On the surface, it’s easy to dismiss Moon Knight as just one more MCU series on Disney Plus, and make no mistake all of Steven Grant’s personalities have that distinct Marvel DNA in them. And yet, after only two episodes the show is already signs of how it will separate itself from the rest, much in the same way Loki did last summer.
Kate Herron and Michael Waldron deserve ample credit for achieving that, because while all the other shows were easier to frame into a specific sub-genre, Loki was -kind of like the Norse god himself- kind of doing his own thing. Although Herron won’t be back for season two, the directing duo taking over, consisting of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, has just premiered a spectacular audition in Moon Knight’s second outing that promises great things for Loki.
What Makes Loki And Moon Knight Different
The main element these two series have in common is their temporary detachment from the rest of MCU. Loki starts off by telling viewers it’s taking the trickster god right out of Avengers: Endgame and porting him over to a different part of the multiverse, a different reality, one where besides the rules that govern existence, the entire color palette differs greatly from everything other Marvel production.
The main reason Joss Whedon was brought onto Justice League so late was to make it pop with some of the more colorful vibes he had instilled as part of the MCU. While Zack Snyder got his chance to prove that decision was wrong, it mirrors some of the things that Loki did with endless shades of browns and greys that adorned the TVA’s headquarters, which were still perfectly complemented by the usual colorful splashes of green and purple in other parts of the multiverse.
While Moon Knight has to settle with London as its main scenario (for now), both episodes, but especially the second one, make sure to turn this city into Steven Grant’s London. As such, there’s endless mirror play for him to interact with his other personas and provide the show with spectacular shots that are not that common elsewhere in the MCU.
Loki came off as something that David Fincher partly inspired, partly thanks to the detectivesque nature of Loki, Morbius and Sylvie’s adventure, yet it could also be likened to the Twilight Zone at times. It’s funny then that Benson and Moorhead will take the helm as the two men can actually brag some Twilight Zone credits to their name.
What Moon Knight Says About Loki’s Next Season
Benson and Moorhead’s resume is comprised entirely of movies and TV episodes in the horror genre, so naturally, it’s not surprising to them to bring a few scares into Moon Knight, in what is perhaps an MCU first. At least that would be the case if Herron had not already teased some lighter horror elements as part of Loki, a show that’s almost always veering towards mystery territory.
Herron achieves this through the sheer pacing in Loki, but Benson and Moorhead’s handling of Moon Knight suggests the duo has found a way to make the MCU “scary” with clever usage of the flickering lights that are in practically every horror film. Of course, Moon Knight isn’t really scary, at least not for the audience, but the whole story certainly is for Steven Grant.
Khonshu’s towering presence alone is eerie enough, but the way the Egyptian god is introduced for one whole episode without telling the unsuspecting audience who he is, really helps give him a bigger impact when he finally speaks directly to Steven. The shots where he and the Moon Knight persona are presented are all parts of bigger scenes that make great use of the lighting possibilities the directors have at their disposal.
The fact that Moon Knight's second episode sees its action unfold at night is also a great perk because the MCU has rarely cared for epic night scenes, and even when that’s the case, they mostly take place in very lit and vivid locations. In this sense, Moon Knight's origins and his similarities with Batman shine through as light is what enables The Batman’s stellar cinematography.
Mystery, lighting, jump scares (even MCU ones), and an overall different aesthetic perception of the MCU are all traits that Loki will surely welcome in its second season, as they were all to a certain extent things that Herron tried or toyed with at some point. Add the fact that Loki himself is stepping into unknown territory in the newfound multiverse, and Benson and Moorhead sure have a lot to play with.
Waldron will return for Loki’s second season, and his Rick and Morty Background definitely instills confidence in the idea that he can write the perfect script for Benson and Moorhead. Get ready for a very different Loki, because at this stage it’s hard to think Marvel Studios hired these two horror veterans for anything else than that.