If ‘Moon Knight’ Returns, Disney+ Needs to Rethink Its Rating

Disney+ needs to implement an important change to Moon Knight‘s rating if the show returns for a potential Season 2. Moon Knightwas initially branded as Marvel Studios’ most violent and mature series under the Disney+ umbrella. In February 2022, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that the series would embrace brutality,“a tonal shift,” and push MCU boundaries, highlighting that Moon Knight is a “different thing.”However, Moon Knightarrived with a lower-than-expected TV-14 rating in the US, meaning that it still pulled some punches with its initially promised brutality. While a possible Season 2 is still in the bubble, Moon Knightneeds to rethink its rating if it returns on Disney+.

If Moon Knightdoes return on Disney+, the Oscar Isaac-led series needs to embrace a TV-MA rating, as it would allow the show to be more violent and darker while leaning into the character’s more mature nature. 

WhileMoon Knight Season 1 still delivered a distinctive, horror-tinged tone tied to its TV-14 rating, anchored by strong performances from Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke, it never really committed to the street-level, mercenary savagery that would have made Marc Spector feel as dangerous and fractured as he should have in the pages of Marvel Comics.

It’s worth noting that Moon Knight also had a slightly higher age rating in some regions because it dabbled in more violence than other MCU shows, even if it failed to truly commit

A higher TV-MA rating for a potential Season 2 would lean into violence that actually belongs to Moon Knight. In Marvel Comics, Moon Knight is the definition of brutality, at times embracing his sadistic nature when dealing with enemies. Jake Lockley, introduced at the end of Moon Knight Season 1, operates in darker territory because of his ruthless, unhinged personality. Showing those sequences in a full-blown showcase instead of cutting away would benefit Moon Knight and do wonders for the show, making viewers crave more. 

Targeting this demographic would also allow the show to lean into even more complex and darker themes in its storylines, while still pushing for mental health-related storylines to strike the right balance. 

Moon KnightSeason 1 treated dissociative identity disorder (DID) with care but had limited runtime and a family-friendly ceiling. A TV-MA rating would allow messier explorations of identity, trauma, control, and the full extent of a broken mind. 

A more adult rating would also target the audience that actually wants this version of the character. Moon Knight has never been a kid-friendly property, and a TV-MA rating could signal a welcome beacon for older viewers who already respond to the Netflix Defenders tone, Daredevil: Born Again, and Marvel Zombies.

Speaking of those shows, Marvel Studios already crossed that line. Daredevil: Born Again and The Punisher: One Last Killare explicitly TV-MA, meaning that the studio encouraged this rating rather than restricting them from exploring these kinds of stories. Marvel Zombies also followed suit with its gory, adult animation, propelled by strong viewership numbers. On the big screen, Deadpool and Wolverineis a testament that an R-rated Marvel movie can achieve success and dominate the box office. 

At the time of Moon Knight‘s release in March 2022, Marvel Studios still hadn’t crossed that more adult threshold. Now that they have, there is a real, concrete chance that a future Moon Knightproject, if it is still in the cards,would take on an adult (TV-MA) rating. 

Will Moon Knight Still Return for Season 2?

Moon Knight Season 2 appears not to be in the cards, especially now that sophomore runs of MCU Disney+ shows are in the bubble (most recently with Wonder ManSeason 2’s cancellation despite its early renewal). 

In October 2022, Oscar Isaac set the record straight on a potential Moon Knight Season 2 renewal, claiming that “there have been some specific conversations”about the show’s future. 

“There have been some specific conversations. They were pleasant. The spilling of the details it that there’s no details. We don’t know [if there will be a second season], but we’re talking about it.”

However, the tide has changed since then. While a sliver of hope emerged in November 2024 after a viral post claiming Moon KnightSeason 2 was in the works, the show’s future is still in doubt as of 2026. Still, there is hope for the characters’ on-screen return in a different project. 

At San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Ryan Gosling was announced as the MCU’s new Ghost Rider. This announcement was seen by many as a starting point for a potential project involving theMidnight Sons, a team composed of supernatural antiheroes including Moon Knight, Blade, Ghost Rider, and many others. That ensemble project, if it is set up in Ghost Rider, could be the best possible path for Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight to return. 

Once Moon Knight’s comeback materializes in Midnight Sons, then it could be a good jumping-off point for a potential Moon Knight Season 2, continuing the story of Marc Spector, Steven Grant, and Jake Lockley. If the character becomes a fan-favorite in the Midnight Sons project, then discussions about a Moon Knightsolo movie could also be in the cards.