The Marvel Cinematic Universe kicks off this year’s release slate the same way it began in 2021. Before Marvel Studios movies make their way to theaters this summer, the franchise restarts on Disney+ with Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight. Just as WandaVision opened up 2021 as the first MCU streaming series, Moon Knight represents the first time a Marvel Studios rookie will debut on Disney+.
Moon Knight will follow Steven Grant, a calm git shop employee whose life is turned upside down when revelations about his past begin to surface. Isaac is pulling double duty in this series, as Grant is just one of the multiple personalities within his character. Mix in the worlds of Egyptian gods and inspired cult leaders like David Koresh, Isaac’s character has enough internal and external conflicts for lifetimes.
While many of those aspects are teased in Moon Knight trailers and have been pieced together from comic inspiration, the core of this series remains a mystery. Even though this series is said to have “no attachment” to the current MCU, it still bears big similarities to an aforementioned acclaimed Marvel show.
Moon Knight’s WandaVision Parallels
Speaking during the Moon Knight premiere, Marvel Studios president and show producer Kevin Feige drew a mystery parallel between the Oscar Isaac-led series and Elizabeth Olsen’s WandaVision:
Unlike the beginning of 2021, during the middle of the pandemic, Marvel Studios was able to roll out the red carpet ahead of Moon Knight’s Disney+ debut on March 30th. Feige emphasized that he loves reading the amazing feedback from every Wednesday for streaming releases, but hearing the cheers and gasp of a premiere event is an added bonus:
Another Marvel Studios Mystery
2021 was a tale of two tones for Marvel Studios. While all four live-action releases were met with an overwhelmingly positive response, chatter revolving around Marvel’s WandaVision and Loki outweighed online discussion about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Hawkeye.
The biggest reason for that was the mystery of both Westview and the Time Variance Authority. The secrets of both Olsen and Tom Hiddleson’s solo show-bred significantly higher speculation compared to the adventurous aspects of Anthony Mackie and Jeremy Renner’s respective projects. Putting Moon Knight in a similar spot does not guarantee it will live up to the quality of 2021 MCU streaming shows, but it does put it in a position to succeed.
Marvel Studios thrives off online discussion. WandaVision‘s snowball-esque momentum was generated by the week-to-week fan theories, even if most of them were proven false by the series finale, like Mephisto.
Moon Knight is the first three Marvel rookies debuting on the House of Mouse’s streaming service. It’s up to the Fist of Khonshu to ensure the streaming side of the MCU gets off to a hot start, and if Kevin Feige’s words are to be believed, fans are in for a treat. Moon Knight premieres Wednesday, March 30th, on Disney+.
