Marvel Studios has enjoyed unprecedented success on Disney+. From WandaVision's Emmy nominations to Loki's streaming records, the Marvel Cinematic Universe's popularity has only increased with their weekly streaming releases. 2022 looks to replicate those triumphs beginning this Wednesday with the debut of Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight.
Even before it premieres, Moon Knight finds itself in an exclusive MCU club. Not only is the title character one of a limited company to make his full debut in his own solo project, but Moon Knight is the first ever MCU hero to kick off his rookie season on Disney+.
While the character is a relative unknown to mainstream audiences, the series is stacked with star-power. The decorated Isaac stars opposite four-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke, who plays the villainous Arthur Harrow.
Plans for Moon Knight stretch beyond the show's first season, but where the Fist of Khonshu goes beyond his six-episode freshman year remains uncertain.
Moon Knight Season 2?
Just how long will Marvel Studios embrace the chaos?
Speaking to Collider, Marvel Studios creative and Moon Knight executive producer Grant Curtis noted that while a second season is undetermined, he believes Oscar Isaac's character fits into "any corner" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward.
“What I will say is this: because we delve into so many interesting tones in the tapestry we eventually weave together with this show, the action-adventure globetrotting, the bump in the night horror aspects of it, the mental health character study, the humor, I do think wherever [Marvel President] Kevin [Feige] wants this character to go in the future, I don’t think there’s any corner in the MCU that that Moon Knight cannot inhabit naturally. And that is a testament not only to the character on the page, but the character that Oscar Isaac brings to the screen.”
Regardless of Season 2's status, Curtis emphasized his hopes to have the full "amazing cast" join him in a potential sophomore season or any other future Moon Knight-related projects.
“I would take this amazing cast with me. And if it can’t be this cast in the future: People, and artists-men, and crafts-women, who are at the top of their game, just like Oscar [Isaac], Ethan [Hawke] and May [Calamawy] are. That makes my job so much easier when these actors."
Those aforementioned actors' contributions stretch far beyond their on-screen performances. Curtis said that Moon Knight's three leading stars operate as "storytellers" that brought "dedication" to the show.
"I gotta say this too, I don’t look at Oscar and May or Ethan as actors. I look at them as storytellers and the paintbrush they paint with is acting. The dedication they brought to this was just invigorating and it helped after being on this show for well over a year and a half. By the time they came aboard, I needed that B12 shot and they brought it, so that’s what I would really take with me: I would take this cast. And if it can’t be this particular cast, one that brings the same dedication to it and obviously that dedication on the director’s end as well. It just makes my life so much easier.”
Marc Spector's MCU Future
Every character that Marvel Studios has brought to Disney+ is just beginning their stories. From decade-plus veterans like Tom Hiddleston's Loki to teenage rookies like Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel, every streaming show's stars have Marvel futures that stretch beyond their first season.
Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff and Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson will continue their stories on the big screen in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Captain America 4, respectively. Hiddleston's God of Mischief is set to suit up once again in Loki Season 2. Isaac's Moon Knight does not have a second project set in stone at this time, and past patterns indicate his future possibilities are limitless.
Isaac has called Moon Knight a "limited series" in the past, hinting that the Ancient Egyptian character study will be a one-season operation. Considering the A-List power of the project's leading man, who has had prominent roles in theatrical juggernaut franchises like Star Wars and Dune, Marvel may be looking to migrate this IP to the silver screen. With the supernatural side of the MCU growing by the day, the long-rumored Midnight Sons team-up could be in Moon Knight's sights.
Moon Knight premieres this Wednesday, March 30, on Disney+.
