Caution: spoilers ahead for Moon Knight episode 3
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, here are Moon Knight's MCU Easter eggs from episode 3. As well as shifting the action from London to Cairo, Moon Knight episode 3 shifts focus from Steven Grant to Marc Spector, reversing their roles from Disney+'s opening two efforts. Ethan Hawke's Arthur Harrow has started digging up his beloved Ammit, forcing Marc - as the avatar of Egyptian god Khonshu - to take drastic measures like summoning other gods, and putting on a global firecracker display. May Calamawy's Layla, an archaeological thief and Marc's estranged wife, joins the fun, and together they successfully unearth the location of Ammit's tomb... alongside another sarcophagus full of sand-covered Moon Knight Easter eggs.
Moon Knight has remained deliberately distanced from the wider MCU - certainly compared to most products from Marvel's conveyor belt - but there are references to be found. Episode 2 acknowledged the GRC from Falcon & The Winter Soldier, while episode 1 included blink-and-you'll-miss-it (and most did indeed miss it) mentions of both Asgard and Wakanda. As Moon Knight increases in scale, it's only a matter of time before the wider MCU comes calling. There's no way Doctor Strange and Wong didn't notice Khonshu's skyline meddling, after all.
Moon Knight episode 3's Easter eggs allude toward storylines from the Marvel comics, name-drop known locations within the MCU, and potentially tease a character for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Here's every detail we dug up.
Moon Knight's Soundtrack Plays On The Taxi Radio
Moon Knight episode 3 opens and closes with "Enta" by DJ Kaboo. The song's "Batwanes Beek" sample can, however, also be heard when Marc Spector wakes up in an Egyptian taxi heading for the nearest airport, courtesy of a (presumably very frightened) Steven Grant. It's a neat touch that'll have viewers humming the tune for the rest of their day.
Moon Knight Continues To Tease Jake Lockley As A Third Alter
Moon Knight hasn't been shy in setting up a third alter in addition to Steven Grant and Marc Spector. Who asked Steven's museum colleague on that date? What happened to the one-finned wonder? Who was drinking topless at the end of Moon Knight episode 2? All signs point toward Jake Lockley as a potential third alternate identity. In Marvel comic lore, Lockley is a grizzled private detective, and exactly the type of man who'd beat up criminals for information. In episode 3, neither Steven or Marc recall bloodying the runaway thugs and chasing them up that cliff - a subtle Moon Knight Easter egg teasing Jack Lockley's incoming debut.
The Ennead's Meeting Scene Borrows From Marvel Comics
Khonshu ignites his Moon-signal to summon the Egyptian Ennead, leading to a rapid congregation inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, which Marc Spector is invited to attend via portal. Although creative liberties are taken here, Moon Knight's Ennead is a Marvel Easter egg drawn directly from the comics. The original Egyptian supergroup existed within a pocket dimension, but would travel to our mortal realm via portal - albeit one more akin to Asgard's Bifrost Bridge than the Diagon Alley shifting wall glimpsed in Moon Knight. The exit door of their portal was, indeed, close to the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Moon Knight Introduces A Possible Black Panther 2 Character
Khonshu's meeting with the Ennead doesn't go quite to plan, as almost every Egyptian god refuses his cause, falling for Arthur Harrow's cult-ish charms instead. The only exception is Yatzil, avatar to Hathor, the goddess of music and love. Apparently harboring a soft spot for Khonshu, Hathor's avatar leads Marc helpfully toward Ammit's tomb. Curious, however, is how Hathor connects directly to Black Panther. In the Marvel comics, Hathor (or Hathor-Sekhmet) takes a feline appearance, and is a sibling of Wakanda's panther god, Bast - as is Khonshu himself. Hathor-Sekhmet ultimately assumes the mantle of "Lion God" in Wakanda, becoming an enemy of Black Panther.
Bast featured in 2018's Black Panther movie, while T'Challa already mentioned Sekhmet in Captain America: Civil War. Moon Knight episode 3 now debuts that character in full, potentially setting up a future role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Moon Knight's Egyptian Gods Introduce 4 Comic Characters To The MCU
Aside from Hathor, Moon Knight episode 3 also introduces Horus, Osiris, Isis and Tefnut to the MCU - and all four Egyptian figures were represented in Marvel comic mythology first. Each of the divine quartet holds membership to the comic Ennead, but some have ventured into wider continuity too - Isis, Horus and Osiris, for example, all team-up with Thor during his 1975 run. Considering their connection to the God of Thunder, and bearing in mind Thor: Love & Thunder features a villain who calls himself "God-Butcher," the Ennead's MCU stint may be a short one...
