Fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Marvel’s first family in the MCU since it was revealed at D23 that director Jon Watts would be helming the next Fantastic Four film. As a result, fans eagerly awaited Doctor Doom’s arrival as Latveria’s king, one of Marvel’s greatest villains.
However, since that fantastic reveal, the team on this project has remained silent, save for the fact that fans have seen the potential for Fantastic Four’s Latveria’s rise in the MCU. It’s encouraging to hear that Doctor Doom will only play a “very minor” role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, according to a recent rumor. As a result, some Moon Knight fans have noticed that a village featured in the film’s premiere bears an uncanny resemblance to a particular country.
Moon Knight depicts a quaint Eastern European village
Steven Grant awoke from his first blackout in Moon Knight’s first episode in the countryside, having supposedly just jumped out of an enormous castle’s window.
Grant hides in a village at the foot of the castle’s foothills as he runs from several assailants.
Grant appears to have stumbled upon Eastern Europe, perhaps even the Balkans, after spotting numerous signs written in Slavic languages as he enters.
It doesn’t help that everyone in Grant’s small town has turned into a cult of personality around Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow, a character that Marc Spector stole from the movie.
In the fictional country of Latverian, located in the Balkans of Europe, with its capital Doomstadt, some comic book fans may hear a resemblance. Castle Doom, the home of Victor von Doom, is revered as a god by the citizens of the city he guards. Due to its resemblance to the fictional country of Latveria, some fans have speculated that this is in fact the country itself.
This is a long way from Latveria
In order for this to be a village in Latveria, it must have existed before Doctor Doom conquered it. Otherwise, before allowing Harrow to convert even one of his citizens, the Fantastic Four villain would have crushed him like a gnat under his heel. Doom’s iron grip on Latveria would be lessened if this were a pre-Doom Latveria, in which case his reign would be shorter than if it were a long period of time.
A Fantastic Four-related setting would be an odd choice for Moon Knight to debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since the vigilante has no ties to either the Marvel family or Doctor Doom, having him appear as Fantastic Four’s Latveria for the first time would be an odd choice.
What we have here are just coincidences that are linked to the fictional country. As these citizens ferociously defend their leader from a superhero interloper, it’s unquestionably a preview of what’s to come.
A return to this village may also be possible in the future if Harrow does not have multiple locations around the world like this one. When you consider that Steven Grant’s co-workers are so enthusiastic about him, you wouldn’t be surprised if he was a cult leader.
It would also be strange if Moon Knight were the first MCU film to introduce a key location from the Fantastic Four. Marvel’s first family and Dr. Doom are completely unrelated to the vigilante, so having his show be the first introduction to Latveria would be an odd choice.
Assuming that’s the case, it’s all just a jumble of coincidences involving the made-up nation. However, this is clearly a foreshadowing of what’s to come, as these citizens, like Doom, fervently defend their leader from a superhero invasion.
A return to this village may also be possible in the future if Harrow does not have multiple locations around the world like this one. Perhaps it isn’t surprising, given the fact that he has a worldwide cult following and that even some of Steven Grant’s coworkers are devotees.
