This episode 5 was intense in terms of revelations concerning the characters of Mark and Steven. On our side, we had the chance to discover this new episode thanks to the big projector 4K UHD Ultra Short Throw Xgimi Aura Laserrunning Android TV, with built-in 60W Harman Kardon speakers, with HDR10 image quality and very good brightness (2400 ANSI lumens), and we saw many small details that we absolutely had to present to you, while waiting to be able to watch the final episode of the series.
WARNING: this article contains spoilers concerning episode 5 of the series Moon Knight. Do not continue reading if you do not want to read it.
1) hello jake
During the very first minutes of the episode, the one who seems to us to be Marc at first glance faces to Doctor Harrow. Only here it is: the latter has his face smeared with blood, and wears a bandage on his nose. In reality, it’s not about Marc, nor about Steven, but about Jake Lockley, the third personality of Marc. We dedicated a previous article to this subjectso you can understand everything.
2) the duat
The Duat represents, in Egyptian mythology, the stay in the afterlife of the souls of the deceased after their death, waiting for them to resurrect at the same time as the Sun. In addition, the Duat serves as the residence of countless Egyptian demons and gods, such as Thoth, Horus, Anubis and Maat.
A representation of Re in the Duat.
In Egyptian mythologysinners are denied an afterlife to those who will have to remain in the Duat, which was considered the greatest possible suffering for believers. The Duat thus represents total nothingnessalthough in the MCU it takes more the form of an eternal (and icy) place of residence.
3) The scales of justice
The hippopotamus-headed goddess, Tawaret (whose name also translates as “Taouret”) asked Mark and Steven to weigh their hearts on a scale, which seems to be a scale of justice. In Egyptian mythology, this type of scale is used by Anubis, the god of death, to weigh the heart of a deceased person. At the other end there is a feather of Ma’at, the god of justice. This process allows Anubis to decide if the soul of the deceased will go to the afterlife, to the fields of reeds, or if it will cease to exist. in the kingdom of the Douat.
4) a reference to the ancestral plane in black panther
While Marc Spector slowly (but surely) panics about being in the afterlife for eternity, Tawaret corrects him by telling him that there is “A life after the death” and no “life after death”as there are many versions of the afterlife, including the Ancestral Plane. The Ancestral Plan is the afterlife as seen in Black Panther.
5) incomplete hearts
Let’s go back to this famous balance. If the latter manages to balance, Marc and Steven will pass eternity in the field of reeds. However, the scales do not balance, as their hearts are “incomplete”. Both must therefore take the time to decipher their respective memories and to exchange in order to no longer have secret from each other.
6) Raoul bushman
While Steven explores Marc’s story, both fall on the night Layla’s father was killed. In the final episode, Arthur Harrow revealed that Marc played a role in the latter’s death. We learn more about Raoul Bushman, who is the one who killed Layla’s father, and seriously injured Marc. Raoul Bushman was Marc’s former commander and ended up changing his plans, which caused the death of Layla’s father. Bushman also shot Marc. In the comics, Raoul Bushman is elsewhere one of the most iconic villains in Moon Knight.
7) comic book references
Although there are very few similarities between Marc’s childhood in the MCU series and that ofu Mark from the comics Moon Knight (by Jeff Lemire, Greg Smallwood and Jordie Bellaire), there are many references to comics in the series. For example, his childhood bedroom has the same Star Wars poster and a bed in the shape of race car.
Marc child also wears the same outfit in the series and in the comics.
8) The revelation about Steven
In episode 5, it is revealed than a young Marc Spector and his younger brother Randall had left to venture into a nearby cave. It started to rain and Randall, unfortunately, drowned and died. Marc Spector then suffered abuse from his mother, who never forgave him for the death of his little brother. In order to protect himself and block the memories of these abuses, Marc Spector therefore created Steven Grant, which brings us back to the real mental disorder that is DID, and to which we will return shortly.
The reveal was heartbreaking not only for Steven Grant (who has long believed he was the Host, “original” personality) but also for viewers, as Marvel Rarely Tackles Dark Subjects such as death, trauma and abuse.
9) The famous goldfish with one fin
Shortly before leaving for the cavesMarc kindly makes fun of his little brother’s drawing of a goldfish with a single fin.
This is obviously a reminder of the first episode of Moon Knight, and Steven’s goldfish. In a way, the fact that Steven owns a one-finned goldfish as a pet recalls the traumatic day his brother died.
Moreover, in the scene where Marc’s mother enters his room to hit him with a belt, we notice that this drawing is posted on the wall.
We also notice that, unlike the first picture shown, the fish has not finished being colored on this poster. Is it a false connection, or has Marc decided to make it too this coloring after the death of his brother? We tend to lean towards the first option (i.e. the false connection), since it is difficult to understand why the latter would not have finished his coloring before displaying it, if it was really a “tribute” to his deceased little brother.
10) Zoom on the tdi
We were talking about the TDI a few paragraphs above. Dissociative identity disorder often occurs as a result of childhood trauma and/or abuse. The diagnosis requires at least two identities (which are also called “Alters”) and which take control of individual behavior in turn, which can cause memory loss. Marc suffers from this, and he not only created Marc in his “system”, but also Jake Lockleywhich we were talking about at the very beginning of this article.
11) steven and marc’s road splits
Steven, while trying to save Marc, ends up falling and falling into the Duat. In doing so, his body turns to ice. Marc continues on his way on Taouret’s boat.
12) the scale finally balances
When the scales finally balance, Steven is no more, and Marc leaves for the Champ de Reeds. How to explain that the balance has finally stabilized? It is possible that the pain that Marc feels vis-à-vis the disappearance of Steven is so strong that another Quirk comes to take over: Jake. And if this is the case, the balance would be balanced since all the personalities of Marc have finally come to light.
And you, what did you think of this episode 5 ? What do you expect from the last episode of the series? We let you answer this question via our comments area ! And if you want to learn more about Marc’s third personality, do not hesitate to consult our previous article on the subject !
