Caution: spoilers ahead for Moon Knight episode 6
Prepare to weigh your soul before the MCU's God of Easter eggs - here are all the Marvel references and callbacks in Moon Knight's season 1 finale. From the very beginning, Moon Knight was billed as a stark departure from past MCU releases, and while not quite the violent, brutal TV series Kevin Feige promised, Moon Knight stands defiantly apart from the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe. In complete contrast to WandaVision and Loki, Moon Knight's MCU connections have landed somewhere between subtle and non-existent, instead relying on visual cues and comic allusions for its Marvel Easter eggs.
Moon Knight episode 6 ("Gods & Monsters") is a packed finale that covers much ground in a short space of time. Marc Spector and Steven Grant are both revived, Layla becomes Scarlet Scarab, and Arthur Harrow is finally defeated as two gods clash over the Egyptian skyline - a breathless ride that barely comes up for air. Still, at least all that Jake Lockley buildup didn't just end with a fleeting post-credits sequence...
Among the impressive action sequences and beautiful interactions between Marc, Steven and Layla, Moon Knight's season 1 finale finds time to drop one last batch of Marvel references before Oscar Isaac slinks backs home to his feed his goldfish. From moments of foreshadowing and comic book homages to a blatant Kang the Conqueror tease, these are the Moon Knight Easter eggs we found in episode 6.
Moon Knight Episode 6's Intro Song Confirms Marc's Death
The Moon Knight season 1 finale begins with Earl Grant crooning his 1958 song "The End" - a number chosen to commemorate the death of Marc Spector. Grant (Earl, not Steven) sings about the "end of a story" at the "end of a river," which relates nicely to Marc's arrival in the Field of Reeds after successfully crossing the Duat. Moon Knight's choice of soundtrack serves as confirmation that Marc is properly dead at this point, and nothing short of divine intervention will spare him.
The Ibis Statue In Ammit's Tomb Foreshadows Arthur Harrow's Future
Alexander the Great's tomb - the final resting place of Ammit - was first introduced back in Moon Knight episode 5 after Steven and Layla discovered the legendary burial chamber. When Ethan Hawke's Arthur Harrow crouches over Marc's watery corpse in Moon Knight episode 6, however, the tomb's ibis statue (the heron-like bird) comes prominently into frame. This sacred bird carries vast swathes of symbolism within ancient Egyptian culture, but one meaning behind the ibis is balance. The statue sitting unevenly to Harrow's right may, therefore, foreshadow Moon Knight's later revelation that Ammit deems her servant impure - his scales do not balance.
Moon Knight Foreshadows Layla's Superhero Persona
Moon Knight episode 6 transforms May Calamawy's Layla into the MCU's version of Scarlet Scarab, and it's a transition teased with all the subtlety of a Jake Lockely street fight. We've had the "little scarab" nickname, her father's red scarf, and the finger bandage worn during Marc's hospital vision. Before paying all these hints off, Moon Knight episode 6 drops two more moments of Scarlet Scarab foreshadowing. First, Layla seizes the scarab-shaped compass Arthur Harrow leaves perched on Marc's lifeless chest, then Khonshu paraphrases her father by using the nickname "little bug."
Marc & Steven's Moon Knight Hug Copies A Comic Book Moment
A distraught Marc Spector rescues Steven Grant from Duat damnation - his full, balanced heart proving enough to thaw out the frozen alter. Marc acknowledges Steven saved his life and, delighted to be together again, they share an emotional embrace. This scene pulls squarely from Jeff Lemire's Moon Knight #9, in which Marc bids farewell to his alters and hugs Steven before he goes. Though the two Oscar Isaacs hugged back in episode 4's hospital sequence, this posthumous reunion feels thematically closer to the comic scene.
Layla Becomes The MCU's Scarlet Scarab
By accepting a gig as Taweret's human avatar, Layla El-Faouly becomes an MCU version of the Marvel comic character known as Scarlet Scarab. Her superhero costume incorporates a scarab motif in the torso and wings, and even includes a red scarab logo upon the chest. Layla's comic proxy, Marlene Arlaune, had absolutely no connection to Scarlet Scarab, but several Moon Knight Easter eggs pay tribute to the original. Layla's father was Abdallah El-Faouly, while the first person to hold Marvel's Scarlet Scarab title in the comics was Abdul Faoul. And whereas Abdul passed his superhero persona down to his son, Taweret claims Layla's father would be overjoyed to learn of the hero she becomes.
Arthur Harrow's Bloody Feet
Moon Knight's final battle is brought to a rapid conclusion courtesy of a Jake Lockley blackout, and before you can say "oh, bollocks," Moon Knight throws Steven and Marc back into therapy with Dr. Harrow. This time, both Oscar Isaacs break through the illusion (assuming it is an illusion) when they notice Harrow leaving a trail of bloody footprints as he walks. This image calls back to Moon Knight's very first scene, in which the cult leader filled his sandals with broken glass.
