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Moon Knight’s recent premiere marked the debut of the first Marvel Cinematic Universe origin story made for Disney+. This stands in stark contrast to the platform’s other live-action Marvel shows, all of which have starred at least one hero more than familiar to fans already and featured plenty of references and cameos to past entries.
The opportunity to further develop some already fan-favorite characters has been great for those who are into the MCU, but these series haven’t been all that accessible for those who aren’t. Star Wars made its Disney+ debut with The Mandalorian, a show centering on brand new characters, and it became a massive hit. Not only did it get the thumbs up from most Star Wars enthusiasts, but it also served as a proper entry point to bring new fans into the fold. While most of Marvel’s 2021 shows proved to be hits, the brand hasn’t had the kind of easy entry point on Disney+ that The Mandalorian has been.
2022 looks to be different from last year, as all three live-action Marvel series hitting Disney+ this year star characters making their MCU debuts. Given how masterfully so many secondary characters were introduced and developed thoroughly in their debut Disney+ projects last year (think WandaVision’s Agatha Harkness, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s John Walker, and Loki’s Mobius and Sylvie) Disney+ should be an ideal method of introducing new main characters to the franchise as well, as viewers will have more time to get to know them than with a movie.
Moon Knight is different from the upcoming Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk, though, as both of those shows will closely tie in with established characters and/or movie series. Moon Knight – at least the first four episodes of it – doesn’t have any visible ties to the rest of the MCU. That means there is no prior knowledge needed in order to understand the plot or the greater world it inhabits. Both diehard Marvel fans and casual watchers can pop it on and enjoy it in the same manner.
The post-Infinity Saga MCU is in desperate need of more projects like this. So far, nearly every show and movie in Phase 4 has stood on its own compared to the others…with the caveat that one would probably need to see at least a couple of projects from the Infinity Saga in order to be caught up enough to fully enjoy them. Even something like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a stand-alone film for a debut character, has multiple scenes with previously established MCU characters.
So far, only Eternals has managed to do this, and that movie didn’t connect with audiences as well as the majority of the rest of the phase has. Basically, the MCU is becoming the equivalent of the deeply interconnected Marvel Comics on the big screen. Just like with those comics, the screen version of the franchise is becoming harder and harder to just “jump into” even if it’s enjoying the perks of a greater universe as well.
Marvel still needs a breakout moment of Phase 4 that is able to appeal to a new audience, similar to the success that Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther found previously in introducing these characters to a wider fanbase. Moon Knight is Marvel Studios’ best chance at finding such success for a while.
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