Moon Knight has been a show that stands on its own two feet even among the ever-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe. Episode 4 started a new direction for the series, as what looks like a globe-trotting adventure may have actually been in the Marc Spector’s mind all along. The next episode did return to the usual adventure, as he and his alter Steven Grant took a path down memory lane and were faced with a new challenge, as Ammit unleashes her chaos upon the world. Intersected during those segments, we return to Marc being confronted by a psychiatrist version of Arthur Harrow. As we go into the finale, the trailers are teasing something familiar for Marvel fans, but I have a different hope going in.
I adored the direction set by the fourth episode, as it played with our minds and created the illusion that everything that has happened was just within Marc’s mind. The series has been mostly disconnected from the rest of the MCU and embraced the iconic run by Lemire and Smallwood. It sadly is still a more restrained version of that story, but that’s not uncommon within adaptation. As Marc has found some kind of “peace” at the end of the last episode, I have one quandary going into the finale. I want it to keep playing with our heads.
Even as he continues his journey to regain his powers as the Moon Knight and Khonshu to fight Harrow. We get a bombastic fight, as teased in the latest teasers with Harrow using the powers of Ammit. But, in reality, we continue to splice his discussion with the psychiatrist as we further unravel his mind. Suddenly, he has a revelation and just takes in the reality that he is, inf act, a superhero and has to take down the next great evil. We suddenly return to those moments of the power struggle as Moon Knight falls back into the territory set up earlier in the season.
He saves the day. Moon Knight is reunited with Layla and Khonshu. Everything is back to where it should be. Yet, something seems off about it all. The ending is almost too perfect, as every piece of the puzzle has fallen together as it should. Suddenly, the rug is pulled from under him and reality is changed once again. The series ends on a note that perhaps there’s still more to this story to be told, as it continues to keep its focus primarily on his mental issues and the challenges of living with DID.
Of course, the series may take a safe route, but the thought of even the final playing with our expectations would be the perfect way to leave us off with the character. Perhaps everything that happened in the finale is actually part of a movie set, similar to Grant’s role in the Lemire and Smallwood run. We switch between these realities, making it harder to put together what is and isn’t real.
If you’re wondering what that means for the character’s future in the MCU, it gives us the perfect opportunity for a character that keeps us on our toes. While we may see the return of Moon Knight, there’s enough vagueness to never truly give away what exactly happened. He can still be a character that is unhinged and hard to truly pinpoint given his DID. I personally would love a second season to build upon the insanity and leave us with any questions, but if this remains as a limited series, they could still keep us guessing.
Reality is a fragile thing, and who knows what the future has in store for the character, which technically is probably making the limited episode count a bit frustrating. Still, there’s so much potential here to expand upon and use that vagueness to play with our perception. A sequel season could even play around with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as such without having to directly connect to the rest. It would be a shame to fall into some familiar territory, but even so, it wouldn’t go against what the series set up. Given it may be a limited run, it sadly does also limit its potential in some ways.
