Moon Knight star hints at the Scarlet Scarab's future in the MCU. Moon Knight introduced audiences to the titular hero, yet over the course of the series, audiences got the origin story of another character. The series introduced Layla, Marc Spector's wife who is a reworking of the character Merlene in the comics and has a similar backstory, including an archeologist father who was killed on the same night that Marc became Moon Knight.
In Moon Knight's sixth and supposedly final episode, Layla makes a deal with the Egyptian goddess Taweret to become her temporary Avatar on Earth to help Moon Knight seal away Amit. Layla suits up as the Scarlet Scarab, the name used by an obscure superhero in Marvel Comics created in 1977 who was said to have fought in World War II. Reworking the character of Marlene into Layla and making Layla the Scarlet Scarab, Marvel Studios has found a way to introduce the franchise's first Egyptian superheo in Moon Knight, which was important for the series creator.
May Calaway, who plays Layla on Moon Knight, revealed in an interview with Inverse, that she does not know exactly where the Scarlet Scarab will appear next. When asked which characters she would like to interact with, she does reveal that she loves Doctor Strange and would like to appear in Blade after having worked with Mahershala Ali on the television series Ramy. She is open to many different appearances in the MCU. Calaway said:
"There has been nothing yet that I know of what could happen with Scarlet Scarab. But I love Dr. Strange, that would be cool. Blade would be cool because I've worked with Mahershala Ali and I think he's so wonderful. And then, I love all the women. I love Agatha. I feel like in the beginning, I used to love anyone that was kind of a villain like Nebula. I found them so complex. But honestly, it really depends on the story. I kind of want to be with all of them."
While it is unknown if Moon Knight will return for season 2 or when the character will appear next as Oscar Isaac only signed on for the one series, Layla herself could become a bigger part of the MCU moving forward. With the more supernatural side of the MCU growing, the character could crossover with Werewolf by Night or Blade. Given that Layla is an archeologist, she could be folded into the Eternals mythology in a sequel, or even be an ally to Shang-Chi to help him uncover secrets about the Ten Rings.
Layla and the Scarlet Scarab are a great example of how Marvel Studios operates, making minor supporting characters into fleshed-out fan-favorites in their own right. Wong is as much a beloved part of the MCU as Doctor Strange that some want Wong to get his own Disney+ series, same goes for characters like Okoye, M'baku, and Shuri in Black Panther. Audiences may not have known Layla before the start of the series, and most comic book readers may not have thought about the Scarlet Scarab moniker, yet now there is a whole host of stories to tell and the character could become a household favorite. Moon Knight introduced two exciting new superheroes to the MCU.
Source: Inverse