Los Angeles: Setting the stage for its slate of Disney Plus series for 2022, Marvel Studios released first looks for three of its upcoming shows onto the streamer: ‘Moon Knight’ starring Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke; ‘She-Hulk’ starring Tatiana Maslany and Mark Ruffalo; and ‘Ms. Marvel’ starring newcomer Iman Vellani.
The studio also released an extended action sequence from its next Disney Plus series, ‘Hawkeye’, which is set to debut on the streamer on November 24.
The first looks were included in a special preview of Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney Plus shows, as part of the company’s Disney Plus Day celebrations meant to commemorate the second anniversary of the streamer’s launch in 2019, reports variety.com.
‘Moon Knight’
In ‘Moon Knight’, Isaac plays Marc Spector, who in the comics has dissociative identity disorder and believes himself to be the human avatar of the Egyptian god Khonshu. In the teaser, he says he hears voices in his head and walks past a golden statue of Khonshu.
Isaac dons a white, caped costume, ripped from the pages of Moon Knight comics, as he brutally punches a victim on the ground in a dark hallway, illuminated by flickering lights. In a very Batman-esque shot, he jumps across buildings, silhouetted by the glowing crescent moon.
The cast includes Hawke, who told Seth Meyers he’s playing a character inspired by cult leader David Koresh, and May Calamawy. Mohamed Diab, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are directing the series, and Jeremy Slater is the head writer.
‘She-Hulk’
In ‘She-Hulk’, Maslany plays Jennifer Walters, a lawyer who (at least in the comics) inherits similar Hulk powers after she receives a blood transfusion from her green-skinned cousin Bruce Banner. Luckily for Walters, when she Hulks out, she maintains control of her personality and intelligence. In the teaser, Marvel fans can see a glimpse of her green skin and white-and-purple costume, accurate to the comic-book look.
The cast includes Jameela Jamil, who reportedly plays the super-strong villain Titania, ‘Hamilton’ star Renee Elise Goldsberry, Ginger Gonzaga, Josh Segarra and Tim Roth, who will reprise his role as the Abomination, most recently seen in a cameo in ‘Shang-Chi’.
‘Ms. Marvel’
In ‘Ms. Marvel’, Vellani plays Kamala Khan, a Muslim, Pakistani-American who idolises Captain Marvel. In the preview, Kamala laments that “it’s not really the brown girls from Jersey City who save the world”, as we see her infused with some kind of energy that, comics fans know, will give her the powers to, indeed, save the world.
The clip underscores that Kamala is the first Muslim superhero by cutting from a shot of people in a mosque in prayer to a shot of Kamala standing at a mirror wearing her Captain Marvel cosplay.
The cast includes Zenobia Shroff and Mohan Kapur as Kamala’s parents Muneeba and Yusuf, as well as Aramis Knight, Rish Shah, Saagar Shaikh, and Matt Lintz. The series is directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and Meera Menon, and Bisha K. Ali is the head writer.
‘Hawkeye’
The final Disney Plus series of 2021, ‘Hawkeye’, stars Jeremy Renner as Avenger Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, and Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, Clint’s biggest fan. In an extended clip from the show, we see Clint and Kate on the run in an old Chrysler from a pack of track-suited goons, as Kate tries to ward them off with her (considerable) archery skills using some of Clint’s trick arrows.
‘Hawkeye’ also stars Vera Farmiga as Kate’s mother Eleanor, as well as Tony Dalton, Fra Fee, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d’Arcy James and Florence Pugh reprising her role of Yelena from ‘Black Widow’.