Long before Doctor Strange and Moon Knight made their way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, legendary comic book writer Grant Morrison had their own ideas for films starring the superheroes.

During a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Morrison was asked if they had ever had any contact with Marvel Studios. "Way back at the start, before even [current president] Kevin Feige was involved -- I knew those guys back then -- and I pitched Dr. Strange, and I pitched them Moon Knight," they replied. However, Morrison's movie pitches ultimately fell on deaf ears.

RELATED: Moon Knight's Ethan Hawke Casts Doubt on Arthur Harrow's Demise

"But they just never took us seriously because we were comic-book guys," the writer explained. "It was just always, 'We need to get our own people to do this.' They've got the formula now, and it really works well, but back then, it was very much, 'Hollywood people should be doing this stuff, not you freaky comic guys.' But you know, that never stopped them from stealing our stuff," Morrison laughed. "They're quite happy to put their hands in our pockets for whatever they needed to! I had a great Doctor Strange pitch, but obviously, they went their own way."

For a bit of context, Marvel Studios (known as Marvel Films during its first three years in existence) was founded in 1993 as a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment. Current Marvel Studios president and Marvel Entertainment chief creative officer Kevin Feige was first hired by Marvel as a producer in 2000.

RELATED: MCU Boss Kevin Feige Explains Why Phase 4 Feels So Unique

Feige served as an associate producer on 20th Century Fox's first X-Men first film that same year, having impressed producer Lauren Shuler Donner with his knowledge of the Marvel Universe. He was ultimately named president of Marvel Studios in 2007. With Feige at the helm, Marvel Studios began its own shared universe of superhero films with 2008's Iron Man. In 2009, Marvel Entertainment was acquired by The Walt Disney Company.

The Marvel comic book character Dr. Stephen Strange joined the MCU in the 2016 film Doctor Strange, with Benedict Cumberbatch stepping into the lead role. Cumberbatch was not the first person to play Doctor Strange in live-action, as Peter Hooten had previously starred as the character in the 1978 television film Dr. Strange, which was meant to serve as a pilot for a TV series that never materialized.

RELATED: Marvel's Kevin Feige Made a Last-Minute Change to A Major Doctor Strange 2 Fight Scene

Nevertheless, since his big-screen debut in 2016, Doctor Strange has become a mainstay of the MCU, with Cumberbatch reprising the role in Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and, most recently, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). What's more, the ending Multiverse of Madness makes it clear that Strange's time in the MCU is far from over.

Meanwhile, the character of Moon Knight made his live-action debut in Marvel Studios' Moon Knight, a Disney+ original series that is set within the MCU, though largely acts as a standalone story. Starring Oscar Isaac in the lead role, Moon Knight ran for six episodes from March 2022 to May 2022. It remains to be seen if and when Isaac will reprise his role, though the creatives behind the show seem confident that MCU fans have not seen the last of Moon Knight.

Source: Rolling Stone