Moon Knight has killed my interest in Marvel TV shows — here's why
Moon Knight makes me want to go night night
Update: Rory gave Moon Knight another chance. Was it worth it?
Moon Knight is the latest Marvel TV show rolling out weekly on Disney Plus, and to be honest, its mostly positive reception is making me really relate to its main character. I also feel like I’m losing my mind.
Some critics and fans have declared it the “best Marvel TV show yet” (my editor Henry T. Casey is excited to see how fans react after they watch Moon Knight episode 4 online) and it’s received plenty of praise for its “freshness” compared to some of the MCU’s recent cookie-cutter installments (*cough*Black Widow*cough*). However, that’s definitely not been my experience with Moon Knight to date. I struggled to get through the first three episodes, and have found the show ponderous, poorly plotted and, worst of all, unbearably dull.
In fact, my disinterest in Moon Knight has reached such a critical point that I’m starting to question my commitment to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Until now I’ve dutifully consumed every movie and show with the MCU. Even when I’ve felt Marvel fatigue creeping in, I’ve soldered on for fear of missing some plot development or a new character that becomes critical later down the line.
However, in the wake of another disappointing Disney Plus show, I’m not sure how much longer I have the stomach for this approach. Moon Knight has me thinking, maybe it’s time I got selective with the MCU.
Editors' Note: After writing this article, Rory gave Moon Knight another chance — find out if his opinion has shifted.
Moon Knight sends me to sleep
Moon Knight stars Oscar Isaac as a mild-mannered museum gift shop employee who discovers he has a dissociative identity disorder and one of his personalities is an avatar for the Egyptian moon god, Khonshu. It should be impossible to make a show with that intriguing premise dull.
However, hats off to Disney and Marvel because they've sure given it a good go. It’s not just that the sparse action sequences are mostly a mess of bland special effects and unimaginative camera work, my chief issue with Moon Knight has been its inability to make me care about what’s actually happening in each episode.
Isaac is a fantastic actor, I cannot stress that enough, but even he cannot make Marc Spector/Steven Grant an interesting character. Sure, there’s some novelty to Isaac putting on a ridiculous British accent and pulling from a grab bag of eccentric ticks, but Spector’s personal plight remains unconvincing even three episodes into the six-episode season.
The show’s disjointed plotting isn’t helping matters either. Between Marc’s own struggles with his various alter egos, central villain Arthur Harrow (a subdued Ethan Hawke) and the whole Gods of Egypt shtick, there’s actually quite a lot going on in the world of Moon Knight. It's a shame that so far none of it has been all that interesting.
Of all the MCU shows to date, Moon Knight is the one most clearly bogged down with overly convoluted scene-setting. Even by the end of episode three, it feels like the stakes are still being explained, and that's not where you want to be at the halfway point. It makes Loki's somewhat messy story looks like a masterpiece in comparison.
Is it just me or have the Marvel TV shows been mostly meh?
Moon Knight is probably the worst example to date of a problem that started with Falcon and Winter Solider and has been recurring ever since. Marvel TV shows often revolve around B-list, arguably often C-list, heroes facing off against even more irrelevant villains in plots that ultimately appear inconsequential to the larger MCU.
WandaVision, and parts of Loki, are the exceptions, but Falcon and Winter Soldier, Hawkeye and Moon Knight, all suffer from feeling like side projects created primarily to give Disney’s streaming service a desperately needed injection of fresh content rather than because they were stories that needed to exist within the interconnected Marvel universe.
These MCU shows feel small scale, but not in a good way. Even the best of them are less vital viewing than all but the most average MCU movies. There is always the chance that in time the events of Hawkeye or Moon Knight will come to be a catalyst for some massive showdown in Avengers 5, but I’m not holding my breath.
Perhaps this is a hot take, but if a show like Moon Knight had to stand on its own two feet without the instant interest garnered just by being part of the MCU, I’m genuinely convinced it would have flopped. I mean was Netflix’s failed superhero show, Jupiter’s Legacy, really that much worse?
