Marvel Studios has been planning a future for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, full of creative and unique TV shows that would carry on the storylines set forth in the films and perhaps even start some new ones too. We've been seeing plenty of that since 2021, when WandaVision premiered to rave reviews and officially brought the MCU into a new era.
There have been over 10 shows to stream on Disney Plus since then, and they have achieved varying levels of success. Among them was Moon Knight, which also earned praise for how it convincingly brought the titular hero to the franchise for the first time, giving audiences the live-action adaptation that they were hoping for. Oscar Issac played the Fist of Khonshu and his performance received critical acclaim.
It's been three years since Moon Knight first graced our screens and fans have been longing for an announcement of a second season - which has been heavily rumored. However, a more recent update from the studio's Head of Television is somewhat bittersweet.
Moon Knight will return to the MCU, but not in a second season of his own show
Marvel's Head of Television Brad Winderbaum has been speaking to outlets about the future of the recently-established Marvel Television brand ahead of next series Daredevil: Born Again and, throughout those discussions, some of the studios' previous shows have come up. During a recent conversation with ComicBook.com, he spoke about the future of Moon Knight, both the character and the show, and the answer is as exciting as it is saddening.
Winderbaum revealed:
"So I think Marvel Television has happened in waves, and I think 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."
First thing's first, it's extremely exciting to hear that Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Jake Lockley, and the Moon Knight himself will return in the MCU at some point. Three years of virtual silence about the show's future wasn't the most uplifting of things for fans who wanted more of the eerie Marvel Comics character and the rich mythology that he brought to the MCU - especially after those first few weeks and months after its release had some promising updates.
However, the most important aspect of Winderbaum's comments is that the studio's "priorities have shifted" and that much is clear. Back when the Marvel Studios brand was handling the television side of the franchise too, the shows were designed to be much more closely linked to the films, but after mixed results, a change of direction is taking place.
Now the newly-established Marvel Television will look to produce shows that, while set in the MCU franchise, aren't designed to simply build to something - but to exist as their own entities. Now that we know Moon Knight was designed to introduce the character for a purpose in the future, it's looking like whatever that purpose is will be the project we next see him in.
For years, it has been heavily rumored that Marvel is preparing to make a Midnight Sons project that would feature some of the comics' more supernatural characters, with Moon Knight being the obvious choice for that. With that in mind, it's highly likely that this will be the next time we see Oscar Isaac don that iconic white cloak.
And yet, we can't help but feel sad about the essential confirmation that Moon Knight season 2 may not happen after being rumored for so long. Of course, it's quite possible that a second season could take place in the future after the character's return (Winderbaum did say he would love to see it happen), but given that the show was one of the few MCU series on Disney Plus that could have effectively worked as an ongoing series with multiple seasons, this feels like a missed opportunity.