Khonshu Introduces The MCU Overvoid
Addressing his fellow Gods, Khonshu implores them to, "Return from the opulence of the Overvoid before you lose this realm." This Moon Knight Easter egg reveals how the Egyptian gods currently dwell within some manner of pocket dimension, and the same is true of Marvel's comic book Ennead, who reside at the Celestial Heliopolis. If Egypt's MCU gods truly are inter-dimensional beings interpreted as deities by mankind, that brings them in line with the already-established gods of Asgard. Marvel's Celestial Heliopolis is also known by the term "Overvoid," confirming the place Khonshu mentions is our live-action version of that same dimension.
Moon Knight Episode 3's "Senfu" Explained
Yatzil points Marc Spector toward Senfu's sarcophagus, which supposedly contains the location of Ammit's tomb. Senfu could be inspired by the real-life Pharaoh Sneferu, who built a number of ancient Egyptian pyramids. Sneferu's connection to architecture may explain why Senfu in particular was trusted with hiding Ammit's tomb in Moon Knight's fictional retelling of history.
Is This Actually Jake Lockley, Not Marc Spector?
By this point, Moon Knight has left no doubt that Oscar Isaac portrays at least one more alter - an identity who appears even tougher and more aggressive than Marc Spector. So, when "Marc" begins talking in a blatant New York accent during he and Layla's Cairo reunion, something smells suspicious. Not only does Isaac's accent audibly change, but the actor is pulling down his mouth into a Don Corleone-style grimace. The scene sits in isolation, so it's feasible that Jake Lockley actually assumed control off-screen before this street sequence, then reverted back to Marc ahead of the boat ride.
Bek May Be Inspired By A Moon Knight Comic Villain
Loic Mabanza plays Bek, the bodyguard and henchman of Anton Mogart. Previously, we've seen Moon Knight borrow names from comic lore for its various supporting characters in the Disney+ MCU series - Donna, Crawley, Bobbi and Billy, etc. Bek might constitute a Moon Knight Easter egg referencing Kareesh-Bek - a minor villain from 1982's Moon Knight #18.
Moon Knight Episode 3 References A Key MCU Location
Before Bek brings Marc Spector and Layla to the man they seek an audience with, he mentions an unsuccessful prior meeting in Madripoor. Deriving from the Marvel comics, Madripoor made its MCU debut courtesy of Falcon & The Winter Soldier, presented as a lawless hive of criminality known to folks like Baron Zemo and Sharon Carter. Apparently, Moon Knight's Layla had unfavorable dealings with Mogart in that same city, which makes sense, given their shared fondness for priceless stolen artifacts.
Moon Knight Introduces Midnight Man
If Moon Knight is Marvel's Batman, Anton Mogart could be Joker - and Marc Spector himself can't resist making that point with a little, "This joker?" jibe. Played by the late Gaspard Ulliel, Mogart is perhaps better known by his Marvel comic alias, Midnight Man - a skilled art thief who swears revenge against Moon Knight after the cloaked vigilante leaves him disfigured. Though Moon Knight episode 3 doesn't provide any suggestion that the MCU's Anton Mogart has become a costumed supervillain, Marc's "robe" comment might be cute a nod to Midnight Man's flowing costume. When Khonshu is later standing atop a clock taunting Marc with "tick, tock..." notice also how the time is midnight, referencing Mogart's comic alter ego.
Layla's Backstory Is Taken From The Moon Knight Comics
Moon Knight episode 3 lays the board for a major reveal from Layla's past. The opening "passport forgery" scene confirms Layla's father died during one of his archaeological digs - expeditions Layla herself would often be present for. During their later confrontation with Arthur Harrow, the villain suggests Marc Spector knows something about that fateful tragedy, and the prickly response Layla receives upon questioning her husband proves Harrow was bang on the money. In the Marvel comic books, Marlene Alraune (who Moon Knight's Layla is based on) met Marc Spector when he attacked a dig site alongside a band of fellow mercenaries. Layla's father was killed in the assault, but Marc stepped in to protect the archaeologist's daughter. Moon Knight is clearly adapting this origin... but is Marc the guilty party, or did Jake Lockley kill Layla's Papa Scarab?
Steven Grant's Cut MCU F-Bomb
The MCU has a long history of cut F-bombs. Peter Parker, Aunt May, Nick Fury, Groot, and many others have all come perilously close to eff-ing, and Steven Grant now joins that prestigious club. In a hilarious attempt to diffuse a brutal fight between hardened criminals, Steven suggests everyone just "chill the F out" like he's talking down two drunks at London's Antwerp Arms.
Moon Knight continues Wednesdays on Disney+.
Key Release Dates
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Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness
Release Date:2022-05-06 -
Thor: Love and Thunder
Release Date:2022-07-08 -
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Release Date:2022-11-11 -
captain marvel 2
Release Date:2023-07-28 -
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release Date:2023-05-05 -
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Release Date:2023-02-17
