Moon Knight Is Better For Ignoring The MCU

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Moon Knight episode 4.

Moon Knight is Marvel’s newest Disney+ show but, unlike its predecessors, isn’t heavily tied into the existing MCU–and it’s all the better for it. The show exists in the same universe as the rest of Marvel’s characters, but it doesn’t feel like it heavily depends on previous MCU events in order to tell its story. While its interconnectivity is one of the reasons that the MCU is great, Moon Knight is actually smart to largely ignore the shared universe.

Moon Knight follows Steven Grant and Marc Spector, two personalities, or alters, that share the same body. They both act as the avatar of Khonshu, the Egyptian moon god, bringing about justice as the vigilante superhero Moon Knight. Although there are still more episodes to come, Moon Knight takes place in London and Egypt, with the show being a globe-trotting adventure. Moon Knight‘s cast of characters is entirely original, with no pre-existing MCU characters returning so far. For this reason and more, Moon Knight is mostly set apart from the rest of the MCU.

The previous MCU Disney+ shows have heavily relied on the rest of the MCU, with shows like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye all directly building off of events set up in Avengers: Endgame. Moon Knight stands out as the first of these shows to tell a fully independent story, however. Because of its independence, Moon Knight is able to form its own identity, be more exciting, and avoid many flaws of the wider MCU.

Moon Knight Is The Least MCU Marvel Show

Moon Knight feels very different from every other MCU project in a variety of ways. For one, Moon Knight isn’t entirely reliant on Easter eggs. It does have some, but they are mostly either self-contained or references to the comic book series rather than the movies. Other MCU projects constantly reference previous films, with some movies being marketed on the fact that a specific character will cameo. While shows like Loki are good, sometimes they can go overboard and feel like an onslaught of references, cameos, and setups for future projects. Moon Knight, on the other hand, feels very in the moment. It focuses on its story alone, not worrying about paying off previous films or setting up future ones.

There are other reasons it feels like the least MCU Marvel show, as well. For one, it doesn’t take place in New York. The vast majority of previous movies and shows have taken place in either New York City or in a similar cityscape filled with lifeless grey skyscrapers. Marc Spector instead lives in London, meaning that the Avengers can’t just help Moon Knight. The show also travels to Egypt, adding another new location to the MCU. By taking place in areas that are incredibly different from skyscraper-dense American cities, Moon Knight has an inherently different tone and feel than past MCU projects. On top of that, every character in Moon Knight is original, not having appeared in any other Marvel movie or TV show. Finally, the show is a little more experimental than the often formulaic MCU films. At times, Moon Knight shifts from an Indiana Jones-style treasure hunt to a horror film with mummies. The show isn’t scared to leave its audience asking questions, not just about what’s going to happen, but also about if what is happening is real. Moon Knight basically ignores the MCU, and while some may be upset by this, it is actually one of the show’s biggest strengths.

Moon Knight’s Lack Of MCU Ties Is Good For The Character

With characters like Spider-Man and Black Panther debuting in Captain America: Civil War, the MCU has been introducing major heroes in team-up films rather than their own origin stories. Because of this, these heroes don’t go through major arcs until they get their own individual projects, and this is starting to become a problem with the MCU. Moon Knight completely avoids this problem by being the first time that its titular hero is shown. The first two episodes of the series are entirely focused on the mystery that Steven Grant is uncovering about his other, primary alter, Marc Spector, something that wouldn’t be as impactful if Moon Knight had already worked alongside other heroes in a past movie or show. Steven and Marc get to go on their own journey, become fully developed characters, and develop their own corner of the universe all within their first MCU appearance. Since Moon Knight doesn’t yet have cameos from other heroes, the character can develop his vigilante persona independently, allowing him to make decisions on his own and not live in the shadow of other superheroes.

The MCU’s Shows Have Relied Too Heavily On Infinity Saga Links

So far, every single Marvel Disney+ show has relied on links to the Infinity Saga, the first three phases of the MCU. More specifically, they have all built off of Avengers: Endgame and the repercussions that Thanos’ actions had on the universe. While this was still novel when earlier shows like WandaVision were released, by the time Hawkeye came out, the MCU really needed something fresh–even the newest MCU character, Kate Bishop, had a backstory that was intimately connected with the Battle of New York. Moon Knight is the first completely new superhero to have headlined a Disney+ show, and it has nothing to do with the Infinity Saga. There has been no mention of the Infinity Stones and no scene showing Moon Knight being snapped by Thanos; there hasn’t even been a joke about the Avengers. The MCU has desperately needed to forge its own identity outside of the Infinity Saga, and Moon Knight is the first show to do so.

Moon Knight’s Future Is More Exciting Without MCU Ties

By not directly tying it into the MCU, Moon Knight’s future is more exciting. It isn’t even guaranteed that the character will return after his show is over, meaning that Moon Knight can do all kinds of exciting things. Moon Knight episode 4, for example, is surprising because the character’s future is still a complete mystery. He isn’t confirmed to appear in a future Avengers movie, meaning that Marvel can take Steven and Marc in all kinds of strange directions. For example, they could have Moon Knight lead the Midnight Sons alongside characters like Blade. They could also completely flip Moon Knight on its head, and reveal that the events of the show are all a fantasy inside Marc’s head. They could even kill Moon Knight at the end of the series, something that has never happened in an MCU hero’s first outing. By not guaranteeing that Moon Knight has a future in the MCU, the show is inherently more exciting, as it can end in all kinds of new and shocking ways. Moon Knight is not a typical Marvel show, but ignoring the MCU is what makes it so much better.

Moon Knight releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.