Content Warning: Spoilers for Moon Knight ahead!
The first Disney+ show in the Marvel Cinematic Universe of 2022, Moon Knight has reached the end of its first, and hopefully not last, season. It intricately introduced audiences to the titular hero, played masterfully by Oscar Isaac, and the Ennead, a pantheon of Egyptian gods. Despite the world-trotting adventures and grand scale, the series was largely divorced from the rest of the films and TV shows.
Nevertheless, it still felt like a part of the complicated MCU while providing a fresh aspect. There were still many notable easter eggs throughout, whether referencing the comics or teasing the future.
QR Codes
An exciting aspect of nearly every film or show coming out of Marvel is that they’re laden with acknowledgments to the source material. Often it's something as simple as a license plate number referencing a specific comics issue, or as in Moon Knight, locations being named after important writers and illustrators in the character’s history.
Beyond this, Moon Knight hid QR codes into several shots throughout the series. When scanned properly these would allow audiences access to certain comics. For example, in the first episode, the code – seen on the wall of the museum above – would reveal a free digital copy of Werewolf by Night #32, Moon Knight’s first appearance ever. Obviously, this honors his past, but could also tease a possible return of Isaac as Moon Knight in the Halloween Special centered on Werewolf by Night.
Scarlet Scarab
One of the most exciting moments in the season’s final episode comes in the way of Layla El-Faouly, played by May Calamawy, becoming the avatar for the goddess, Taweret. In turn, she is clad in new heroic garb with wings and swords. Though Layla is an original creation for Moon Knight, many eager fans theorized this would happen.
Drawing from the comics, it was proved correct that Layla was an amalgamation of Marlene Alraune, Moon Knight’s lover, and Abdul Faoul aka Scarlet Scarab. Her transformation into a costumed superhero was subtly hinted at throughout the series with her being referred to lovingly as a scarab by her father, and the constant scarab imagery around her, like the red scarab on her bandaged finger during episode four’s asylum sequence.
Frenchie
One important ally to Moon Knight in the comics did not make an appearance in the show. Jean-Paul “Frenchie” Duchamp has been part of comics canon just as long as Moon Knight, having also been introduced in Werewolf by Night #32. He is a fellow mercenary, was there that night that Marc became the fist of Khonshu, and became an ardent companion to Moon Knight.
However, his name still popped up briefly in the first episode. Steven had discovered Marc’s hidden phone and noticed many missed calls. Of all of them, one was not from Layla, but a contact named Duchamp. This led some fans to believe Frenchie would then show up too in subsequent episodes, and though he didn’t, they can still hope to see him in the future if Moon Knight receives a second season.
Atlantis
Another blink-and-you-will-miss-it easter egg seems completely unassuming to casual viewers, but to ardent comics fans, it could portend big things coming to the MCU. It is in the background while Steven runs for a bus – a restaurant or shop named Atlantis. With this and the underwater activity off Africa referenced in Avengers: Endgame, many fans are taking it as a tease for Namor.
Significantly, Namor was introduced in the very first comic from Marvel’s predecessor, Timely Comics, making him one of the most important Golden Age characters. Additionally, he is a mutant, the first anti-hero in comics, and has worked with the Avengers, X-Men, and the Illuminati. As such, his introduction in the MCU has been highly anticipated, with some believing he could be the antagonist in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Yucatan
The choice of Arthur Harrow as the main antagonist was certainly surprising to many comics fans since he is such an insignificant and brief villain. He turned out to be a fascinating selection by clearly drawing from other another villain Dr. Emmet, Putnam Psychiatric Hospital’s psychiatrist from Jeff Lemire’s popular Moon Knight run in 2016. This along with Ethan Hawke’s stellar and captivating performance certainly made Harrow a unique entry in the MCU’s pantheon of villains.
In the second episode, Harrow makes an offhanded comment about another character, saying they came from the Yucatan. This is a reference to his comic origins, in which Harrow was conducting cruel experiments in the Yucatan, and Moon Knight was dispatched to stop him.
Superhero Landing
Throughout the many films and shows, audiences have grown accustomed to each character’s niche style and quirks. An important part of the spectacle along the way is their iconic pose. As poked at by Yelena in Black Widow, many heroes strike poses when landing or preparing to fight. In Moon Knight, it seems that might’ve been played with.
As part of Mr. Knight’s introduction, it shows him landing like Iron Man does, though then falling on his side since he is utterly inexperienced and uncoordinated. So far, though, it seems that Moon Knight has figured out what his pose will look like – perhaps that will be discovered in a future season.
Madripoor
As the episodes came out, audiences learned more and more about both Marc and Layla’s histories, whether separate or linked. An interesting tidbit comes while they go to meet Anton Mogart, a wealthy art and antiquities collector played by the late Gaspard Ulliel. It is mentioned that Layla has a history in Madripoor.
The fictional city was first integrated into the MCU in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – which was also referenced with a bus ad for the GRC – and has important links to mutants and the X-Men in the comics. It served as the home base for Sharon Carter’s rise to becoming the Power Broker so this got some fans thinking that Layla and Sharon could know each other as their interests could align.
Ancestral Plane
So far the Ennead is the second faction of gods so far in the MCU with the Norse as Asgardians and soon to be followed by the Greek gods as the Olympians in Thor: Love and Thunder. Importantly, Bast, the panther god of Wakanda is the first of the Ennead to be introduced – though she might meet her end at the hands of Gorr the God Butcher in the aforementioned film.
Moon Knight seems to frame the Ennead as more mystical beings of a higher power as opposed to being cosmic figures like Asgardians. The show further links itself with Black Panther when Taweret references the sacred ancestral plane as a possible afterlife. Not only was this a nice way to acknowledge an important aspect of the MCU, but a way of explaining that each person perceives the afterlife differently according to their life, culture, and faith.
Marc's Toys
As perhaps one of the most emotionally gripping episodes in the MCU, Moon Knight showcases Marc’s tragic upbringing and his creation of Steven in the fifth episode. Throughout, there are numerous moments highlighting why and how Steven became the way he is – like saying “laters gators” to his mom or his obsession with the one-finned goldfish.
Interestingly, many of Marc’s toys were easter eggs to his future in the show, and perhaps beyond. There is a scale, obviously, linking him with the unbalanced scale torturing him at the moment in the afterlife. There were also several space-related toys – beyond the poster for Star Wars, clearly nodding to Isaac’s role as Poe Dameron – like an astronaut and a rocket. These are subtle hints at another alter hidden within Marc of a werewolf-fighting astronaut.
Future Villains?
Though Moon Knight did not get the classic “this character will return” shot as part of the credits, many fans are still expecting a second season and/or to see him pop up in future films. As such, there are several teases or references to different villains in his or adjacent stories. Marc’s younger brother Randall appears. In the comics, Randall becomes Moon Knight’s archenemy, Shadow Knight, and perhaps his death could be reversed to bring him back into the MCU.
Additionally, Díana Bermudez plays Yatzil, the avatar for Hathor, who is connected to the Black Panther villain, Hathor-Sekhmet, as a rival to Bast. However, the most likely option at this point would be Bushman, who was Marc’s jealous partner who betrayed him, killed Layla’s father, and shot Marc, forcing him to become Khonshu’s avatar. A future season could entail Layla, now privy to the truth, seeking revenge against Bushman.