Credit: Inside the MagicUnder the guidance of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and currently owned by The Walt Disney Company, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has redefined the superhero movie genre and left an indelible mark on the film industry. With the groundbreaking conclusion of Marvel Studios’ Phase Three in the form of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), the MCU has witnessed unprecedented growth in recent years, solidifying its position as an unrivaled force in the entertainment world and concluding the epic first three phases of the MCU, known as the Infinity Saga.
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After Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man/Tony Stark sacrificed himself for the continuation of the universe at large, and Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers/Captain America passed on his mantle — the Marvel Cinematic Universe has sat on a precipice of bigger and scarier things to come for the superheroes of Earth.
Now, with Phase Four over with 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Phase Five took a massive dive into the new Multiverse Saga by properly introducing Jonathan Majors’ (Lovecraft Country, The Last Black Man in San Francisco) Big Bad, Kang the Conqueror to audiences on the big screen. The newest Thanos-equal is set to feature massively in upcoming Avengers 5/Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025), leading into Avengers: Secret Wars (2026) which might deal with Doctor Doom and even the Fantastic Four.
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What are the sexual misconduct allegations?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded significantly from the mainline movies, especially since Marvel Studios began producing Disney+ Originals like WandaVision (2021) and Moon Knight (2021).
Recently, Rolling Stone uncovered the “unexpected departure” of the Moon Knight star who played the Egyptian god Khonshu, Oscar-winning actor F. Murray Abraham (White Lotus) from popular Apple TV+ show Mythic Quest (2020) as a result of sexual misconduct.
Mythic Quest stars Rob McElhenney as Ian Grimm, Ashly Burch as Rachel, Danny Pudi as Brad Bakshi, and F. Murray Abraham as Carl Longbottom/CW Longbottom. As McElhenney is also the show’s creator, the apparent sexual misconduct resulted in the character being pulled, after there were “at least two concerns raised about Abraham’s behavior”. Rolling Stone details the way the Marvel star was let go, saying:
The first incident resulted in Abraham being given a warning and told to keep away from some of the show’s actresses, according to a production source. After a second incident was brought to creator and star Rob McElhenney’s attention, Rolling Stone understands that Abraham was let go from the show.
The Marvel “gods” appear to be getting their stories expanded, with their roles likely earmarked to play more significantly into Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025) and Avengers: Secret Wars, as part of Kevin Feige’s “cosmic” (or even “supernatural”) team of heroes, alongside the MCU’s “street-level” team.
With the advent of Oscar Isaac-led Moon Knight likely stepping into the MCU proper very soon, this might indicate that Marvel will be recasting the very Egyptian god who gives Isaac’s Marc Spector/Steven Grant/Jake Lockley his powers.
What do you think of the Moon Knight star’s allegations of sexual misconduct? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
More on Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The show follows the story of Marc Spector, a former mercenary with dissociative identity disorder who becomes the vigilante Moon Knight, as he battles supernatural threats around the world. The cast includes Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector/Moon Knight, Karim El Hakim and F. Murray Abraham as Khonshu, Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow, May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly/Scarlet Scarab, Khalid Abdalla as Selim, and Gaspard Ulliel as Anton Mogart.