With the recent launch of Disney+ and the new era of Marvel TV being ushered in, the MCU is ready to put some things to the test. Among them the idea that, just as characters introduced in the movies can seamlessly transition into TV, characters introduced on TV can go on to carry their own movies in the future.
She-Hulk and Moon Knight are at the forefront of this bet, and the established and rumored casting for both pretty much confirm that the idea is to have these characters headline big projects in the future. Tatiana Maslany, of Orphan Black fame, is set to start as Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, while Oscar Isaac, better known to Star Wars fans as Poe Dameron, will play Marc Spector, aka Moon Knight.
Both actors are fan favorites and come into the roles with not just a lot of expectations, but also a lot of hype, despite the fact that neither She-Hulk nor Moon Knight are particularly well-known comic characters. And though Marvel certainly has other characters popping up in the recent crop of Disney+ shows they’ve announced they would love to transition to the big screen, these two will likely be the blueprint for how that happens, or if it happens at all.
After all, some of the other characters might have it easier. Kate Bishop, Miss Marvel, Speed, Wiccan, and Ironheart are likely to be brought into the big screen as part of the Young Avengers, which would probably also include America Chavez, who is being introduced in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Marvel could even use Spider-Man to help establish this team-up – because let’s remember that despite Peter Parker being an MCU veteran, he’s actually just a teenager.
The possibility of a team-up would make the transition of these characters much easier to handle for fans, something that She-Hulk, and especially Moon Knight, can’t rely on. Marvel TV has so far, in its admittedly short history, been used as a showcase for smaller characters, or at least characters who never got a chance to shine in the bigger MCU productions, with a great deal of success.
Wanda and Vision weren’t exactly anyone’s favorite MCU couple, and now after the success of WandaVision it’s likely they’ll show up again, and more importantly, there’s a renewed fan interest not just in their story, but in the future possibilities for both, together and individually. Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes were basically Captain America’s sidekicks, and thanks to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier fans are getting to know both of them as people, and they are invested in both their individual stories and their friendship.
TV is a much better medium for character-building stories than movies, and that’s why introducing all these new characters via Disney+ makes sense. But that still doesn’t mean fans will follow She-Hulk or Moon Knight to big-screen success the way they will likely follow Miss Marvel’s expected team-up with Captain Marvel. Yes, Jennifer Walters also has a connection to an MCU character, but not one that has ever been asked to carry a movie by himself, unlike Captain Marvel. Walters, famously the cousin of Bruce Banner’s The Hulk, can’t really rely on Banner’s popularity to propel her forward, as some other characters might.
All of this puts She-Hulk on shakier ground than the characters who will likely make up the Young Avengers. She will have to establish a backstory that is unique enough to not be confused with Hulk’s, as well as a personality that makes fans want to invest in her – not just what she can become. Fans also don’t have any idea what the underlying themes in the show are going to be, or what message the MCU wants to send with this show, other than it will be less super-hero show and more legal comedy.
It’s might be even worse for Spector, in many ways. Fans don’t need to know much about Jennifer Walters to guess what her story is all about, or who she’s related to. The name She-Hulk is a little self-explanatory. But Moon Knight? That sounds a bit like Sailor Moon’s male counterpart, not like a former boxer, Marine/CIA-Agent turned mercenary.
On the flip side, that means Moon Knight has a lot more freedom to create a character people will relate to than She-Hulk does. But considering what’s known about both these properties, the way they’re being introduced, and the potential for more going forward, the destinies of She-Hulk and Moon Knight seem to be intertwined, at least in this regard. They are Marvel’s first attempt at trying to do things the other way around.
Succeed and fans are likely to see much more lesser-known characters introduced who might one day make it to the big screen. Fail, and Marvel might feel less confident and stick to much bigger names as they try to set the new characters who will define the new phase of the MCU. Either way, these two series are worth paying attention to, because one war or the other, their performance might determine what the MCU looks like going forward.