Much of the conversation surrounding Moon Knight Episode 4 is no doubt focused on that twist ending. But the moments before Marc Spector wakes up in what looks like a psych ward may have been inspired by the events of Marc Spector: Moon Knight #27 and #28, which have surprising parallels to Marc’s death by Arthur Harrow in the live-action series. There is a chance Moon Knight could show a resurrection of Marc Spector that involves a new understanding and acceptance of his role as the Fist of Khonshu. In essence, even though we have not witnessed the actual origin of the character in the series, Episode 4 could have just set up Moon Knight’s “true” origin in the MCU.
Towards the end of Episode 4, Arthur Harrow shoots and presumably kills Marc Spector, who floats down through water in the tomb for quite some time. Eventually, we see a light ahead of him and he wakes up in the psych ward. While the mental hospital aspect shows a lot of similarities to the Lemire-Smallwood run in the comics, the moments before are suspiciously reminiscent of the Scarlet Redemption arc in Marc Spector: Moon Knight. In it, Moon Knight is fatally stabbed, and he falls into some water. His body spends virtually the entirety of the next issue sinking deeper into the water in a visual that has undeniable comparisons to Episode 4.
In Marc Spector: Moon Knight #28, an explicitly-dead Marc Spector sinks down through waters while passing through memories that seem to haunt him, including his past as a murdering mercenary. That’s not all, as also present are visions of his father. He was a rabbi, and Marc thinks through his relationship to the values of his youth and how he strayed from them. He ultimately realizes that his father’s teaching of goodness, love, and redemption were things he should not have completely turned against.
By the end of the issue, Moon Knight comes to “understand” that Khonshu wanted him as his Fist of Vengeance for more than just his violent skills from his life as a mercenary. He believes that he also chose him for the influence his father had on him and what mental lessons he took away from being the son of a rabbi.
It is one of the first major moments in Moon Knight’s comic history that emphasizes and explores Marc Spector’s heritage, as well as his connection to Judaism. Whether Moon Knight goes into this more in the next few episodes is yet to be seen, but Marc Spector’s personal epiphany in this issue of the comics may be absolutely crucial to understanding what comes next in the live-action series.
Marc Spector, of course, was first resurrected by Khonshu in a tomb when Marc was killed by Bushman—his traditional origin story. In Marc Spector: Moon Knight #28, Khonshu resurrects Marc Spector a second time, and Moon Knight is very much reborn. He emerges from the water sure of his newly realized role as more than a fist of vengeance—he is also a beacon of hope.
While the psych ward arc in Moon Knight will surely play out in its own unique way, it is very possible it could include a look back on Marc or Steven’s lives before they took on the mantle. It might end up with all personalities embracing, accepting, and redefining the Moon Knight mantle. In that way, the Disney+ series could be seen as a traditional origin story in and of itself. While the first “origin” may have been in the past, the series may have built itself around this second resurrection which could serve—for all intents and purposes—as the origin of the Moon Knight we come to know in the MCU.