Steven Reclaims Moon Knight's "Laters Gators" Catchphrase
Steven Grant's trademark "laters gators" catchphrase was an amusing, heartwarming idiosyncrasy in Moon Knight's early episodes, before adopting a much more upsetting meaning during episode 5's flashback, which revealed this was actually a line young Marc Spector said to his mother before she started abusing him. Moon Knight episode 6 gives viewers one more "laters gators" for the road when Steven leaves Dr. Harrow, reclaiming the phrase as his own - despite now knowing its sad origin.
Moon Knight Returns To Where It All Began
As Marc and Steven wake up in the latter's London apartment, Engelbert Humperdinck's "A Man Without Love" plays in the background. This was, of course, the song Moon Knight opened with way back in episode 1. Marc and Steven also appear to be wearing the same pajamas from Moon Knight's premiere, and despite the two alters making friends, they still use Steven's ankle restraint - presumably because they're vaguely aware of Jake Lockley lurking in the shadows. The similarities between Moon Knight's first and final episodes create a sense of coming full circle. Steven Grant is right back where he started, but this time Marc Spector is a friend, not someone to remain fearful of.
Marc & Steven's TWO Pet Goldfish
Two goldfish are better than one, and this Moon Knight episode 6 Easter egg shows Gus' two-finned impostor now accompanied by a second little swimmer. It's a neat representation of how Marc and Steven have finally found balance, and harks back to the episode title of Moon Knight episode 1 - "The Goldfish Problem." The problem in question may not have been Gus suddenly growing an extra fin, but how Gus, much like Steven, was lonely. Presumably, a piranha in a flat cap is just out of shot...
Arthur Harrow's Rubber Duck Is A Reference To Moon Knight's OTHER Hospital
When Moon Knight first switched abruptly from Alexander the Great's tomb to a pristine white psychiatric hospital in episode 4, a rubber duck could be spotted underneath the TV showing "Tomb Buster." When Moon Knight's post-credits reveals Arthur Harrow in a psychiatric facility of his own, the sequence once again begins with a rubber duck - this time dressed like Dr. Harrow from Marc's mind hospital. A second rubber duck can then be spotted on the desk near where Jake Lockley killed a staff member.
Moon Knight's Last QR Code Sets Up Kang The Conqueror
Moon Knight episodes have been peppered with QR codes that viewers scan to download free Marvel comic books and, typically, these comics relate to their respective episodes. Moon Knight episode 6's Easter egg QR code is easily the most exciting, as it leads fans to Moon Knight Annual #1 - an epic battle between the titular hero... and Kang the Conqueror. Having sort-of debuted in Loki, Kang is widely tipped as the MCU's new overarching villain, and will next appear in Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania. Does this final QR code imply Moon Knight will be involved in the MCU's Kang battle?
Why Does Jake Lockley Drive A Limo?
Arriving in a limo is a fairly ostentatious way to make your Moon Knight debut - where does Jake Lockley's ride come from? In the Marvel comics, Lockley drove a taxi, so chauffeuring a limo could be an example of the MCU's creative leeway. Another explanation is Moon Knight finally introducing a key element of Steven Grant's comic book backstory. Steven is a millionaire in the source material - a trait that no doubt perpetuates those Bruce Wayne comparisons. Affording London rent prices on a museum gift shop wage is certainly impressive, but Oscar Isaac's Steven shows no signs of wealth. Does this mean Jake Lockley has the big bank balance in Moon Knight?
Arthur Harrow's Hospital Is A Marvel Artist Nod
As Jake wheels a helpless Arthur Harrow to Khonshu's waiting limo, the hospital name is revealed as Sienkiewicz Psychiatric Hospital. This is a loving(?) nod to renowned 1980s Moon Knight comic book artist, Bill Sienkiewicz.
Jake Lockley's Flat Cap
The flat cap Oscar Isaac wears whilst playing Jake Lockley represents a nod toward this particular alter's Marvel comic counterpart, who would often wear the same charcoal gray headgear.
Khonshu In A Suit Mirrors His Comic Appearance
Khonshu can't help but gloat while revealing Jake Lockley as his new avatar, and has even purchased a smart new tuxedo for the occasion. Having previously adorned himself exclusively in bandages and robes, the white suit represents a stark fashion statement from Khonshu, but it's a style his comic guise is already very familiar with. The Jeff Lemire run which Moon Knight follows with such adulation features Khonshu wearing more or less exactly the same white threads.
Jake Lockley's Limo Plate Is From Moon Knight's Comics
The licence plates on Jake Lockley's limo read "SPKTR." Obviously a nod to Marc Spector, the license plates really come from the Moon Knight comics, where Steven's limo is fitted with precisely the same lettering.
Moon Knight's Final Song Explains Khonshu's Return
Moon Knight closes out with Frank Sinatra's "My Way Of Life" - a song that tacitly explains the newly-forged relationship between Jake Lockley and Khonshu. Lyrics include "You are my way of life, the only way I know... I'll never let you go." The line could apply equally to Lockley - a lover of violence now free to kill under Khonshu's influence, or the Egyptian god himself, who has chosen Marc Spector as the ideal host due to his various alters.
Key Release Dates
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Thor: Love and Thunder
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
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Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
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