Hands up: who spotted the possible reference to a major Marvel villain – and Fantastic Four mainstay – in the new Moon Knight trailer?
Honestly, us neither – at least not at first. Zoom in a little closer to the sequence where Oscar Isaac’s Marc Spector is wielding a gun, however, and you can see a set of cardboard boxes on the left-hand side. The writing, which is partially obscured, reads ‘Von D—’
You don’t need to consult your Marvel encyclopedias for this one, it’s hardly a deep cut. That’s looking like a reference to Victor Von Doom, better known as Latverian ruler Doctor Doom.
Of course, nothing is official just yet. However, it would be beyond cruel of Marvel to lay down those breadcrumbs without it leading anywhere – especially as they know how often fans pore over every frame in the expectation of cracking Marvel’s future plans wide open.
Disney’s acquisition of Fox in 2019 helped pave the way for Fox’s umbrella of Marvel heroes – X-Men, Fantastic Four, Deadpool – to be integrated into the MCU proper. Not-Quicksilver in WandaVision aside (played by X-Men actor Evan Peters), the Fox characters have yet to have a presence.
Deadpool 3 is officially in the works, as is a Fantastic Four movie directed by Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Jon Watts. This March, however, could have fans wondering if the Marvel world is getting a little bigger – and teasing a stopover in Latveria.
Moon Knight is set to debut on Disney Plus on March 30. For more on the MCU’s ever-expanding future, check out our guide to Marvel Phase 4. Need more Doom primers? Here are the best Doctor Doom stories you should be reading, and discover why Doctor Doom is one of Marvel’s most enduring and interesting characters.
