beginnings. The memories served to answer many questions that plagued the shows. In both, there existed a sort of “final” or “peak” memory that revealed the most fundamental concepts that had before been mysteries.
In WandaVision, we see the build-up and finally the actual moment that Wanda created Westview. Previously, the viewer did not know when Westview started, and the memory furthermore explained how the Scarlet Witch’s background and then-current grief combined to manifest as the series. While Moon Knight has not yet concluded, it is safe to say that the reveal that Marc is the original personality is a watershed moment for the show. It answered several questions surrounding the existence and relationship between him and Steven, which is the bedrock of the series.
Spotlight on Mental Health
Neither the MCU nor other comic book franchises are known for their deep character-level emotional explorations or dives into the sphere of mental health. But both Moon Knight Episode 5 and WandaVision Episode 8 put the spotlight on those themes. These two episodes spend a great deal more time on the mental health or emotional aspects of their lead characters than other series or films in the MCU. Because of that, they are noticeably different experiences than what the viewer is used to.
Marvel Studios’ ‘WandaVision’
Wanda’s depression, trauma, and grief were the underlying cause of Westview and all of the events of the series. While often media is satisfied in suggesting that, for example, a character is grieving deeply, the WandaVision penultimate episode genuinely and successfully elected to show it.
Similarly, Episode 5 of Moon Knight put the spotlight on Marc’s inner struggles. While deep trauma is unrooted like in WandaVision, the presence of and respect given to the character’s dissociative identity disorder leads the series to explore a much more concrete and narrow area of mental health. Still, Marc is developed as a well-rounded character with emotional and psychological turmoil beyond it.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’
New Origins
Marvel Studios’ ‘WandaVision’
While the emotional penultimate episodes certainly add fresh and enriching experiences to their respective series and the MCU at large, they both appear to do something interesting for their titular heroes. We know that WandaVision’s finale acted as a sort of renewed origin story for the Scarlet Witch in the cinematic universe. There, Wanda had been introduced as a character years before and her series served to re-establish the hero and her mantle. Moon Knight, in contrast, was introduced in the current series. While Moon Knight has less to rework, it is likely building up to establish the MCU’s own unique take on the character’s origin. His classic comics origin was very briefly shown in Episode 5, and it seems as though the show is eager to establish Moon Knight in a way unique from his history and expectations. The penultimate episode is almost certainly laying the foundations for the superhero’s true MCU-specific origin story to be fully revealed in the Moon Knight finale.
The first five episodes of Moon Knight are now streaming on Disney+, while the entire series of WandaVision is currently available on the streamer.
New data offers new opportunities, as Business Insider has shared some more analysis of how exactly the Disney+ series are performing. They provided data by Parrot Analytics that showcases how the various Disney+ shows from Marvel Studios have rather similar developments. They are massive hits for the service, yet have one curious flaw. The Marvel projects aren’t drawing in new fans to further boost the subscriber base even if Moon Knight is the most in-demand series currently.
They share an overview that seemingly hints at the overall demand, but the takeaway is that the service is having issues bringing in new subscribers even if current ones are quite happy with the offering. The Direct questions if perhaps the streaming service may have potentially reached its high point when it comes to subscriber growth yet it may also be a bit more complicated than that. Moon Knight is ahead of Loki and Hawkeye 25 days after its debut but trailing behind WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
While Marvel’s offerings do have diversity in genre, they are still technically connected through the overarching brand, the main focus of Disney+. Most of their focus is on branding over individuality, which might be one of the issues they are facing. Subscriptions services like Netflix can offer more varied series and films due to them not having strong IPs, to begin with. The family-friendly focus also became a crux due to limiting its audience potential but is on a path to potentially grow with their new adult-focused content such as the Netflix Marvel series.
It also becomes clearer if we look back at data from November of 2021. At the time, Marvel was responsible for 60% of its subscription base. So, it’s no wonder that most of the current subscribers are going to focus on those series and the growth might stagnate slightly. Disney+ will likely focus on diversifying its portfolio while also making sure they keep its current subscribers with the help of the Marvel projects. The data provided is by a third party, which also might not fully reflect subscriber growth due to Disney focusing on a different metric. SambaTV analysis shares some different perspectives, which adds to the issue of how true this data is. For now, it just offers a foggy window rather than a clear view.
