EGYPTOLOGY
Moon Knight is inherently tied to Egyptian mythology with the titular character gaining his powers from the Egyptian Moon God Khonshu. This will not be the first time that the MCU explores large scale lore, with Eternals and Asgard coming to mind, but it is exciting to see the franchise diving into a new mythology. This will undoubtedly be an integral part of Moon Knight’s larger story with not only the titular character being tied to Khonshu, but the villainous Arthur Harrow having his own ties to an Egyptian deity. It will also be interesting to see how this ties into the larger MCU tapestry in the future.
ADVENTURE
Marvel is famous for exploring sub-genres in their projects by combining action and superhero genres with a number of others including the war movie, espionage, and countless more. But it seems Moon Knight could be the first time the franchise fully dives into the adventure genre. In an interview with Empire (via Slash Film) Moon Knight head writer revealed, “Raiders of the Lost Ark was actually my big reference when I first pitched.”
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Raiders Of The Lost Ark seems like the perfect touch point with a thrilling and fun adventure story that explores epic lore and myth. Moon Knight seems like the perfect series to dive into this genre with the obvious ties to Egyptian mythology and the character’s comic book origins. In the comics Marc Spector was saved and became the Fist of Khonshu after nearly being killed while working on an archeological dig. Assuming the series uses this origin and leans into Khonshu and the other Egyptian deities this could bring an exciting new genre into the MCU.
HORROR
The horror elements were always expected, but they became clearer than ever when the first Moon Knight clip was released earlier this month. The clip shows off the horror vibes that the series will explore with Oscar Isaac’s Steven Grant cowering as a terrifying Khonshu stalks towards him. The lighting, special effects, and music lend themselves well to the horror aspect.
The MCU has only touched upon horror in the Marvel Zombies episode of What If…? But, it looks like Moon Knight will be the first to truly dive into this popular genre. Marvel is full of characters and stories steeped in horror and a number of upcoming projects seem to be exploring these character including Blade and the rumored Werewolf By Night.
NEW CORNER OF THE MCU
Marvel continues to grow and expand in Phase Four with the Multiverse and now this darker more horror influenced corner of the MCU that Moon Knight seems to be setting up. Producer Grant Curtis has said that the series has, “no attachment to the current MCU.” Now, what is so exciting about this quote is the fact that he specifically talks about the current MCU.
Moon Knight seems to be opening the door to a highly anticipated corner of the MCU that will dive into horror and a different kind magic. Other upcoming projects that could easily tie into this new part of the MCU are the highly anticipated Blade movie and the upcoming Halloween Special which is rumored to be Werewolf By Night. If Moon Knight is introducing a new and darker magical corner of the MCU it could lead to an eventual team up of the heroes and anti-heroes with a potential MCU Midnight Sons team, which many fans are hoping for.
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Moon Knight is primed to be a truly unique and compelling addition to the MCU’s Disney Plus line up exploring new genres, characters, and MCU concepts. Moon Knight shows the true potential of Disney Plus series introducing new characters and concepts in a more self-contained story after focusing solely on established big screen characters in the first year. The series will undoubtedly tie into the larger MCU, especially some of the upcoming projects, but by first introducing the titular character in his own right it allows the creators to explore new territory.
Moon Knight premieres on Disney Plus March 30, 2022. Are you excited to watch the new MCU series? What are you most excited about potentially seeing from our list? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media and check back with The Illuminerdi for more MCU and Moon Knight.
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