‘Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’ Season 2 Packs Even More Moon Girl Magic

Marvel’s Moon Girl and Dinosaur skated onto the scene in February 2023 with fresh visuals, fun action sequences, and a vibrant musical palette from Raphael Saadiq. Marvel aficionados were treated to deep-cuts like Beyonder (played by series creator Laurence Fishburne), Abyss (Maya Hawke), and Morlak (Wesley Snipes), characters not yet seen in the live-action corners of the MCU. But at its core, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur was a story about an exceptional girl (Diamond White), her pet dinosaur (Fred Tatasciore), and her loving, hilarious family.

With a two-episode premiere on February 2nd on Disney Channel (and the first 14 episodes of Season 2 available on Disney+ the next day), one thing’s certain: There won’t be a sophomore slump for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. After receiving nine Emmy nominations and taking home five awards for its first season, Moon Girl Season 2 looks poised to repeat the successes, if not surpass them.

Lunella Is a Fully Functioning Superhero In ‘Moon Girl’ Season 2

While Season 1 was an origin story about the trials and tribulations of Lunella Lafayette figuring out how to be a 12-year-old STEM wiz by day and high-tech superhero by night, Moon Girl Season 2 hits the ground running (or roller-skating) with Lunella and Devil having worked out those bugs. Season 2 sees Lunella and Devil get some tech upgrades, grow their support team, and take on foes from the microscopic to the multi-dimensional.

Having gotten the origin story out of the way, Season 2 gets more time to explore how being the neighborhood superhero takes a toll on Lunella’s personal life, from the weight of keeping her identity a secret to issues of self-doubt and post-traumatic anxiety from getting bested in a fight. If this seems too heavy for children’s programming, trust that Moon Girl never loses its bearings in delivering serious subject matter with equal parts affection and humor.

As with Season 1, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Season 2 blends the day-to-day issues real kids face all the time with the extraordinary circumstances of superhero-ing. There are more than a couple moments that will make parents take note as they realize Moon Girl is teaching life lessons wrapped in shiny Marvel packaging.

One such moment occurs when a character who knows Lunella’s secret identity tells her that she is so special, she ought to be able to shout to the world about who and what she is, but that they’d never push her to out herself before she’s ready. It isn’t difficult to imagine an LGBTQIA+ child watching the scene and hearing words that could impact the rest of their life.

‘Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’ Review: A Breath of Fresh Air From the MCU

As beloved as the MCU is, it’s inarguable that the past few years have taken some of the shine off the most successful entertainment franchise in history. Part of that problem is Marvel fans struggling to keep up with the MCU continuity, which will only be more difficult as Marvel releases more content (and folds formerly non-canon series like The Defenders into the Sacred Timeline). Luckily, Moon Girl is free from all of the constraints that come with attempting to keep up with MCU continuity.

Existing in its own corner of the Marvel multiverse allows Moon Girl to bring in big-name guest stars who don’t have to worry about being ineligible for a live-action role in the MCU. Moon Girl Season 2 calls in heavy hitters like Giancarlo Esposito, Edward James Olmos, Xolo Maridueña, Andy Garcia, Cynthia Erivo, Parker Posey, Manny Jacinto, and David Tennant.

Maridueña’s performance as Kid Kree (real name Mel-Varr) is a highlight of the season. One hopes his commitments to DC as Blue Beetle don’t keep him from becoming a Moon Girl series regular, as he brings both depth and humor to this awkward character. Lunella and Mel-Varr’s interactions feel more like the beginnings of a great duo than a passing guest appearance.

This is all not to say Lunella and Devil couldn’t one day find their way into the MCU proper. After all, anything is possible in the multiverse; perhaps Academy Award nominee Jeffrey Wright could show up for an episode as The Watcher. But even if that never happens for the titular duo, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur stands up on its own as a pitch-perfect endeavor and a welcomed respite from the churn of the Content Outrage-Industrial Complex.

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