Since its premiere last month, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur has managed to cement itself as one of the best Marvel cartoons in years. Much of that can be owed to the show’s characters; beyond Lunella and Devil, the people that inhabit the Lower East Side of New York all have personality and feel like they have something going on beyond getting caught up in the heroes’ orbit.
That also extends to the villains that have popped up in the show’s first run of episodes, like Laurence Fishburne’s Beyonder and Jennifer Hudson’s Mane. This week’s episode, “Teacher’s Pet,” adds another colourful villain to the show’s roster in the form of the Rat King. Per the episode’s logline, Lunella’s assigned to take care of her class’ hamster, which starts out as an easy gig until Devil gets jealous of the little rodent. When the hamster goes missing after being accidentally freed, Lunella goes looking for it, and winds up becoming aware of the Rat King’s existence.
Disney provided Gizmodo with an exclusive clip of the new episode, wherein the King introduces himself to Moon Girl with the sewer rats under his command. When Gizmodo talked to Moon Girl’s Steve Loter and Rodney Clouden before the show’s premiere, they explained that they were given free reign to tweak the characters into the show’s style. That continues with the Rat King, who uses his rat army to steal the half-eaten food from New York restaurants. Voiced by Daveed Diggs of Hamilton and Snowpiercer fame, the King talks with a pompous theatricality fitting of his perceived royalty. With how stylish and musical the show has proven to be in the past, maybe we’ll also hear Diggs put his vocals to the test as he sings about his grand, rat-powered master plan.
The “Teacher’s Pet” episode of Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur premieres on Disney Channel on Saturday, March 11. Disney+ subscribers are able to watch it and five more new episodes right now.
While you’re here, why not check out Gizmodo Australia’s guide to what’s streaming this month on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Stan, Binge and more. We’ve also got one for all the good movies coming out in 2023 if that’s more your thing.