Moon Knight Episode 5 Review: Multiple Personality Origin Story

Moon Knight Episode 5 had a lot to answer for, after the "WTF!" twist ending cliffhanger of Episode 4. Marc Spector/Steven Grant/Moon Knight had seemingly been killed by Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke), only to wake up in a strange new world. Marc found himself a patient in a mental ward, with Harrow as his Doctor; his Steven Grant persona was now a separate person; and a giant Hippo in Egyptian garb was guarding the door of the hospital ward. So what the heck is going on? 

In Moon Knight Episode 5, "Asylum", we get more than answers – we get the powerful origin story of Marvel's Moon Knight – and all the personalities that come with him. 

What Is The Hippo? Explained

As indicated in the credits of last week's episode, the Egyptian hippo deity is Taweret, the goddess of 'women and children who helps souls pass into the afterlife. Taweret (in her upbeat way) is there to instruct Marc and Steven to balance the scales of their hearts, so they can be judged for the afterlife. 

What Is the Asylum Reality? Explained

As Taweret explains, the Asylum reality is the "Duat" or Egyptian realm of the dead, which (in mythology) is ruled by Osiris. There is a lot of mythology behind it (a realm of gods, souls, demons, etc.) but for the purposes of Moon Knight, it is the interior of Taweret's boat, which sails over the desert of the underworld. The Asylum is an asylum because it is the form of interior self that Marc Spector manifests as an "organizing principle" for his mind, as he is ferried toward the place of his final judgment. 

Seeking Balance

Within Taweret's boat/the asylum, Marc and Steven are subjected to the ritual of the 'weighing of the heart.' Marc and Steven's hearts are literally removed by Taweret and weighed on a scale of Anubis against the mythic feather of Maat (representing truth and justice). As Harrow first surmised, Marc's soul is wildly out of balance. However, "Steven" is willing to face the things Marc has been hiding from – or so he thinks... 

The Lost Brother

Steven isn't prepared for just how dark Marc Spector's life has been. Marc's asylum mind holds dark rooms – like one of all the people Marc Spector has killed. However, when a child shows up in the room, Steven loses his composure and splits from Marc, running into a different memory: the death of Marc's little brother, "Ro Ro," aka Randall Spector – a significant figure from Marvel Comics (more on that later...). 

Young Marc took Randall to play in a cave that got flooded by heavy rain; Marc made it out while Randall drowned. Marc's mother Wendy never recovered from the loss – and never forgave Marc. Steven witnessed first-hand the emotional and physical abuse his mother put him through over the years – up until a teenage Marc finally left home and went out into the world to become something... darker. 

Classic Moon Knight Origin (Bushman Confirmed)

The memory of Randall's death sends Marc and Steven fighting through another doorway into an equally dark memory: the first time Marc Spector died, out on the bloody sands of Egypt during the massacre at the archeological dig where Layla's father was killed.

Steven and Marc finally have it out about what happened that night: Marc reveals that after leaving home and joining the military, his mental health issues got him discharged, and forced to go work-for-hire. Marc's employer was his old commanding officer, Raoul Bushman – a character who is one of Moon Knight's biggest foes in the comics. Bushman decided to massacre the archeologists, but Marc tried to save them – only to get shot down as well. Injured Marc crawled into the temple of Khonshu to put an end to his misery, only to have Khonshu speak to him, and recruit him. 

This scenario with Bushman betraying Marc and leaving him for dead – only for Khonshu to resurrect him – is the classic Moon Knight origin story. 

Who Is Steven Grant? Explained

Steven gets a harsh dose of the reality Marc has been protecting him from when he finally stumbles into the memory of the day the Steven persona was born. In a scene of horrible abuse from his mother, we see Marc's mind first disassociate with reality; he takes the adventurous hero he and his brother idolized (Dr. Steven Grant) and fashions it into a psychological mask to hide "Marc" from moments of extreme emotional trauma. Poor Steven realizes he's just a coping mechanism.

Back to the Beginning

To bring things full circle, Steven ultimately arrives at the memory of the day of Wendy Spector's funeral. A drunk Marc is too broken and traumatized to accept his father's offer to finally come back home and be whole; instead, Marc disassociates completely and Steven takes over full-time, bringing us back around to exactly where this Moon Knight series started, with Steven walking around oblivious. 

RIP

The re-beginning also proves to be the end: as soon as Steven learns the truth of his own origin, he sacrifices himself in order to save Marc from the undead souls that come to claim him. Steven falls off the boat into the sands and Is turned to glass; however, the "death" of Marc's other persona balances his scales with Anubis. Marc is granted passage to the fields of paradise – though there is still a mortal world to save from Harrow's soul-reaping efforts. 

Where Is Jake? 

Seriously – one episode left, one personality down, and we still have NO indication what that third personality (Jake Lockley) is all about... 

Did Khonshu Kill Marc's Brother?

The other note for this episode is the little breadcrumb hints that Khonshu may have been manipulating Marc since childhood. We see a Khonshu-shaped bird skeleton outside the cave young Marc and Randall go to play in; and Steven calls out Khonshu's manipulation in the memory of Marc's resurrection. This twist could set the stage for Marc's brother Randall's eventual return as "Shadow Knight" like in the comics. 

Moon Knight has one episode left to go. You can stream Episodes 1 – 5 on Disney+.