Moon Knight episode 5 has finally made a reference to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe or more specifically to the world of metaphysics & mystics from Black Panther and Doctor Strange. The recently released episode dives deeper into the Egyptian pantheon’s lore and introduces Goddess Taweret, as Marc Spector and Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) journey to Duat, the Egyptian underworld.
Warning: This article contains major spoilers to Moon Knight Episode 5.
Moon Knight episode 4’s ending comparatively convinced many viewers that Marc’s past memories is nothing but mere imagination while he’s actually admitted to a psychiatric institution. But Episode 5 titled, “Asylum” quickly sheds light that the two alters are on their way to an afterlife (not “THE” afterlife). Taweret educates them that Duat is one of the many dimensions that exist in the larger universe. The goddess also offers an example stating, that the underworld is “like the Ancestral Plane.”
Black Panther Ancestral Plane
For context, the Ancestral plane was introduced in Black Panther when T’Challa’s (Chadwick Boseman) soul traveled through the parallel dimension to meet his father. Even Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) accessed the ancestral dimension after taking the heart-shaped-herb.
It should be noted that the Masters of the Mystic Arts can access the plane as well and it’s referred to as Astral Dimension in the Doctor Strange franchise. Fans would remember seeing The Ancient one use it to communicate with Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and since then, it’s been used on several occasions, for instance – when the Ancient One pushed out Bruce Banner’s (Mark Ruffalo) astral form from Hulk’s body in Avengers: Endgame. Recently, Strange used it on Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer screenshot/Marvel Studios & Sony
Moon Knight might as well be the only Marvel Studios’ Disney Plus series with no pre-existing MCU property-carrying its weight. The last four episode’s acclaimed responses are solely due to Isaac’s impressive performance playing Marc Spector and Steven Grant, and though the show continues in the same fashion, it still included a few nods to past live-action blockbusters like Endgame’s time jump and Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s GRC, the Global Repatriation Council. Even so, the new reference is more than just a nod rather connects the show’s supernatural elements to MCU’s massive “intersectional planes of untethered consciousness,” as Taweret puts it.
Taweret’s explanation may have also shined a light on why the ancestral dimension in Black Panther is portrayed as a Jungle from Wakanda. The plane, as told by the goddess: “Duat’s true nature is impossible for the human mind to comprehend, so you may perceive this realm as something more easily recognizable to you.” In parallel, the same may apply to the Ancestral Plane’s jungle scenery.
This could also indicate that the supernatural events caused by Khonshu and Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) for Ammit could signal the red flags for the Sorcerers in Kamar Taj. If so, Moon Knight’s aftermath could and should be addressed in future MCU projects. Let’s hope the final episode unpacks more interconnected layers, set to stream next Wednesday on Disney Plus.
