For a long time, New York City has served as the epicenter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that may not be the case for much longer. New York has, of course, long held a similar role in the comics, which explains its prominence and ongoing importance in the MCU. However, in recent years, Marvel Studios has been venturing more outside the confines of its central American city.
In 2021, for instance, Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and Eternals were all set primarily overseas. Shows like WandaVision and Loki similarly ventured to their own unique locations, while Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Hawkeye both spent a lot of time in the Big Apple.
Now, there’s reason to believe that Marvel’s mysterious Phase 4 plans may actually involve shifting the MCU’s focus away from New York to other global cities.
Spending Time Abroad — According to Collider, Moon Knight star Oscar Isaac recently revealed that one of the reasons Marvel told him his new Disney+ series is set in London is because the studio has “too many characters in New York.” As a result, Marvel chose to make his Marc Spector an “ex-pat in London.”
Isaac’s comments seem to suggest that Marvel hopes to start focusing less on New York City than it has in previous years. With that in mind, it’s worth noting Moon Knight isn’t the only recent title Marvel has chosen to set in London. A large part of Eternals is set in the British city, and one of the studio’s biggest upcoming Disney+ shows, Secret Invasion, is also expected to primarily take place there as well.
Additionally, with Isaac’s Moon Knight now residing in the same city as Dane Whitman aka Black Knight (Kit Harington) and Blade (Mahershala Ali), Marvel has opened the door for London to become the MCU headquarters for a major superhero team.
The Midnight Sons’ Headquarters — It has long been rumored that Marvel plans on bringing together a version of the Midnight Sons on-screen sometime in the near future. With the recent and forthcoming introductions of characters like Black Knight, Blade, Moon Knight, and Werewolf by Night, those rumors have only become increasingly more popular and substantial.
Oscar Isaac himself has recently said that he’d be interested in seeing his Marc Spector become a part of the MCU’s Midnight Sons. So while it remains to be seen whether that will ever happen, there are a growing number of reasons to believe that a Midnight Sons team-up could be the plot of Avengers 5 or another future MCU event project.
Assuming that’s in the cards right now, it seems highly likely that Marvel could choose to base its MCU version of the Midnight Sons in London. Not only does the studio seem comfortable shooting in London right now, but making it the place where the Midnight Sons primarily operate would help differentiate the team from the MCU’s NY-based Avengers. Plus, as has already been stated, three Midnight Sons members are already based in London in the MCU.
The Inverse Analysis — Marvel is keeping its plans for Moon Knight, Blade, Black Knight, and other members of the Midnight Sons very close to its chest right now. That makes predicting their futures in the MCU difficult — even if early signs do seem to point towards a Midnight Sons team-up of some kind happening in the next few years.
If that’s what comes to pass, Marvel fans shouldn’t be surprised if the MCU’s Midnight Sons end up basing their headquarters in London rather than New York.
Moon Knight premieres Wednesday, March 30 on Disney+.
