Marvel and Disney Plus have done a terrific job of bringing the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the small screen thus far, with shows like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki and Hawkeye having successfully expanded on storylines and characters which had previously been introduced in blockbuster movies.
As impressive as each of the aforementioned shows has been, both in terms of story and scope, they were all carried by characters which we, the audience, were already quite familiar with.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I absolutely enjoy watching characters from large ensemble superhero blockbusters venture out into their own smaller stories, – especially when they’re delivered in a binge-worthy episodic format.
That said, there’s nothing quite like seeing Marvel bring one of its characters to life in the MCU for the first time – and that’s why I’m more excited about the upcoming Moon Knight series than I’ve been for any of Disney’s previous live-action Marvel shows.
More specifically, I’m excited about what Moon Knight represents for Marvel’s shows going forward. Whether it’s intended or not, Moon Knight will act as a clean break, kicking off a new era of MCU shows which are headlined by characters we haven’t seen before on screen.
Moon Knight and beyond
The next MCU show to arrive after Moon Knight will bring Ms. Marvel, starring newcomer Iman Vellani, and the highly anticipated arrival of She-Hulk, who’ll be played by Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany.
After that, things will presumably get more familiar again with the return of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in Secret Invasion, and Colonel James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) in Armor Wars. Of course, we still have Ironheart to look forward to, which will see new character Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) create her own Iron Man-inspired suit of armor, though it’s expected she will be introduced in Black Panther 2.
Still, Disney’s next three Marvel TV shows in a row will led by characters who are getting the MCU treatment for the very first time, which means we have a whole lot of totally original Marvel content to look forward to in 2022.
Personally, I haven’t been this psyched for a Marvel series since Daredevil got his own show back in 2015 (coincidentally, Daredevil and his fellow Defenders are finally joining the rest of the MCU on Disney Plus this month).
Marvel’s future is looking bright
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this new era is that it finally gives Marvel’s TV show creators the opportunity to build a headlining character’s live action interpretation from the ground up.
These three shows won’t be picking up where someone else left off, but rather forging the onscreen identities of their heroes for the first time in a medium which has more room to breathe than a single origin movie.
Moon Knight, for instance, has a lot to gain from this approach. As seen in Moon Knight’s first trailer, Oscar Isaac’s character isn’t initially aware of his dissociative identity disorder, so it will be interesting to see him come to learn about his multiple personalities (which include the mysterious vigilante Moon Knight) throughout the course of the show’s six episodes.
Right now, it’s too early to say how Marvel will approach She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel’s introduction into the MCU, but what I can say is that I’m more enthusiastic than ever about the future of Marvel on Disney Plus.
Moon Knight debuts on Disney Plus on Wednesday, March 30.
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