Moon Knight Episode 4 Explained

Episode 4 of Moon Knight titled "The Tomb," effectively fabricates the Steven Grant personas and identity of Layla El-Faouly. Layla is in fact the equivalent of Marlene, Marc Spector's love interest in the comic book. Marlene made her first appearance in Marvel Spotlight #28 (1976). Also featured in Moon Knight #1 (1980) as part of Marc's origin story. Unlike Layla in the show, Marlene knew of Marc's association with Bushman, her father's killer. She is angry with him yet Marc earns her trust when he protects her from Bushman and gets shot himself. Marlene unknowingly takes Marc before Khonshu and he is revived, taking the Moon Knight cape from Khonshu. Furthermore, the Moon Knight armor does not make an appearance in this episode, but crucial character details are elucidated and confirmed. Khonshu is unable to influence the situation since he is imprisoned within a stone statue. Therefore, Marc must embrace the chaos and use his condition to his advantage. Each distinct persona has a specific trait or skill that serves the overall mission. Meanwhile Marc has intense physical and fighting abilities Steven possesses essential knowledge of ancient Egypt. The episode commences like a suspenseful scene from Tomb Raider or The Mummy; antiquity and modernity merge together to create a new story. Abruptly, the setting leaps to an outdated mental asylum with many familiar faces. This portion of the episode plays out like Jeff Lemire's Moon Knight comic book run from 2016 (#1-14). Just when it seems like the supernatural and psychological are split apart, the spectator is thrust into an outlandish ending. 

    The drama unfolds with Layla overpowering Harrow's men in the desert. Steven is passed out so Layla blows up a car by herself. Layla's strength and loyalty are undeniable; demonstrating Marc's previous assessment of her is erroneous. Steven gains consciousness and stares in disbelief. "He'd want to lonewolf this whole thing," Layla states. Layla is brave and Marc's female foil character. However, Marc's protective nature prevents him from truly seeing Layla for what she is. Marc keeps trying to take over the body but Steven refuses his help, indicating, "I've got Layla and she's got my back." Fuming with jealousy, Marc interrogates Steven about his feelings for her. Then, Layla attempts to kiss Steven and he interjects the moment with a confession. Although Steven clearly has feelings for Layla, he discloses Marc has been pushing her away because Khonshu wants her as his avatar. Steven further explains Marc was trying to protect her and keep her out of harms way. Even so, Layla expresses her need for honesty not protection. The smitten duo decides to kiss after which Marc vengefully punches Steven. 

    Upon entering the pyramid Layla creates her father's mark on the ground. Steven praises Layla for fulfilling her father's legacy as they both marvel at their surroundings. The interior of the pyramid is a dream to any archeologist, whispering truths of a time unknown. Steven's uncanny knowledge of ancient Egypt plays an essential role in the process of identifying the Eye of Horus. He points out the shape of the symbol for "protection of the afterlife" in the structure itself. The Eye of Horus represents the senses and the brilliant duo determines the avatar would be Ammit's voice. Next, Layla and Steven stumble upon fresh blood and human remains so they split up and take an alternate route. After Steven manages to find another passage they discover they are not alone. Harrow and his men are shooting and one is captured by a sinister Heka or "priest entombed to protect the mummified pharaoh." Layla is less than feet away from the vicious priest as he disembowels Harrow's ally. The Heka eventually notices the presence of Layla and Steven. At first, it seems like the unforgiving Heka is going after Steven. Nevertheless, Layla gets its attention and it lunges towards her. In a heated pursuit, Layla dauntlessly fights the Heka as Steven gets away. One of the most haunting scenes is when the Heka prowls from behind and takes Layla into pitch darkness. This altercation is another example of Layla's caliber although Marc seems to lack support. Harrow witnesses her heroic efforts and proceeds to antagonize her. 

             Layla urges Harrow to speak up since he keeps instigating Marc is withholding secrets from her. Harrow declares Marc knows about her father's death but has not told her the entire truth. "Your husband is in agony," Harrow states. He also tells Layla her father was murdered by mercenaries and Marc was one of them, echoing the 1980s Marc Spector comic book origin story. To make matters worse, Harrow reassures Layla that Marc remembers all the details. Simultaneously, Steven gets closer to the tomb they dangerously seek. Steven finds Macedonian relics which lead him to believe he found the tomb of Alexander the Great. He is able to decipher that Alexander the Great was Ammit's last avatar and was buried with Ammit's ushabti. In the show, Alexander the Great was the voice of Ammit so the ushabti lies hidden in his mummified throat. Historically, Alexander the Great was an "Ancient Macedonia ruler and one of history's greatest military minds who, as King of Macedonia and Persia, established the largest empire the ancient world had ever seen." According to legend, Alexander the Great was a direct descendant of Zeus, the ruler of the Greek gods. With repugnance, Steven manages to retrieve Ammit's ushabti from Alexander the Great's mouth.  

