Marvel Studios and DC Films will face off in 2022, with Moon Knight vs The Batman being the first no-holds-barred bout. Following the upheaval of the previous two years, both Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are determined to get back on track. The box office success of Spider-Man: No Way Home has proven that superhero fatigue is a myth. Both studios are now focused on the superhero genre.
As a result, 2022 appears to be the year that the greatest comic book versus match of all time. Moon knight vs The Batman, Marvel vs DC becomes a live-action reality. The two comic book companies have always had a cordial rivalry, with authors and artists traveling between them. Their ties have been strong enough for them to publish crossover tales. Such as the famous DC Versus Marvel miniseries in 1996. But today, the comics have inspired a slew of blockbuster films and TV shows. The rivalry is raging on both the big and small screens. Fans compete to see who will have the best-performing film or TV series.
The majority of the focus has been on the big screen. Both Marvel Studios and DC Films look to be exploring the multiverse. They are even employing it for a similar story purpose. Hence, bringing back past forms of popular characters like Spider-Man and Batman. However, following the publication of the first Moon Knight trailer, a new rivalry has emerged. Thus, pitting a film against the first MCU Disney+ TV show, set to premiere in 2022. It’s time for Batman to go head-to-head with the Moon Knight.
Moon Knight and The Batman both set to release in 2022
The Moon Knight vs Batman battle is owing to a scheduling snafu on Disney’s part, which is not likely planned. The Batman is set to hit theaters on March 4, 2022. The marketing is doing a great job of selling Robert Pattinson’s version of the Dark Knight. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was postponed. So, The Batman didn’t have to worry about a big Marvel movie coming out just a few weeks later. Thanks to changes to Marvel’s film schedule.
However, Disney has recently announced that MCU content will be released in March 2022; Moon Knight’s debut episode will premiere on Disney+ on March 30. It’s a fascinating choice of dates because it means the show will premiere around Easter. Moon Knight has a strong emphasis on death and resurrection. The vs match, on the other hand, isn’t a coincidence.
Similar characters
This superhero vs superhero duel has a certain amount of irony to it. Moon Knight is sometimes compared to Marvel’s Batman; both are rich vigilantes who rely on martial arts skills and gadgets instead of extraordinary abilities. Furthermore, the best Batman and Moon Knight stories delve into the heroes’ troubled minds. Thus, bringing Bruce Wayne to the brink of mental breakdown and delving into Marc Spector’s dissociative identity disorder.
Batman has a “no killing” policy. But Moon Knight will gladly slaughter adversaries and even random criminals on the street, so the comparison isn’t fully fair. As a result, they are treated extremely differently in their superhero universes. Batman is a key player in the Justice League. But Moon Knight is an outcast who the other heroes shun. Captain America was eager to collaborate with the Punisher during the superhero “Civil War” published in Marvel Comics in 2006. But not with Moon Knight.
Same approach to violence
However, it appears that these distinctions will minimize in the first DC vs. Marvel combat of 2022. Pattinson’s Dark Knight seethes with violent rage against crime; it’s a radically different portrayal of Batman. The actor suggests that the various fights in the film are intensely personal. The character is essentially working out his anger. In one of the trailers, Batman throws a series of punches at a criminal. He falls to the ground, and Batman crouches over him, continuing to pound him despite his inability to protect himself.
This is very similar to a scene in the Moon Knight trailer. Moon Knight crouches over a defeated foe and continues to pound them. That specific shot appears to take inspiration from Jeff Lemire’s Moon Knight series. It left readers unclear; whether the vigilante was about to kill a legitimate enemy – or an innocent who had the misfortune of being misinterpreted in Marc Spector’s delusions. Both The Batman film and Disney+’s Moon Knight series appear to take a similar approach to violence. As a result, appearing in a dark tone.
In 2022, the Moon Knight and the Batman are just what Marvel and DC require
Both The Batman and The Moon Knight, ironically, are exactly what DC and Marvel require in 2022. Batman is a step away from the shared universe paradigm that has dominated the superhero industry since 2008. It stands a good chance of reinvigorating the Batman brand. It has been embroiled in the DCEU’s behind-the-scenes controversy for years. The Batman has spawned two spinoff TV episodes for HBO Max, demonstrating Warner Bros. Discovery’s faith in director Matt Reeves’ feature.
Meanwhile, the trailer for Moon Knight promotes the series as a refreshing departure from a formula. The formula was on the verge of becoming stale. It’s the first Disney+ TV project since WandaVision to feel artistically distinct from the mainstream MCU. It is far less “safe” than Hawkeye or Loki. That makes it a risk for Marvel Studios. But it’s one they need to take because they need to show they can break out from the conventional formula. Or else it starts to limit them rather than empower them.
Which Is More Exciting: The Moon Knight or The Batman?
As a result, the first DC vs. Marvel showdown in 2022 will be exceptionally thrilling. It’s based on the brutal and gritty violence of street-level vigilantes, rather than the multiverse’s spectacle. The Batman appears to represent the start of an entirely new universe. It is the one based on Matt Reeves’ vision of the Dark Knight. Hence, making it the most significant Batman film in decades. Moon Knight, on the other hand, resides within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, it provides a new, darker depth to a universe that audiences are already familiar with. The Batman is still the most exciting, owing to the electrifying chemistry between Robert Pattinson’s Batman and Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman. But it’s a close call.
Ironically, the fans’ concentration on a superhero vs superhero match is most likely a distraction from what’s truly going on here. The reality is that a film and a television program aren’t actually in direct competition. In any event, there’s enough time between The Batman and Moon Knight episode 1. So, neither will negatively impact the other. Rather, the coincidental nature of these live-action superhero films going head-to-head is advantageous – especially to Disney. Viewers who enjoy The Batman will naturally want more nasty and gritty, brutal, and violent superhero action adventures to scratch that itch. Disney+ will deliver just a few weeks later, debuting a TV program that will capitalize on The Batman’s success. “A rising tide lifts all boats,” as the saying goes. This is certainly true in the case of Moon Knight and The Batman.