While much of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been jam-packed with crossovers, character introductions, cameos and callbacks, Marvel Studios opted to go in a different direction for its most recent Disney+ show, with the Oscar Isaac-led Moon Knight proving to be most self-contained MCU project since… well, Iron Man.
However, it seems that it wasn’t always the plan for the show to feature little in the way of crossovers with the wider Cinematic Universe, as head writer Jeremy Slater has revealed to The Direct that there were plans to head back to ancient Egypt for a major flashback sequence that would have featured guest appearances from “three of four” of the Eternals.
“I tried very hard to get the Eternals into the show, just because I’m buddies with Kumail Nanjiani… I wanted some Kingo,” said Slater. “At one point, there was a flashback on the page that sort of showed one of Khonshu’s Avatars back in ancient Egypt, sort of dealing with Ammit being locked away, and Alexander the Great, and all of that stuff. You sort of saw this Avatar team-up with the Eternals. It was a really fun scene, but again, it was so massively expensive to recreate Ancient Egypt, to sort of bring in 3 or 4 of the Eternals to have this big action sequence.”
“It was one of those things where it was a very fun scene, and it would have been a great cold open to one of the episodes, but it also would have had to come out of our budget somewhere else, and probably would have hurt our finale along the way,” Slater continued. “So, that was the cameo I had to cut. It hurt, but it was also the right thing to do for the show, and I think everyone sort of collectively agreed. There’s plenty of time in the future to team this guy up with other characters in the MCU and start building these connections; let’s not force something just because the other shows have all had it.”
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Would you have liked to see more wider MCU references and ties in Moon Knight or was it refreshing to keep the focus squarely on its title character? Let us know your thoughts on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Moon Knight follows Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift-shop employee who becomes plagued with blackouts and memories of another life. Steven discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As Steven/Marc’s enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among the powerful gods of Egypt.
Featuring in the cast of Moon Knight are Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, May Calamawy, May Calamawy, Karim El Hakim, F. Murray Abraham, Ann Akinjirin, David Ganly, Khalid Abdalla, Gaspard Ulliel, Antonia Salib, Fernanda Andrade, Rey Lucas, Sofia Danu, and Saba Mubarak.
Moon Knight is streaming now on Disney+.
Originally published May 9, 2022. Updated May 10, 2022.