Even though Disney owns TheMuppets brand, they’ve been struggling to get a series going besides a small variety series. Luckily, it seems that they are finally moving forward with a series titled The Muppets Mayhem, which moves away from the usual Kermit and Ms. Piggy shenanigans to focus on The Electric Mayhem Band, who are on their way to recording their first studio album. The Goldbergs creator, Adam F. Goldberg, is working on the project alongside Jeff Yorkes and Muppets veteran Bill Barretta. Now, we can exclusively share that The Baby-Sitters Club director Kimmy Gatewood is attached to direct at least one episode of the series.
Gatewood is set to direct the fifth episode of the series, which is tentatively titled “Fortunate Son.” We currently can’t confirm if she’ll direct multiple episodes of the Disney+ series. While many might know the actress for her role as Stacey Beswick from GLOW, Gatewood also has quite a lot of experience as a director. She worked on series like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Baby-Sitters Club, Single, Drunk Female, and recently Ghosts.
With only the finale remaining, Moon Knight feels like a completely different series now than it did when it first premiered. There are numerous outstanding questions going into the final episode, but among them is still whether Jake Lockley — Marc Spector’s third identity from the comics — will make an appearance. Episode 5 seemed to focus exclusively on Marc and Steven, and there were fewer obvious nods to another identity being present. But the episode still leaves the door wide open for Jake to appear.
Because Episode 5 is the last chance to speculate whether Jake will or will not actually show up in Moon Knight, here is a bit of a recap of the evidence we have so far. In Episode 1, there were several suspicious reflections where it looked like more than Marc was present, the inclusion of Crawley (a traditionally Jake-centered character), and some interesting imagery in the end credits that seemed to have a theme of three Oscar Isaacs. In Episode 2, reflections, comments from Layla and Harrow, and a violent Marc outburst were all notable. Episode 3 did all but confirm that a third personality took over when both Marc and Steven blacked out during a fight. And Episode 4 practically showed us Marc and Steven passing by Jake’s own sarcophagus. Now, let’s talk about Episode 5.
The Scales
One of the most significant components plot-wise of Episode 5 were the scales of justice that weighed Marc and Steven’s hearts against the feather of truth. To enter paradise, the scales had to balance. The episode used the fact that the hearts were not balancing as an excuse for Marc to lay out his past—including Steven’s origin as a personality. But most interesting was the fact that Taweret said that the hearts were “not full” and “incomplete.” Now, there is plenty of suggestion that they were incomplete because Marc had not revealed the truth to Steven, but it would also make a whole lot of sense if they were incomplete if there was a third heart/identity out there not on the scale.
However, all of that gets confused when the scales balance after Steven seemingly dies in the sand of the Egyptian underworld, Duat, and Marc is allowed into the Field of Reeds. It is not entirely clear if Steven’s apparent “death” is what actually caused the scales to balance. Essays could probably be written on different theories for this, but the incompleteness of Marc/Steven up until then seemed like a huge clue that the acknowledgment of a third identity could make them whole. While less certain by the end of the episode, I would not count it out.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’
Marc Spector’s Fugue State
As Marc and Steven travel through the psych ward that is Marc’s mind, Marc at one point casually drops the information that he was discharged from the army after going AWOL in a fugue state. Fugue states are often associated with a dissociative identity disorder. He does not imply that the fugue state is a time when Steven took control, and it also implies that he does not know who or what was in control at that time. That tracks with the fact that Marc did not seem to know who took control when he and Steven blacked out during a fight in Episode 3, and Marc has obviously never mentioned another alter. So, if something else took control of Marc’s body during that time, another personality could likely be the culprit.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’
We will find out for sure if Jake Lockley will appear in the series when the Moon Knight finale airs on May 4, 2022. The first five episodes of the series are now streaming on Disney+.
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