Here's How To Find The Hidden Free Comic In 'Moon Knight' Episode 1
References, Easter eggs, and callbacks have become important structural, narrative, and production components of the average MCU and DC films and television shows. It helps with the overarching narrative that connects multiple titles. It is also a fun way to pay tribute to the original source as a form of fan service. Interestingly, at least for the time being, Moon Knight does not make any references to the wider MCU. In fact, it seems to completely ignore some events you would expect most people to know about like “the Snap” and the return of the missing people five years later. That is probably a smart move on Marvel and Disney’s part because the character does not have a footing in the MCU. As he is such a complex and deep fellow, focusing on just him for this series seems a great idea.
Curiously, there is one interesting Easter egg that, rather than connecting Moon Knight to an existing MCU character, points to a future character and ties back to the comic books in the process. That’s right, in the series premiere of Moon Knight, there is a “blink and you’ll miss it” QR Code that takes you to a free-to-read copy of the comic where Moon Knight made his first appearance.
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Here is a screenshot of the scene.
There is a QR code next to the fire alarm in the museum scene when Steven Grant is explaining Egyptian history to a little girl. Scanning it will take you to a free digital comic issue of Werewolf By Night #32. Incidentally, the character Werewolf by Night will appear in his own live-action Disney+ special for Halloween.
Bringing Things Back To The Source
Although there have definitely been some ups and downs along the way, comic books and superhero adaptions have become one of the biggest genres in the film industry. Audiences and, critics alike, at times, enjoy the classic battle of heroes and villains, good and evil, light, and dark. Often some of the most intriguing of these characters are those that straddle the fine line between those contrasts.
Despite the success of the Batman films in the 1990s and Sony’s Spider-Man films of the early 2000s, the real turning point was undoubtedly when the Marvel Cinematic Universe came to fruition with Iron Man in 2008 and the DC Extended Universe (though, admittedly, the latter was less successful).
Then, it became something different. First, it was just about the popular comic book characters that had been adapted in the past like Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man, you know, the most popular ones beyond the comic book aficionados. Then, there was Iron Man, Thor, and with time, the Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man. Until recent years, some characters would only be known and loved by comic book readers.
Marvel has really found a formula that works (for the most part, we’ll forgive the missteps of Thor: The Dark World, Iron Man 3, and Avengers: Age of Ultron). This success has transferred from the big screen to the small screen with shows like WandaVision, Loki, What If...?, and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Their formula often includes departures from the comics, whether justifiable or not.
As a result, there has been increased interest in the comic books that these characters originate from. This is good news for Marvel Comics, which originally sold off the rights to its characters to film companies to avoid bankruptcy.
Moon Knight Is A Different Beast From Other MCU Titles
Moon Knight is not just one of the lesser-known characters that have been brought to life. He is also one who straddles that line between good and bad with his methods. The character is so morally gray that many draw comparisons between him and DC’s Batman.
He also happens to be a sufferer of Disassociative Identify Disorder (DID), which obviously makes everything even more complicated than if he was just a guy who was imbued with the power of the Ancient Egyptian god Khonshu.
Check Back Weekly
The message on the site via the QR code says “check back weekly” for more Moon Knight comic books. It remains to be seen if there will be more QR codes in future episodes or you will simply be able to view other titles at the same link.
It will be exciting, nonetheless.
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Source(s): The Direct