Moon Knight ending explained: your biggest Marvel questions answered
We break down the twists and turns of Moon Knight episode 6
Let's talk about that Moon Knight ending. Sure, Marc Spector and Steven Grant's story seemingly came to a neat conclusion, yet a post-credits scene blew the bloody doors off, teasing a long future for Oscar Isaac's character.
Before that additional scene, though, there was still a lot to take in. The hippo god Taweret, Ethan Hawke's Arthur Harrow, Ammit, and Khonshu all had parts to play in the Moon Knight finale.
So, what exactly does the Moon Knight ending mean – and will we see Marc again in a Moon Knight season 2? Which sequences were dreams, and which were reality? Below, we break down all the twists and turns of the finale to explain exactly what went down – and answer your burning questions.
Moon Knight ending explained
The Moon Knight finale was packed with action – and even found time to introduce two new characters.
A major problem arises when Arthur Harrow finally succeeds in freeing the Egyptian god Ammit from her imprisonment. Marc Spector and Steven Grant are still stuck in the afterlife, but Layla El-Faouly is on the scene, and keeps track of Harrow. Taweret tells her to free Khonshu, and lets her know that Marc and Steven are trying to return.
Marc, meanwhile, goes to free Steven from the sands of the Duat (that's the Egyptian afterlife). He gives his alternate personality a heartfelt speech, but it doesn't seem to be enough – Marc himself ends up trapped in the sand, until the gates back to the world of the living open thanks to the Egyptian god Osiris. Taweret then helps the duo return to life.
To stop Ammit, Layla agrees to become Taweret's avatar… but only temporarily. Layla becomes a fully-fledged superhero, complete with her owned winged costume. She also frees Khonshu.
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The only way to stop Ammit is by imprisoning her in a human body, therefore making her vulnerable, so Marc and Layla go after Harrow, while Khonshu battles the crocodile god. In the fight, Marc blacks out, and when he comes to, Harrow is near-dead. Steven confirms he wasn't the one behind the attack.
Layla and Marc complete the ritual to trap Ammit, and Marc gets Khonshu to release him, meaning he loses his powers as Moon Knight. Then, strangely enough, Marc and Steven both end up in the Putnam Psychiatric Hospital again. But, this time, they notice Harrow is treading bloody footprints, and refuse to accept his diagnosis. They then wake up in their flat in London.
In the Moon Knight post-credits scene, it's revealed that Harrow was taken to Sienkiewicz Psychiatric Hospital in the wake of the finale's action. He meets Khonshu again in the back of a car, and the god reveals that he still has a human avatar… Jake Lockley. Lockley then shoots Harrow dead, presumably also killing Ammit.
Who is Jake Lockley?
In Marvel comics, Jake Lockley is another personality of Marc Spector's. He drives a cab, and is connected to the criminal underworld via his informants. In the series, he's been hinted at before – at one point, both Marc and Steven blacked out and had no memory of killing some mercenaries. Later, Jake is hinted to be trapped inside a sarcophagus in the psychiatric hospital, and, during another scene, seems to be in control during a conversation with Doctor Harrow. In the finale, he finally arrives.
Is Jake Lockley Khonshu's new avatar?
In the post-credits scene, Harrow is taken from Sienkiewicz Psychiatric Hospital to a car that contains Khonshu. But, this time, Marc isn't with him – it's Jake Lockley. "Why would I ever need anybody else when he has no idea how troubled he truly is?" Khonshu asks, before introducing Harrow to Jake.
So, while Marc and Steven are done with Khonshu, he's not quite done with their physical form.
Was that post-credits sequence real or just a dream?
Moon Knight's biggest twist saw Marc wake up in the Putnam Psychiatric Hospital, throwing the reality of the entire series into doubt. It turned out to be part of the Egyptian afterlife, though, meaning Marc hadn't truly imagined the entire TV show so far.
But, in the post-credits scene, Harrow is in a psychiatric hospital – so is this a dream? It doesn't seem so. In fact, it's all very real, and this hospital is named Sienkiewicz Psychiatric Hospital, after the comic book artist Bill Sienkiewicz. There's no indication whatsoever that Harrow is hallucinating, and he even sees Khonshu again before meeting an untimely end at the hands of Jake Lockley.
How does Layla get superpowers?
Layla ends up a fully-fledged superhero in the finale, and it's all thanks to Taweret. The god reaches out and tells Layla that Marc and Steven are trying to return from the afterlife, but Layla is reluctant to be her avatar in the fight against Ammit. She eventually agrees, though – but only temporarily. This gives her a pretty cool winged costume courtesy of the hippo god.
Per Marvel.com, Layla even has an official superhero name: Scarlet Scarab.
How does Steven Grant escape the sand?
In Moon Knight episode 5, Steven went overboard in the Duat during a fight with the unbalanced souls. He was claimed by the sands and seemed frozen forever. But, in the finale, Marc rejects the paradise of the Field of Reeds and goes back for his other personality.
In a touching speech, Marc tells Steven: "From the moment you arrived, way back then... You saved me. I survived because I knew I wasn't alone." The gates back to the living world then open just as Marc is frozen by the sands, and both personalities thaw – and manage to escape the Duat together, with some help from Taweret.
Why did Marc and Steven return to the psychiatric hospital?
After trapping Ammit in Harrow's body and giving up their powers, Marc and Steven wake up in Putnam again. It's a confusing moment, but as Harrow walks away, he leaves bloody footprints behind – which Marc and Steven both notice. They refuse to accept Harrow's diagnosis and therefore his version of reality, and they both fall backwards, waking up again in their flat in London. It seems they've finally reconciled with each other and everything that has happened to them, and this one last vision was them processing everything that has happened to them.
What happens to Marc Spector/Steven Grant?
After stopping Harrow and Ammit, Marc and Steven wake up back at home in London. They're both free of Khonshu's influence – but when they go to get up, that old ankle restraint catches them out, and they end up face down on the floor. Not quite a noble ending to the series... but a peaceful one for them both.
What happens to Arthur Harrow and Ammit?
Throughout the series, Harrow has been trying to bring Ammit back into being – and help her carry out her judgements on humanity. He finally achieves his goal in episode 6, and Ammit returns. She immediately sets to eating souls and battling Khonshu, while Marc and Layla try to get hold of Harrow.
Then, Marc blacks out, and Jake Lockley is the one to take Harrow down. Layla and Marc manage to trap Ammit inside of him, but Marc refuses to kill him, despite Khonshu urging him to finish the job.
The moon god finds a way around the problem, though, and brings Jake Lockley to murder Harrow instead. With Harrow shot dead, we can assume Ammit is also gone for good.
If you're up to speed on Moon Knight, check out our ultimate guide to Marvel Phase 4 for everything else the MCU has in store for us.
I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.