Marvel fans are gearing up for the upcoming Disney+ series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Previous MCU shows that aired on Disney+ have all featured already known MCU characters — Scarlet Witch, Vision, Falcon, Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye — but they also introduced new characters that quickly became fan-favorites, like Sylvie and Kate Bishop.
But now, with Moon Knight, the situation is a bit different. The next Marvel series is set to introduce a brand new character that we haven’t seen in the MCU before. The series will introduce us to Steven Grant, also known as Marc Spector, also known as Moon Knight, also known as Mr. Knight. Confused? You can check the official synopsis below to make it easier to understand:
“The series follows Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift-shop employee, who becomes plagued with blackouts and memories of another life. Steven discovers he has Dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As Steven/Marc’s enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among the powerful gods of Egypt.” — Marvel’s Moon Knight, official synopsis
It’s known that Disney is mostly known for family-friendly content, and Marvel’s adult-oriented content was previously handled by Fox (Deadpool and Logan) and Netflix (Daredevil, Punisher, etc.) before, but not anymore. Now, Disney is set to go beyond its family-friendly policy, and the best example for that is that the upcoming Deadpool 3 will also be set in the MCU, as Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Feige already confirmed.
But, what about Moon Knight? The rights for the character were always Disney’s, and considering Moon Knight is a pretty dark character, well, definitely darker than anything Disney’s MCU has ever handled before, it’s unknown on what kind of audience will this upcoming show be oriented. Will the series be family-friendly like previous MCU projects, or will it be all about darkness and violence? President of Marvel Studios and father of the MCU, Kevin Feige, now offered a vague answer:
“He’s brutal. It’s been fun to work with Disney+ and see the boundaries shifting on what we’re able to do. There are moments [in the series] when Moon Knight is wailing on another character, and it is loud and brutal, and the knee-jerk reaction is, ‘We’re gonna pull back on this, right?’ No. We’re not pulling back. There’s a tonal shift. This is a different thing. This is Moon Knight.” — Kevin Feige for Empire Magazine
Some Marvel fans were previously saying that Marvel should be more open-minded when it comes to violence and gore in their projects, and sometimes it feels like Disney’s policy and influence on the MCU is pulling the MCU back in achieving it. That is also one of the reasons why Daredevil and Punisher, which didn’t hold back at all, were particularly praised by the fans. Now let’s see what will happen with Moon Knight. Whatever rating the series will hold, PG-13 or TV-MA (equivalent to the R rating), we are hoping that the series will manage to achieve the true potential of Moon Knight.