The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been around for a long time. During that time, there have been plenty of highs and lows as the most devoted fans in the world celebrate the wins and stay positive during the losses. That has been clearer than ever during the Multiverse Saga, when you have titles like Spider-Man: Brand New Day blow up or Agatha All Along achieve critical acclaim, while also having major missteps like the critically-reviled Secret Invasion.
The mixed feelings that the franchise brings up sometimes is partiuclarly clear on a date like March 30, which used to be a day of celebration for Marvel fans - and it certainly was four years ago on this day.
March 30 marks four years since Moon Knight premiered on Disney Plus (and its future remains unclear)
It has officially been four years since Moon Knight premiered on Disney Plus. The high-profile MCU series made its long-awaited debut on the platform on March 30, 2022 and became one of the buzziest titles in the entertainment industry for the whole of that year. And, honestly, it's no surprise.
Moon Knight starred Oscar Isaac as the titular hero, who made his official MCU debut in the six-part drama. Widely considered a new chapter for the franchise, it was one of the most isolated properties in the whole franchise, not making a single reference to any of the events that had happened up until that point. That might have been an intentional attempt to make it appeal to more mainstream fans of the Moon Knight character who hadn't kept up with the MCU itself on a regular basis, but it also made sense considering that it spawned its own, more supernatural lore for the franchise.
Isaac's performance received critical acclaim, with audiences praising him for his committed outing as Marc Spector, Steven Grant, and Moon Knight himself. This, and the unique look of the series, made it an enthralling watch, with fans eager to hear more about whether a second season might happen. And considering it appeared to be an immediate sensation, you can understand the desire for more.
That brings us to the bittersweet part of today being the fourth anniversary of Moon Knight's debut. Even though there has been a lot of buzz surrounding the show, its future, Oscar Isaac's role in the MCU going forward, and just more supernatural entities in the franchise, there has not yet been any significant updates about the future of the show. Four years after its debut.
Any remotely significant updates have been anything but positive, with the biggest of them all coming when the Head of Marvel Television, Animation, and Streaming, Brad Winderbaum, revealed that a second season of Moon Knight would be unlikely despite the success of the show. The reason being that Marvel Studios seemingly has bigger plans for the character.
"Moon Knight happened in a wave of shows that were going to establish characters that would tie-in to the future... And moving forward our priorities have shifted. We’re making shows as shows that can exist as annual releases, more like television. I would love to see a Moon Knight Season 2, but there are plans for Moon Knight down the road."
Winderbaum's comments about Marvel Television are very true. Although Moon Knight existed as part of the miniseries wave - where these one-season shows would eventually tie into the movies - the TV arm of the MCU has shifted to producing canon-but-standalone Disney Plus shows telling their own stories, with the potential for multiple seasons. Daredevil: Born Again is a prfect example of this. And even though Wonder Man was another project produced as part of the OG wave of MCU TV, it recently earned a second season renewal, officially shifting it to the Marvel Television era.
While Moon Knight fans continue to hope that a second season of that show might happen down the line, it's looking like those larger plans might actually prevent it. See, Oscar Isaac's hero has been attached to a rumored Midnight Sons project for years now, with insiders claiming that the studio will be using that to bring a host of supernatural Marvel Comics characters together (including the likes of Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night, Blade, Elsa Bloodstone, and more).
So, yes, we should always celebrate the anniversary of the show's whenever it comes around each year but, for those hoping for Moon Knight season 2 it continues to be bittersweet occasion. This time around, we know enough information to know that there are no immediate plans to bring the character back for another run, and that any long-term plans are still a while off. And so, a day that we once excitedly praised for being the start of the Fisk of Khonshu's MCU era, is now a reminder of how Marvel has moved away from that show.
Oh, what could have been!