Keep up with our reviews for the entire series of Moon Knight here.


Moon Knight‘s series (maybe) finale, “Gods and Monsters,” had all of its pertinent issues laid out in front of it. Harrow has nothing stopping him from freeing Ammit and unleashing preemptive judgment upon the world. Somehow, Layla has to figure out a way to prevent this from happening, and Marc’s soul is in a place of eternal peace. Easy enough, right? There was no way that Marc/Stephen would sit on the sidelines, but it was nice to have the early part of the episode devoted just to Harrow and Layla. Again, there’s a massive cost of being an avatar to something greater than you.

Throughout the entire series, the audience gets to see the uneasy alliance of Marc/Stephen and Khonshu. Khonshu saved Marc from death, but that rescue came with a caveat — you never get the sense there’s complete altruism regarding the “partnership” between Gods and humans. Khonshu has so supremely impacted harrow’s life that it feels as though Harrow’s devotion to Ammit is a form of revenge. “Oh, you’re the hand of vengeance? I’m now at the mercy of a God who doesn’t even let it get to this point — rendering your purpose useless.” But even Harrow, who carries himself with what he perceives as unshakable purpose, is troubled, too. Ammitt mentions his scales lack balance for “what lies ahead.” Harrow is encased in his troubles of the past — much like Marc, but he doesn’t have a Stephen to level him out.

Layla is the complete opposite — electing her free will over becoming Khonshu’s new avatar. It was refreshing to see someone tell a God no in this show. She eventually becomes the avatar of Taweret, otherwise known as the Scarlet Scarab. However, Khonshu alludes to Layla contributing to Marc’s “lack of focus.” If it weren’t for Layla’s love, Marc wouldn’t have been able to break through his emotional harshness and confront his past. Now, you didn’t think Stephen would be gone, did you? One of the most moving parts of “Gods and Monsters” is when Marc goes back for Stephen and tells him he is the only real superpower he has.

For all the bickering and heaviness they both go through in these six episodes, Marc finally realizes he needs Stephen’s curiosity and kindness. These two personalities are puzzle pieces for Marc to grow through his past abuse, loss, and neglect. Almost these MCU Disney+ shows follow a similar cadence — especially considering the colossal fight motif at the finale. Also, because of how the MCU is constructed, they leave threads open to tease the future. Sometimes, that works and can be equally frustrating. Moon Knight‘s story and how the show is formulated led to an intriguing end.

The fight scenes with Marc/Stephen/Layla vs. Harrow juxtaposed against a massive Ammit and Khonshu fight felt worthy of a finale — the human elements worked a bit. But the payoff from the first episode involving Marc’s blackouts and waking up to a multitude of death and violence by another personality was a good way to twist up the conventional. Marc showed restraint when told to kill the fusion of Ammit and Harrow links to the post-credit scene and the third personality, Jack Lockley. We all suspected Lockley’s inclusion, even with the overture to the unopened sarcophagus in “The Tomb.”

You don’t introduce this storyline without plans to bring Moon Knight back — no matter how coy Marvel is trying to play things. Overall, Moon Knight felt refreshing in how contained it is, but big questions remain. How do the Egyptian Gods operate in a world of Celestials and Eternals? Where does this concept of the afterlife and balanced souls exist in a world where you can travel to different dimensions? Not that these shows are here to answer these questions — that task might be impossible to do. For the number of story possibilities Marvel introduces in the first couple of episodes of their MCU series, they might need an extra one to let things marinate in the future.

Photo Credit: Disney/Marvel