The MCU's Moon Knight Can Grow by Following in Daredevil's Footsteps

Moon Knight is one of the most powerful heroes and adventurers in the MCU. But Daredevil proved he can't be an adventurer forever.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe proved that Moon Knight was one of its most ambitious projects, as it used a classic vigilante to showcase an adventure story. While it embraced what made the comics so engaging, it also showed the potential of an Indiana Jones-style narrative when used with the right hero. However, even though Moon Knight's entire origin was based in the supernatural and artifacts from the past, his skills would be best suited as a vigilante akin to Daredevil.

In Netflix's Daredevil series, Matt Murdock showed the struggles of vigilante life as he spent more time taking hits to ensure that innocents could live peacefully. As a result, it pushed him to make difficult choices and sacrifice moments of happiness to do the right thing. Though Moon Knight has been shown as infinitely more powerful, his return to the MCU would benefit greatly from a similar struggle to Daredevil's rather than being Marvel Studios' version of Tomb Raider.

Moon Knight Can't Be An Adventurer Forever

Season 1 of Moon Knight utilized treasure hunting and Egyptian myth to carefully explore and balance the character's origin with Marc's mental and relationship struggles. But with myth being a focal point of the series, it made the adventure aspect come even easier. With its globe-trotting and hair-raising action, Moon Knight showed how well the genre could work in the MCU. But with Marc having embraced a sense of normalcy in himself alongside Steven Grant, revisiting the genre would be unnecessary.

Unlike other heroes in the MCU, Moon Knight's story allows for more fluidity in how his story can be told. One season could see him traveling to Egypt to learn more of Khonshu's past, while another could have Moon Knight fighting a villain with no ties to myth. However, this versatility has also shown the path that the character must walk to grow and prove why it would make sense for him to face a villain like Kang. Even still, to grow to that level would require taking a step back to the same realm as Daredevil.

Moon Knight Would Benefit From Vigilante Life

Moon Knight's only mission while working for Khonshu is to protect the travelers of the night. But with no world-ending threats to face, he could finally continue this, just as Jake Lockley has been in secret. If so, fighting in the streets of London, just as Daredevil has in Hell's Kitchen, would be a great way for Moon Knight to honor his deal. But his actions could also offer a new level of growth Marc had never experienced.

If Marc and Steven join Jake in fighting crime, at least two of them have only known violence in the highest order. However, when facing common thugs, brutalizing and killing isn't always the answer. By making these mistakes, Marc would learn to be a better hero, especially with Steven leading by example, and show that Moon Knight could restrain himself when needed. As a result, he could grow as a hero, knowing when to hit hard and when to restrain himself while honoring Khonshu's mission. But to properly accomplish this and walk in Daredevil's footsteps, the character has to abandon the adventure genre, even if only for a short while.