‘Moon Knight’ Fan Finds an Interactive Easter Egg in Episode 1
When Moon Knight Episode 1 premiered on Disney+, fans immediately searched for Easter eggs in the new Marvel Cinematic Universe show. Marvel is notorious for jampacking hidden nods to past films and comic books in their projects, and Moon Knight wasn’t any different. But the premiere featured an easy-to-miss Easter egg that is a gift to fans.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from Moon Knight Episode 1, “The Goldfish Problem.”]
Fan discovers a QR code that serves as an Easter egg in ‘Moon Knight’ Episode 1
After one fan watched Moon Knight Episode 1, they started a thread on Reddit to share an Easter egg they found. The message is in the scene where Steven talks to a student in the museum.
“There is a QR code on the wall of the museum in Moon Knight that takes you to a free digital copy of ‘Werewolf By Night 32,'” they explained.
The QR code is on the wall next to the sarcophagus and above the fire alarm. If viewers scan the code with their phone, it will take them to a page on Marvel’s website. The page reads, “Read a free Moon Knight comic book that inspired the series, streaming exclusively on Disney+. Check back weekly as we provide more exclusive Moon Knight comic books!” And then it takes you to the free comic book.
As the fan mentioned, the free comic book this week is “Werewolf by Night #32,” which Marvel published in May 1975. Moon Knight makes his Marvel Comics debut in this issue. So the Easter egg is fitting for Moon Knight Episode 1. And it sounds like there will also be QR codes in the next five episodes that provide fans with free comic books.
‘Moon Knight’ Episode 1 features a few other Easter eggs
The QR code wasn’t the only Easter egg in the Moon Knight premiere. There were a couple of name drops that eagle-eyed fans managed to notice.
While Steven is scrolling through Marc’s phone that he found hidden in his apartment, most of the missed calls are from Layla. However, there is one from someone named DuChamp, who is a significant character in the comics. Jean-Paul DuChamp is historically Moon Knight’s sidekick, and the vigilante calls him “Frenchie.” Perhaps Frenchie will appear in a future episode of Moon Knight.
Also, Disney released images from Moon Knight Episode 1 that reveal an Easter egg hidden in plain sight. The photos disclose that the name of the street performer, or gold statue, that Steven encounters is Bertrand Crawley. Crawley is a homeless man who worked as an informant for Moon Knight in the comics.
An executive producer teases more Easter eggs in upcoming episodes
After viewing Moon Knight Episode 1, it’s unclear whether or not the Disney+ show is in the MCU. However, thanks to executive producer Grant Curtis, we know that it is a part of the greater universe. And that will become clear in upcoming episodes.
“Moon Knight is very much in the MCU,” Curtis told Inverse. “The observant viewer is going to hear and see those Easter eggs we drop that do explain that and confirm that.”
He added, “We looked at the very first comics he appeared in, in 1975, and we looked over the years of storytelling, over the decades of Moon Knight stories, [and asked] what are the themes and tones that we’re gravitating towards as storytellers? We never intentionally tried to make this standalone.”
So although Moon Knight may seem like a standalone series after episode 1, there will be Easter eggs in future episodes that clarify its place in the MCU.
Moon Knight airs Wednesdays on Disney+.
