Marvel may have been embroiled in some messy headlines this week regarding their failed negotiations with Sony surrounding Spider-Man’s inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that is not stopping the comic book film studio from going ahead with their other plans. After all, they have way more comic book characters to adapt to the screen than just ol’ Spidey. And during the Disney+ panel at Disney’s D23 Expo last night, we learnt of three more surprising future additions to the MCU.
Alongside the already announced live-action series for Loki, Falcon & The Winter Soldier, WandaVision, and the animated What If?…, we now know that we’ll also be getting shows for Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight!
We have been hearing some rumblings about a Ms. Marvel show, but it had been suspected to be shown on ABC as a replacement for the soon-to-be-ending Agents of SHIELD. However, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige took to the stage that it will be a live-action show on Disney+ with the plan being for the superhero character to first be introduced in her own show, before transitioning into the movies.
In the comics, Ms. Marvel was Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel’s original codename. The name was eventually picked up by Kamala Khan, a young Inhuman with the ability to alter her body’s structure at will, who saw Carol as her personal hero. One aspect that makes Ms. Marvel unique is that the teen is a Pakistani-American Muslim, the first superhero of this ethnicity to lead an American comic book and now also star in a TV series.
Next up we have She-Hulk… and that’s all we know right now. Feige revealed absolutely nothing about the show, other than it’s coming at some point down the line.
In the comics, the character is Jennifer Walters, a lawyer in Los Angeles who also happens to be the cousin of Bruce Banner aka the Hulk. After she was severely injured when caught in the crossfire of a shootout between a mob boss and her Sheriff father, Walters required a blood transfusion to save her life. Banner happened to be visiting his family that day and since they shared DNA and a blood type, he offered his own. However, when the mobsters arrive at the hospital to finish her off, Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood combined with her anger at the crooks causes her to transform into the She-Hulk.
In this new form, Walters possesses the same physical abilities as her cousin but at a reduced level. Unlike Banner though, the switch is permanent, but she retains her personality and intelligence 100%. She also doesn’t have her monstrous visage, possessing a more statuesque amazonian appearance – but with green skin – as it would be later revealed that her subconscious shaped her form into what she believed to be the ideal woman.
As Walters never stopped practising law after her transformation, she became a lawyer to many superheroes. This resulted in her comic being this really unique mix of superhero action and legal drama which could make for an interesting TV series. Most recently in the comics, her powers have been a bit wonky, resulting in her gaining increased power-levels but less intelligence and a more primitive appearance. She is also in a relationship with Thor.
Finally, last but definitely not least, we have the third new series in Moon Knight. Like She-Hulk, Feige gave away nothing except the announcement, but this is actually the one that has me most excited out of these new shows.
In the comics, Moon Knight is Marc Spector… but kinda also not. It’s a little complicated. His origin starts off simple enough as Spector is a highly-skilled ex-US Marine turned mercenary who signs onto the crew of an African mercenary in Egypt. While there, the group stumbles upon an archaeological dig site and decides to loot the artifacts, including a shrine to the Egyptian moon god Khonsu. The group’s merciless leader, Raoul Bushman, kills the archaeologist working at the site and intends to also kill his daughter/assistant. Spector intervenes but is brutally defeated by Bushman in combat and left to die in the temple, where Khonsu appears to him as his heart stops. The god offers him a second chance at life in return for becoming Khonsu’s avatar of vengeance on Earth, which Spector accepts. Awakening and finding himself healed and stronger than ever, Spector wraps himself in the silver shroud that cover’s Khonsu’s statue and goes out to defeat Bushman, starting his life as a costumed vigilante.
Besides for actually being very wealthy and thus possessing a host of gadgets, vehicles, and weapons to use, as Moon Knight Spector also has enhanced strength, reflexes, endurance, and pain tolerance, but they are tied to the phases of the moon. The fuller the moon, the more powerful he is. That’s tricky enough to manage for a superhero, but things get really complex as it’s revealed that Spector actually suffers from dissociative identity disorder and possesses at least two other personalities, all with their own ideas of what to do with these abilities. More often than not, Spector has to fight himself as well as the bad guys, which leads to some very interesting drama.
These are three very interesting additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all bringing something different to the table and I can’t wait to see how they fit into Marvel’s bigger plans.
Last Updated: August 24, 2019