Things started so promisingly
Perhaps the reason I’ve found Moon Knight (and other Marvel TV shows that came before it) so disappointing is that the Disney Plus MCU experiment started off so strongly with WandaVision.
WandaVision’s biggest strength is that it very much played into being a TV show. You couldn’t make WandaVision into a movie without rewriting most of it. The story was structured around the medium of television. That’s not the case with Moon Knight, which feels like a bog-standard MCU movie just stretched out over six episodes and with a zero removed from its budget.
It often gets forgotten, but WandaVision was very much a “mystery box” series. After every episode, I vividly remember rushing to forums to read fan theories and whatever wild conjecture the internet dreamed up that week. After the public release of the first two episodes of Moon Knight, I’ve yet to see the same level of speculation generated. And I'm not looking for it either. Sure, fans are highlighting their favorite moments, but there’s very little to unravel after each installment.
As noted, these aren’t issues unique to Moon Knight. Since WandaVision launched in early 2021, it’s only been Loki that’s come anywhere close to matching up. If you include the dreadful animated series What If...?, Marvel’s batting average when it comes to TV shows is pretty poor. One genuine hit, one flawed by mostly fun romp, and four shows that did little more than waste my time — hardly an inspiring report card.
It’s not time to end the MCU (yet)
While my colleague has previously argued that it’s time to kill the MCU for good, I’ve not reached that conclusion quite yet. I’ve followed the MCU since day one, and I still have plenty of affection for dozens of its characters. I also can't pretend I'm not intrigued to see how iconic characters like the Fantastic Four and the X-Men are introduced in the future.
I should also mention that I’ve been pretty pleased with the franchise's recent cinematic efforts. Yes, Eternals was a dud, but Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a hoot and Spider-Man: No Way Home had me oscillating between audible whooping and shedding nostalgic tears. Plus, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness looks like a hit, and I’ve got my opening night tickets booked already.
This article isn’t me declaring that I’m breaking up with the MCU for good. I’ll still be watching upcoming Marvel movies (as mentioned above), and probably some of the television shows (with the cast Secret Invasion is bringing together, I can’t miss that). Perhaps, though, it’s time for me to stop consuming everything Marvel puts out without question.
Maybe I don’t need to finish Moon Knight. Perhaps, I can give Ms. Marvel or She-Hulk a miss if the early reviews suggest more of the same. Surely it's possible to continue following the MCU without being required to watch every single second of it without fail?
I don't class myself as a Star Wars fan, but I do enjoy the odd excursion to a Galaxy far far away; therefore, I only consume the pieces of that universe that pique my interest. I’m starting to think it’s time to deploy the same approach when it comes to the MCU.
Want to look forward to something more interesting? Then here's what we know about Severance season 2 so far.
In good Netflix news? Well, it looks like The Crown prequels on Netflix may be happening, as new reports say a fistful of stories are in the works. And for more Marvel opinion, Rory discusses how the MCU is floundering — and Thor: Love and Thunder is proof.
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Rory is an Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team.
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RG Geiger Sorry Tom I just don't share your attitude. I love watching anything from the MCU. Given all the heavy accents I wonder if it isn't the same crew that did Stan Lee's Lucky Man. Now there's a marvel story I wasn't able to watch but still come back and catch a episode from time to time.Reply -
Bradho Truly written as an under 30s marvel TV shows and movies fan only.Reply
I've been waiting for this since 1980. Moon Knight is Marvel's answer to Batman, and to see it called boring is just absolutely gut-wrenching to read, especially from Tom's guide....a site that I followed since high school.
This would be better suited as a Facebook post about your opinion then getting dragged through the mud now in a forum.
