Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessandMoon Knighthave proven that the Marvel Cinematic Universe can deal with horror within the MCU reality. According to writerJeremy Slater, the MCU needs more horror-based characters in the future. This idea is most likely going to happen in the next few years, considering the introduction ofBladeandWerewolf By Nightare coming soon, and other darker characters such asMan Thingare being quietly developed.
Moon Knightintroduced some dark elements to the MCU, and according to Slater, that is exactly what is needed in the Marvel world. With supernatural creatures, Kaiju-like Gods and soul-stealing demons,Moon Knighthad its fair share of creatures of the night, but that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be more. Slater toldComicBook.com:
“The Marvel universe needs more monsters. It needs more horror. It needs creepy shit,” he concludes. “This show is really our opportunity to start dipping our toe in the dark side of the MCU. We can be people’s introduction to the sort of things that go bump in the night. So it was never Werewolf by Night, but you’re right, that the jackals in Episode One directly came out of me pitching. I knew that that first episode was going to have that scene where he’s cornered in a bathroom by a monster and it was kind of a giant wolf creature from the very beginning.”
Related:Moon Knight Season One Review: What Worked And What Didn’t
Werewolf by NightWas Considered Among Others forMoon KnightCameos
Like all Marvel Studios releases, it was expected thatMoon Knightwould bring several cameos, MCU connections and future set-ups, but despite all of those things being considered at one point or another,Moon Knightwas eventually allowed to run on its own merit, without the overbearing weight of MCU connections hanging over It and hindering the story that the writers and director wanted to tell. One such cameo that would have really hammered in a horror aspect toMoon Knightwould have been theinclusion ofWerewolf By Night, and this is one that was seriously considered, except he was already being developed elsewhere. Slater said:
“There weren’t discussions of doing Werewolf by Night per se, just because they had already had some plans for him, and Kevin [Feige] had an idea of how he wanted to use him, which I’m still not privy to. I’m as in the dark as you are. In my pitch, one of the images that I used was a shot of Moon Knight fighting a giant, 12-foot-tall werewolf with glowing eyes,” the writer adds. “I was like, ‘Look, yes, Moon Knight is a street-level vigilante guy. He can go up against the purse snatchers and the drug runners and everything. But he’s also a monster hunter and that’s how he was introduced,'” and that’s how he got his start."
Moon Knightcould get a second season on Disney+, as there is still much of Marc Spector’s story to tell, but for now, the series has ended on a high and brought a whole new type of hero to the MCU.
