Moon Knight: Episode 5

5. Asylum

Taweret breaks the news to Marc/Steven that they are actually quite dead and that her ship en route to the gates of Osiris is usually visualized by the deceased as something familiar to them. In the case of Marc/Steven, it’s an asylum. Their hearts are weighed and fail to achieve the balance required for them to enter paradise. Taweret suggests they go back in and process their memories in an effort to correctly tip the scales. Steven takes a trip down memory lane and finds out the hard way how he, as an alternate personality, has been created by Marc as a defense mechanism for the childhood trauma he had to endure after being blamed for the accidental death of his younger brother and consequently getting abused verbally and physically by his mother. Marc/Steven forgive one another. Their scales are finally balanced, but not until they are attacked by the ghosts of their past, dragging Steven down with them on the sand. Marc wakes up in a field of reeds, the equivalent of paradise in ancient Egyptian mythology.

The origin story you’ve been waiting for! We finally see how Marc’s near-death experience at Khonshu’s temple triggers the emergence of a new superhero. Some will find it anti-climactic given the relatively shorter screentime they dedicate to the transformation. However, don’t forget that this is not just Moon Knight’s backstory, but rather Marc Spector's as well. Behind most mental disorders is a traumatic experience, mostly from childhood, that gives birth to it. Both the superhero and the Egyptology aspects take the backseat in this episode as the psychology of Marc Spector is brought to the fore. Heartbreaking, to say the least, but c’est la vie. We all go through trauma in life, but people opt for different defense mechanisms to deal with those episodes that scar you forever. Inaccuracies aside, Moon Knight does accomplish what is truly necessary when it comes to mental illness: AWARENESS. Understanding. Give Oscar Isaac an award for this role. The guy is giving a masterclass in acting here.

“I'm afraid you're actually quite dead.” –Taweret

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