Now that Moon Knight episode 1 has dropped on Disney+, the streaming service confirms the Marvel TV show's placement in the MCU timeline.
With its official addition to Disney+, Moon Knight’s place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline is confirmed. Moon Knight is the MCU’s first original series of 2022, and its titular hero is a new addition to the franchise's roster. Moon Knight is a mercenary named Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac) who has dissociative identity disorder, causing him to develop different identities. Marc’s body can also belong to Steven Grant, a giftshop employee who's far from prepared to be a vigilante, as he struggles to reconcile dreams with the true reality he seems to experience when Marc is in control of his body.
Most of Moon Knight episode 1 was set up for the larger story that the series will tell over its six-episode run. With practically no reference to the known MCU, Moon Knight opted to start by introducing Steven Grant and the villain of the series, Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke). With the story of Moon Knight bringing Egyptian mythology into the MCU fold, it makes sense that viewers are wondering where Moon Knight fits in the MCU timeline since the history of Egypt is new territory for the franchise.
With the release of episode 1, Disney+ has officially confirmed Moon Knight's chronological relationship to the rest of Phase 4. The streaming service's Marvel page contains a feed called "Marvel Cinematic Universe in Timeline Order," which allows users to watch the movies and TV series in the order they take place, rather than by their real-world release dates. Moon Knight is listed right after Hawkeye, the most recent Disney+ original series.
Sometimes, Marvel Studios releases its films and series out of chronological order, such as with Black Widow, which was released in Phase 4 after Spider-Man: Far From Home but took place after Captain America: Civil War. That said, Moon Knight seems to have been released in chronological order within the overall MCU, seeing as Disney+ lists it after Hawkeye. Presumably, if Spider-Man: No Way Home was on Disney+, Moon Knight would also come after it.
With Moon Knight’s placement in the MCU timeline confirmed, it opens some interesting possibilities for the future of the series. It’s safe to assume that all of its characters already experienced the effects of Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) Snap during Avengers: Infinity War. It may not be relevant to Moon Knight, but it’s interesting to wonder whether Marc Spector was snapped out of existence for five years. Rumors also point to Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) appearing in Moon Knight, and his recent cameo in Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings confirms that he’s no longer in his Hulk form like he was during Avengers: Endgame. It’s difficult to say with certainty where Moon Knight is heading, but at least it’s confirmed that everything that has already happened on-screen in the MCU has also already happened in universe.
Source: Disney+
