Moon Knight Writers Tried Hard To Reference Dracula Memes In The Show
Moon Knight writers apparently wanted to include the popular fan-made Dracula memes in the show. Disney + announced the development of the Moon Knight series in late 2019 and over two years later, the first episode of the highly-anticipated show is finally here. As of March 30, 2022, fans can stream Moon Knight Episode 1 on Disney+ with 5 more episodes to come of what is potentially a limited series akin to WandaVision.
While the show provides a first introduction to the character of Moon Knight for many, fans of the comic books series that began in 1975 already possess decades of content– and, therefore, memes – of the superhero. One meme, in particular, went viral and continues to circulate with particular fervency in light of Moon Knight's release. The darkly comedic memes feature a comic-book snapshot of Moon Knight down an eerie set of stairs, the superhero's speech bubble indicating a demand for money directed towards a shadowed Dracula lurking in the corner. Hilarious and shocking profanity often embellishes Moon Knight's words, as well as references to other Avengers.
Disney +'s Moon Knight creator and head writer Jeremy Slater recently guest-starred on an episode of the podcast The Kingcast, intending to talk Stephen King, but the conversation turned, naturally, to the upcoming show, and the popular Dracula memes in particular. He expressed enthusiasm for the hilarious memes, so much so that he confessed that the writers of Moon Knight tried to reference the memes in the show. However, due to content restrictions from Disney + and the lack of proper narrative context, their heroic attempts proved futile. Slater laments that the writers failed to find a way to interweave the memes into the shows, but also suggests future hope. Check out his statement below:
"We tried so hard, because we can't say 'F-ck' on Disney+ and we also don't have Draculas in the show. We tried so hard to think of some way to reference those memes and we just couldn't do it, I couldn't get it in there. Hopefully, maybe someday."
The Moon Knight meme in question originates from the story "Tower of Shadows" in the comic Solo Avengers #3, published in 1987. Unsurprisingly, the original comic panel features dialogue a little less explicit and much more somber, the thought bubble relaying Moon Knight's reflection on an encounter specific to the comics. To further complicate matters, apparently, the comic actually involved a werewolf as well as another nocturnal force named Shroud. These characters in the comic books that the memes omitted illustrate the true vastness and multifaceted nature of the Marvel comics that the movie franchise has yet to touch.
The fact that the writers possessed such a strong desire to connect to popular memes in Moon Knights speaks to the care the Marvel team takes in reflecting the passion and creativity of the broader fan culture in their work. It also endearingly hints that, while Moon Knight famously appears to explore much darker themes than other Marvel shows, writers still aren't afraid to infuse the playful, meta-humor that has become a trademark of Marvel into the narrative. However, while it seems that vampires, unfortunately, may not ultimately make an appearance in Moon Knight, new episodes release every Wednesday till May 4 – between now and then, who's to say what other nefarious force might appear in the dark shadows?
Source: The Kingcast