Moon Knight’s Episode 4 Twist Is Exactly What The Show Needed

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Moon Knight episode 4!

The major twist in Marvel's Moon Knight was exactly what the new MCU series needed. Benefitting from its lack of connection to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Moon Knight has broken new ground and has truly been creative with its six-episode series. In fact, Moon Knight episode 4 and its significant change to the show's status quo is proof of that fact.

As seen in Moon Knight episode 4, Khonshu the Egyptian moon god has been imprisoned in stone and separated from his Avatar Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac). Despite having lost their powers granted by the justice-seeking deity, Marc's alternate identity Steve Grant is still determined to enter Ammit's tomb with Marc's wife Layla (May Calamawy), hoping to find the goddess' ushabti before her avatar Arthur Harrow does. While they do find the entombed Ammit first, Marc is shot twice. Falling back into a pool of water and waking up in an entirely new reality, Marc and viewers and led to believe he's nothing more than a mental patient in a psychiatric ward who made Moon Knight up based on an old Indiana Jones-inspired movie starring "Dr. Steven Grant."

Now, Marc has no idea what's real and what's not. The idea of a false reality being constructed from a piece of fictional media feels a lot like Wanda Maximoff reshaping Westview in WandaVision into her television show-inspired happy ending. That being said, this major shift in the status quo for Marc and Steven is a truly brilliant move for Moon Knight, seeing as how they're just as confused about what's going on as the audience is meant to feel after this surprising and dynamic twist.

Why Moon Knight Episode 4 Is So Different

Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector in Moon Knight episode 4

The first three episodes of Moon Knight introduce the character of Marc Spector and his alternate identity Steven Grant quite well, along with the plot and its high stakes. Discovering that someone else shares his body when he sleeps, Steven eventually meets Marc Spector, who's been chosen to be the Avatar of the moon god Khonshu. What follows is a globe-trekking adventure to prevent a former avatar (Harrow) from resurrecting the goddess Ammit, all while Steven and Marc attempt to get along as they now share the same power as Khonshu's fist of justice.

While Moon Knight episode 4 starts the same with an exploration into Ammit's tomb to find her ushabti before she can be awakened, the episode does a hard pivot in its final fifteen minutes. What follows is Marc waking up in the aforementioned mental ward, questioning reality and fighting to remember what he believes to be the truth. Given the supernatural elements of the show and the presence of Egyptian gods choosing mortals to be their vessels, the idea that it could all be in Marc's head connecting to his Dissociative Identity Disorder has its merits. After all, what sounds more plausible? As such, this deeper exploration into Marc's psyche with this new reality (whatever it may truly be) marks a notable change from past episodes (and it's certainly a welcome and exciting one).

Moon Knight's Twist Copies WandaVision's Best Trick

The proposed idea in Moon Knight that everything Marc and Steven experienced prior to waking up in a psychiatric ward was inspired by an obsession with a VHS movie carries a lot of similarities to WandaVision. In her grief, the Scarlet Witch created a fake reality based on the TV shows she used to watch with her family, such as the Dick van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy, and more. However, the odds are strong that this new reality Marc Spector and Steven Grant have found themselves in is likely the false one, perhaps an effort to make Moon Knight complacent and stop fighting. As such, this would actually be the inverse of WandaVision, where the original reality Moon Knight knows is indeed the true one. Nevertheless, copying elements from WandaVision's twist is a smart move. It keeps the audience on their toes with more questions and builds anticipation while hopefully offering answers and satisfying resolutions in the episodes to come).

Moon Knight Is Better For Ignoring The MCU

Moon Knight Marc Spector How Long MCU Timeline

Moon Knight has the huge benefit of being a truly new property in the MCU. It has almost zero connection to the greater universe at large which means its creative sandbox is much bigger. Essentially, it has fewer constraints and can worry less about continuity errors or what's currently happening elsewhere. While Marc Spector can certainly become further integrated and meet other heroes and characters as time goes on, the lack of any MCU ties in Moon Knight at the present is one of its biggest advantages.

Moon Knight episode 4 serves to be a perfect example, seeing as how Marc and Steven can be launched into a brand new reality/space while still contending with the previous world of Egyptian gods and avatars. The show can focus on building this dynamic and multi-layered mystery and keep audiences guessing more than ever before. Likewise, while comic fans may have a solid understanding of Moon Knight as a pre-existing hero on the page, the MCU version of Marc and his alternate identities are a combination of known and unknown characterizations, an idea that's further highlighted in the new episode of Moon Knight with Marc and Steven actually meeting each other face to face, while also teasing Moon Knight's third alter that's still to come.

Moon Knight's Twist Can Make It Even Better

Steve-and-Marc-Freaking-Out-In-Moon-Knight-Episode-4

Whatever this new and likely fabricated reality may be, the advantage for the show has already been teased: Marc Spector and Steven Grant somehow being split and working together to escape. Furthermore, the fact they're able to talk face to face indicates that this could very well be Marc's own mindscape which Harrow has somehow infiltrated, wanting Marc to question his sanity. At any rate, the series stands to become even better with what will no doubt be an even deeper exploration into Marc Spector's unique psyche, which will hopefully answer some questions and solve some ongoing mysteries before no doubt becomes the vengeful Fist of Khonshu as Moon Knight reaches its final episodes.

More: Moon Knight True Story: Is Alexander The Great’s Tomb Missing?

Moon Knight releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.