    Steven's celebratory moment comes to a halt when Layla hysterically storms into the tomb site. Layla forcefully interrogates, "Can he hear me?" Without any protest, Steven allows Marc to take over the body so Layla can obtain the answers she seeks. Marc defensively states he tried to tell Layla the truth the moment they met. Layla deduces the only reason they ever met was because of Marc's guilty conscience. Although he did not kill her father, Marc was present when the tragedy occurred. "My partner got greedy and executed everyone in the dig site," Marc painfully recalls. Marc was also shot and was supposed to die yet ultimately did not. Unfortunately, Layla is not able to fully digest the news because Harrow and his men appear. Marc attempts to put up a fight and they quickly realize they are terribly outnumbered. Harrow tells Marc he must make a decision. Next, Marc eliminates a few of Harrow's men so Harrow shoots him.

    Marc collapses into nearby water as Layla stares in disbelief. Then Marc floats through time and space as if entering a different dimension. There is light radiating from the horizon along with an entirely distinct setting. This segment of the episode unravels like Jeff Lemire's 2016 Moon Knight comic book run (#1-14). The spectator is taken into an insane asylum that looks like something out of a horror film. White walls, white clothing, and familiar faces are all confined within a facility that is sprinkled with clues of Marc Spector's past. Marc is drooling as a result of being heavily sedated while a film plays in the background. It features a protagonist by the name of Steven Grant who echoes his most recent exploits in Egypt. Bertrand Crawley aka "the golden man" is nearby hosting bingo but does not recognize Marc. Furthermore, Donna, his old museum boss is also there holding a scarab plushie. A facility employee is distributing cupcakes and a patient is drawing a picture of Khonshu close by. All these symbols continue to attract Marc's attention including a pet goldfish like the one Steven Grant once owned. Layla is physically there yet her mind seems disconnected or erased. She takes Marc's Bingo card and takes credit as the winner. Marc collapses to the ground and drops a Moon Knight action figure from his hand, perhaps the biggest clue of them all. Unable to detach himself; Marc's ankle is fastened to the chair in the same manner Steven fastened his ankle to his bed in episode 1. 

    

    Straight away, Marc is taken before Harrow who is posing as a doctor. Harrow is reminiscent of Dr. Emmet from Moon Knight #1 (2016) who patronizes Marc and tells him he created delusion about Moon Knight to cope with the trauma of his past. In reality Dr. Emmet is Ammit herself trying to deceive Marc. Comparably, Harrow attempts to deceive Marc with a similar bogus story. Within Harrow's office there are many undeniable symbols and clues to the past. Marc recognizes Harrow's cane and shoes while examining a painting of a serene European landscape. There are also jars like the ones in the Egyptian tomb and a crystal pyramid is visible on his desk. Harrow remarks, "We don't live in a material world, we live in a psychic world." In other words, Marc's consciousness exists outside the limits of physical existence. Harrow dangles the truth before Marc assuming his weak mind will not be able to fully perceive it. However, everything he sees is merely a portal to a greater truth. Marc suddenly recalls Steven and everything is clear. Ineffectively, Marc attempts to get away from Harrow yet his men show up. Sobering up, Marc makes an escape into a corridor where he sees a sarcophagus. As he approaches it, he can tell someone is trapped within so he decides to open it. To Marc's surprise it is a physical manifestation of Steven. In this scene Steven and Marc look like twins, each with their own identical body. They are not merely cognitive personas rather physical beings in the flesh. Marc is relieved when Steven remembers being shot by Harrow as well. They both flee and skip past a third sarcophagus, potentially holding the persona of Jake Lockley. It is as if the cognitive recollections of Steven and Marc (and possibly a third unrevealed persona) are flipped inside out. Their minds alone proving to be more powerful than the Moon Knight armor because they can see past Harrow's antics. To further complicate the current plane of consciousness, the Egyptian deity Taweret appears before Marc and Steven. "The Great One" is in the form of a hippo, patron of childbirth and fertility. She is commonly associated with the nursing of infants and women, often connected with the goddess Hathor. Her visage encompasses the crocodile, the lion, and the hippo. "According to the Book of the Dead, Taweret guarded the paths to the mountains of the west which led to the underworld." Moreover, in episode 1, Steven identifies a Taweret plushie when he is getting ready to do inventory with his boss Donna. While Taweret is not a MCU character she is an Egyptian deity with possible ties to Khonshu. Adding "weirdness" to this episode, the appearance of this deity illustrates the limitless prospects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One thing is certain, every symbol and character serves a purpose to the overall connecting theme.