Among the many Marvel Comics characters set to arrive at the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Phase 4 is Moon Knight, who is often considered the Marvel equivalent of DC Comics’ Batman – but there’s one big difference between them, which will be the MCU’s biggest challenge. The MCU’s Phase 4 is doing things differently by covering both movies and TV shows, with the latter linking to the movies and thus expanding this connected universe even more. The MCU has a long list of TV shows coming up, and one of the most exciting ones is Moon Knight.

Set to stream exclusively on Disney+, Moon Knight will introduce the audience to Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac), a wealthy former boxer, Marine, CIA operative, and mercenary with dissociative identity disorder who was betrayed by his employer and left to die. One day, Spector was approached by the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, who offered him a second chance at life if he became his avatar on Earth. Spector accepted and was resurrected, while also gaining superhuman abilities. Moon Knight will see Spector being drawn into a deadly war of gods with his multiple identities and a mysterious villain played by Ethan Hawke. Moon Knight is expected to be released sometime in 2022, and a first look was released during Disney+ Day, showing a very different character than MCU fans are used to seeing, but also highlighting a big problem Marvel is facing.

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Moon Knight is often compared to DC Comics’ Batman given their many similarities: Spector and Bruce Wayne are wealthy, they are “normal” humans (though that one is debatable due to Spector’s link to Khonshu, which gives him special abilities), they fight crime with detective skills, and are equipped with high-tech gadgets, among other details. Of course, Spector and Wayne have very different backstories and superhero origins, motives, and their personalities are also not that similar, but out of all these, their biggest difference is that Batman has a “no kill” rule, while Moon Knight is very into killing whoever he wants, and that will be the MCU’s hardest challenge with Moon Knight, as there’s no other character in this universe so far that is into killing as much as Spector.

Moon Knight’s backstory as a boxer, Marine, and his time as a mercenary make it inevitable for him to be more violent than the rest of the MCU characters that have been introduced so far, and even before the first look was released, fans got a taste of Moon Knight’s fighting skills and the tone the series will have thanks to a couple of training videos. Now, although the MCU isn’t entirely what most would consider family-friendly, it has mostly stayed away from content that can be labeled as “violent”, but Moon Knight requires that this universe takes a darker path, and that will be a big challenge for the MCU. On the brighter side, Moon Knight’s lack of hesitation when it comes to killing will set him aside from Batman, which will surely benefit both the MCU and the DC’s universe as the latter prepares for a new version of the Caped Crusader.

Of course, Moon Knight definitely won’t be a kid-friendly TV series, but hopefully, the writers and directors will know how to handle all the violence that comes with the character correctly without falling into a senseless bloodfest. Moon Knight is definitely a whole new territory for the MCU, but it fits with the changes Phase 4 is making to this universe and how it’s exploring a darker, more supernatural side.

Key Release Dates
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  • Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)Release date: Dec 17, 2021
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
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About The Author


Adrienne Tyler
(3274 Articles Published)

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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