Warning: this article contains full spoilers for Moon Knight Episode 5! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out IGN’s review of “Asylum.”
Moon Knight may not have many overt connections to the larger MCU, but that hardly means the series isn’t adding new layers to this shared universe. In fact, Episode 5 features one of the biggest reveals since Loki confirmed the existence of the Marvel multiverse. The MCU has an actual afterlife.
Let’s take a closer look at what we learn in “Asylum” and why this episode has major implications for the MCU as a whole.
Moon Knight’s Afterlife Reveal
Previous MCU projects have hinted at the idea of there being an afterlife in this universe, but there was always room for doubt. For instance, 2018’s Black Panther shows both T’Challa and his cousin N’Jadaka traveling to the spiritual plane known as the Djailia to commune with the spirits of Wakanda’s dead kings. But the film leaves room for interpretation in terms of what the Djalia is exactly. Is it a literal afterlife where the souls of the dead linger? Is it a Jungian collective unconsciousness generated by the people of Wakanda? Was T’Challa simply having a hallucination brought about by ingesting the heart-shaped herb? And for that matter, is the Djalia open to all Wakandans or only their kings?
Avengers: Infinity War shows a different glimpse of the afterlife when Thanos sacrifices Gamora in exchange for the Soul Stone. Thanos’ soul briefly travels into the stone (or the “Soul World”) to commune with a child-like representation of his daughter. Avengers: Endgame was originally intended to feature a follow-up scene where the dying Tony Stark meets with an older version of his daughter Morgan, but that scene wound up being cut from the final film. Here, again, there’s room for interpretation as to whether the characters are literally being drawn into the afterlife or simply seeing their own fears and regrets made manifest.
But thanks to Moon Knight, the MCU has finally stopped playing coy when it comes to the afterlife. Episode 5 reveals Marc Spector and his alternate identity Steven Grant have died and are now traveling through the Duat, or the Egyptian underworld. Given that Wakanda’s patron goddess Bast is part of the Egyptian pantheon, we can infer that Black Panther’s Djalia scenes are also meant to be taken at face value. The goddess Taweret even seems to make a reference to the late King T’Chaka in this episode.
Not only does the MCU have an afterlife, it’s one that seems to have many layers and facets depending on which particular god or gods mortals worship. Not every person is going to travel to Duat upon their death and be judged on the Heart of Scales in the hope of entering the Field of Reeds. But every mortal has a soul that continues onto another plane, and that’s the real significance of Moon Knight’s latest reveal.
Afterlife and Resurrection in the MCU
The confirmation of a true afterlife in the MCU impacts this shared universe in two major ways. For one, it’s basically the final confirmation that this universe has true gods who judge mortals and determine the fate of their souls. Up till now, there’s been somewhat contradictory evidence regarding the existence of gods in the MCU. Movies like Thor and The Eternals have taken a more secular approach, suggesting that the Asgardians are merely advanced aliens mistaken for gods and revealing humanity to be the creation of the cosmic gardeners known as the Celestials.
But by now we have ample evidence to believe the Egyptian gods and their afterlife are real. Much like Marvel’s comic book universe, that probably extends to the other major pantheons from human history. Russell Crowe’s Zeus in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder may well be the actual Zeus of Greek mythology. At this point, we may even learn the Asgardians themselves have a more mystical origin than previous Thor movies led us to believe. Perhaps Odin literally dwells in Valhalla now, drinking mead and swapping tales of valor for all eternity.
This is a pretty significant pivot from the relatively more grounded nature of the early MCU films, but by this point Kevin Feige and company clearly have faith in fans to embrace the more ostentatious elements of the Marvel Universe. Everything is on the table now.
Does that include resurrection? The existence of an afterlife in the MCU also paves the way for dead characters to return. That could be as simple as a character like T’Challa or Odin appearing in the afterlife realm and communicating with the living. Or it could lead to dead characters being given a second lease on life.
That’s certainly nothing new for comic book readers. Apart from Uncle Ben, few major characters in the Marvel Universe have stayed dead permanently. Everyone from Spider-Man to Wolverine to Captain America has died in the comics, and they’ve all returned to life eventually. Could the MCU follow suit? Will we see Tony Stark be resurrected once Robert Downey, Jr. gets the urge to return to the role? Could Black Widow or Quicksilver get a second chance at Avenging?
Apart from Uncle Ben, few major characters in the Marvel Universe have stayed dead permanently.
Ideally, the MCU will take a more restrained approach to resurrection than the comics. One of the biggest advantages to this shared universe compared to the source material is the fact that there’s a consistent sense of progression. Characters are allowed to grow older and retire or die, as we saw with Steve Rogers and Tony Stark in Endgame. When a hero dies in the comics, it’s inevitable they’ll be back in action within the span of a few months or years. The MCU could run into trouble if it falls into the same pattern.
Still, the prospect of the afterlife and resurrection brings some intriguing new possibilities to the MCU. Death is no longer the end for our heroes. It’s just another step in a much bigger journey.
For more on Moon Knight, find out how the series strives to represent Egypt authentically and how Marc Spector’s Judaism enriches his character.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
