How Moon Knight's Gods Relate To Other MCU Deities Explained By Writer

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Moon Knight!

Beau DeMayo, co-writer of Moon Knight's third episode, "The Friendly Type," has talked about a possible connection between the deities of the Marvel Disney+ show and those of the Black Panther films, specifically the panther goddess Bast. The series finale of Moon Knight premiered this morning, and it received a very positive reaction from fans. It was filled with tons of surprises, and it included a mid-credits scene that hints at what the character's future could entail.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe lore, Bast is a supreme being in Wakandan legend. According to their myth, Bast granted a warrior named Bashenga the power to become king and the first Black Panther. Meanwhile, Moon Knight features the Egyptian deities Khonshu, god of the night sky, Taweret, guider of souls through the afterlife, and Ammit, devourer of the dead. Khonshu uses Marc Spector/Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) as his avatar to protect the travelers of the night as his fist of vengeance.

In an interview with The Direct, DeMayo discussed any possible ties that the hit Disney+ series might have to the Black Panther movies involving these deities. The writer explained that he and the showrunners talked at length about where the Egyptian gods fit among the ever-expanding lore of the MCU. Read the full quote below:

“We talked a lot in the room about where the Egyptian Gods sat alongside other Gods in the Marvel Universe, and ultimately we kind of came to this conclusion that part of what’s fun about Moon Knight, and I think something I’ve been seeing people really like, is it really does feel like it sits in this very scary corner of the MCU that no one wants to look at. Which is kind of where Moon Knight has always existed as a character. Like, he protects the travelers of the night, the people who fall through the cracks, the people who are in alleyways, the people who are forgotten and overlooked."

"So we kind of always pulled back from getting too into our heads. I think about, you know, has Bast and Odin and Khonshu ever thrown back pints on Titan, and been like, ‘that Thanos!’ It was always just really focusing on how to make the Egyptian Gods work in Marc Spector’s story, and then making sure that they were never in a place where we were really upending any continuity issues with the MCU.”

There was a verbal reference to Black Panther in Moon Knight episode 5, "Asylum," in which Taweret mentions the "gorgeous" Ancestral Plane (pictured above) as one of the "many intersectional planes of untethered consciousness [that] exist." In the first Black Panther film, the Ancestral Plane is where T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) went to discuss the hardships of being king with his departed father (John Kani) — it's where the soul exists apart from the body. It's also known as the Astral Dimension, seen in Doctor Strange when the title character (Benedict Cumberbatch) discussed the meaning of life and death with the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). This small, one-line reference from the Egyptian goddess in Moon Knight shows that the series connects more to the larger MCU than it might be letting on.

With these facts, and after watching the season finale, one can only wonder how Moon Knight will make its way into the grand scope of the MCU in the future. While the finale's mid-credits scene did not feature any tie-ins to other titles, it did leave audiences with a cliffhanger which all but confirmed that a second season is on its way. The possibility of a second season means the possibility of more references and tie-ins. With the introduction of this character to the MCU, one can safely assume that it's only a matter of time before he's brought into the Avengers or makes a cameo in another title like Blade. It seems like a massive effort for Marvel to introduce this character just to have a single solo adventure. Perhaps the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will give some clues, with its theatrical release just days away. For now, fans everywhere can enjoy the complete first season of Moon Knight, which is now streaming on Disney+.

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Source: The Direct