You obviously have never read a Moon Knight comic before, and you should sit in the corner and think about what you've done until your mother calls you for dinner. -
Astrobubu Rory, I don't share your opinion on to the show But Tell me how you managed to get your hands on the yet to be aired episode 3 of moon knight when u wrote "I struggled to get through the first three episodes "Reply -
Sinasuperman I totally disagree with you, the show is entertaining and amazing with good music, awsome directing, amazing shots, steady and reasonable plot and and actually far better than shows like falcon and winter soldier or Hawkeye.Reply
toms hardware you better focus on hardware and leave movie reviews to people who actually understand the industry. Its like rotten tomatoes suddenly start to review 3060ti 😁 -
Chosen_One Astrobubu said:Tell me how you managed to get your hands on the yet to be aired episode 3 of moon knight
The press were given the first 4 episodes of the show some time ago. I'm more curious on why he said 3 repeatedly and not 4. -
Chosen_One Bradho said:You obviously have never read a Moon Knight comic before
I'll admit that I certainly never have but have you...? From what I've read online the only commonality that the comic books and this show share is a title.
I mean be honest. What in this show even remotely reminds you of Batman/Bruce Wayne? I could definitely point out similarities in the comics but this interpretation of Moon Knight, this far, not really. -
DigitalKid I think it's bonkers some people are just coming to this realization: you don't have to watch everything Marvel puts out to "enjoy the MCU".Reply
People don't read every single comic Marvel puts out in order to "enjoy Marvel Comics".
Personally, I've rather enjoyed Moon Knight. Sure, if I'm being honest, the villain is a bit boring. But the main draw of Moon Knight has always been more about the battle against himself, than the villains he fights. And Oscar Isaac is killing it in this regard. -
Nogg'n I've seen this sort of disengagement mostly in the context of games with a fast-paced seasonal model (ie. Destiny 2, COD, WOW, Fortnite). While your points are all valid I feel like the real reason, the core of the issue, is you've slipped into FOMO burnout. As an avid Destiny 2 player, I see it all the time, people forcing themselves to play till all of their issues spiral into disappointment seasoned with heartbreak.Reply -
JournalistCriticsSuck Dear Rory,Reply
this article is just more prof on how critics don't have good taste. You complain of falling a sleep to MK and Hawkeye while you adore Wanda which 90% of the marvel fans stopped watching because it was BnW. and yet some how you managed to stay awake for that!!?
I can admit that MK is not what i expected as we are thrown into it right away and it takes a moment before you get your head around it but it is NO where near Wandas first two episodes.....all made sense once the show was over.
MK after TWO episodes it is better show than Wanda and Falcon.....
For me, Hawkeye was the first GOOD show. MK is one of the top two best mcu shows, but need to see all 6 before i can say if its #1 or #2.
Shame that the public isn't getting to choose if they want to binge watch, because seeing one and one and one sure lowers the quality of any show.
Some people will say that they prefer once a week. but i hated it since i stopped watching tv in 2000. so tired of waiting for next episode and then it was cancelled do to some idiotic sports event.
With all episodes is like watching a movie, for me waiting 6 to have seen them all, loses it charm because once you get into it, the episode is over.
Just count yourself lucky you got 4 episodes and just stop being so negative.
watch it again. -
dharr18 I really feel you are confusing MCU with Avengers movies. Outside of having an infinity stone in a movie, the solo movies have very little to do with the Avengers level movies, the big exception is Captain America Civil War which was essentially a Avengers movie. The one thing they all have done is tie into another story along the way.Reply
While I have enjoyed each of the Disney+ shows for different reasons. I am enjoying Moonknight because I enjoyed the character in the comic books as well. Every iteration of MK in the comic books is slightly different. Mr Knight as an example is a more recent addition to the character. While this is pulling from the comics only loosely, it really is living up to the character in different runs. But all the MCU characters are not comic book accurate and have subtle differences that fit the films they are in.
I am looking forward to what comes next and what they do to tie this in to another storyline, hoping midnight suns in the long run. Sit back and enjoy this for what it is and don't try to make it Avengers 5 or 6 depending on how you count Civil War.