With its sixth episode in the can, Moon Knight finishes its first (and perhaps only) season. The ending is abrupt and a bit surreal, but it does bring closure to the threat of Ammit and Arthur Harrow. Usually, these Disney+ Marvel shows end with cliffhangers to build up the Marvel Cinematic Universe itself, but Moon Knight sticks to itself and builds towards what’s next. From beyond the afterlife and beyond the constraints of the mind, Moon Knight has saved the day. Plus there was a completely rad Khonshu kaiju fight, which is something I never knew I always wanted. So where does this leave our cast?
Marc Spector and Steven Grant
Marc refuses paradise in order to reunite with Steven, the upbeat identity he created to protect himself from the terrors of the world. Thanks to Osiris’ judgment and the healing powers of Khonshu, Marc is revived. Now more of a mental tag team, Steven has just as much control as Marc, portrayed in how they keep shifting between Moon Knight and Mr. Knight. Now that Marc and Steven are on the same page, they no longer question reality or allow their reality to be questioned. The asylum starts to implode upon itself in a way, as Dr. Harrow begins to notice the nonsense around him. Namely, that he’s leaving bloody footprints, as his “real life” self would. Confident, Marc/Steven leave the scene. Steven then wakes up in bed, returning to his somewhat simple life. This time, Marc is partially also in control, and while he isn’t quite content with how Steven lives his life, he does seem willing to be part of it.
Layla El-Faouly and Taweret
Thanks to some guidance from Taweret, Layla is able to release Khonshu from captivity. She very bluntly tells him that she will, under no circumstances, be his avatar. On the other hand, she does agree to temporarily be Taweret’s avatar. Powered with armored wings, Layla aids Moon Knight/Mr. Knight in the final battle. Her fate is open-ended. She makes it apparent that she doesn’t want to permanently be bound to Taweret, but when saving lives against Harrow’s minions, she does seem to embrace it when a little girl is inspired to see an Egyptian superhero. Considering her absence in the final scene, perhaps she and Marc/Steven did go their separate ways in the aftermath. In a twist based around how she came into the story, perhaps she embraces Taweret’s power and has been forced to leave her husband behind. Being Taweret’s avatar would possibly allow her to communicate with her father.
Arthur Harrow and Ammit
Moon Knight, Layla, and the various Egyptian gods are able to take a half-dead Harrow and magically shove Ammit into him to bind the god. Moon Knight is told to kill Harrow and end the threat completely, but Layla begs him not to. This part in particular is taken from the original Moon Knight #1, where Moon Knight tracks down Bushman and has to be talked down from killing him by his love interest Marlene (who Layla basically is). Marc tells Khonshu off and spares Harrow. The mid-credits scene shows Harrow living in an asylum. Not a false reality trying to make sense of things, but an actual asylum, named the Sienkiewicz Psychiatric Hospital after classic Moon Knight artist Bill Sienkiewicz. Harrow does briefly hallucinate his cup of coffee as being a cup of sand, which hints at what the Duat has in store for him once he dies. As he’s taken away by a mystery man, he notices that he’s not being brought to his quarters. He also begins to notice a few bloodied bodies littering the hospital. He is taken out of the hospital and put in a limo. He sees Khonshu and laughs at first, because Khonshu can’t physically hurt him or Ammit. Harrow then comes to realize that his fate is sealed as the limo driver, Jake Lockley, pulls out a gun and shoots him dead.
Khonshu and Jake Lockley
Back in the original comics, Moon Knight was less “Swashbuckling Venom” and more “Batman with a Questionable Grasp on Reality.” He was so invested in his various different identities to keep the mission going that it eventually manifested into dissociative identity disorder (later retconned so that he already had that going in). The show has taken liberties with these identities, most notably changing Steven Grant completely so that he’s no longer a blatant knockoff of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. Jake Lockley was the personality that got information from underground. A shabby cab driver who mingled with the criminal element. The Moon Knight equivalent of Batman’s Matches Malone persona. Here, he represents Marc Spector at his absolute worst. He’s a violent psychopath with no qualms about carrying out Khonshu’s will. With Steven’s blackouts in the first episode, it’s hard to say how much of it was Marc and how much of it was Jake. We do know that Jake is responsible for the death of Harrow’s henchmen in the third episode. More importantly, as the climax of the finale goes all “SCENE MISSING” on us, we see that Jake is formidable as hell. He did alone what Marc and Steven could not do together, including defeating Harrow. The white limo with SPKTR license plate is taken from the comics, as that was Mr. Knight’s main mode of travel. Similarly, Khonshu’s dapper look was from the same Warren Ellis/Declan Shalvey run. In the end, we see that Jake was Khonshu’s backup plan in case Marc wanted to move on. A Spanish-speaking brute, Jake not only kills a couple people in the hospital, but he also hilariously kicks Harrow’s wheelchair away for no reason. It’s so petty, I love it. It seems Marc and Steven will not be getting the peace they’ve been hoping for. That leads to the big question…
Will There Be a Moon Knight Season 2?
Oscar Isaac has a bit more freedom than your usual MCU star. He signed a contract that’s only for Moon Knight season one and doesn’t keep him chained for a three picture deal, several more seasons, or an Avengers crossover. He did six episodes of Moon Knight and his deal with Disney is finished. There’s plenty to play with in a second season of Moon Knight. The complications of Jake Lockley at the wheel of Moon Knight’s body. The fate of Layla. Maybe we will see some full-on inclusions of characters who merely cameo or get name-dropped in this first season, such as Bushman, Frenchie, and Crawley.
