Moon Knight, the most recent MCU series on Disney+, recently took the internet by storm with its unique storyline, emotionally packed scenes, and Egyptian mythology-inspired characters. Not to mention, having a main character with three distinct personalities gave the audience a fresh concept to look forward to. In every episode, there was a cliffhanger that drove viewers to the edge. While the series has put great emphasis on Marc and his mental well-being, not much has been discussed about the being that is controlling his life – Khonshu.

Khonshu is a name that might not be easily recognizable. Especially since in Egyptian mythology the God is greatly overshadowed by the sun God Ra and his relations: Amun-Ra, Ra-Atum and Ra-Horakhty. This also includes Ra’s two other alter-egos, Khepri, who is known to move the sun over the horizon every morning, and Osiris, the God of the underworld. Even the ancient scriptures about the moon God are not as straightforward as the ones for Ra. However, this makes the whole concept of the bird-skulled deity even more interesting to know about.

Moon Knight’s Khonshu

Khonshu, known as the Egyptian deity Khons, first made his way into the Marvel universe through the genius of Bill Sienkiewicz and Doug Moench in 1980. Similar characters were used in Norse Mythology, and the creators used the Egyptian God’s stories to produce the God of the moon and time. The name Khonshu means “to wander”. This refers to how the moon moves over the night sky, allowing travelers to travel at night without any worries of being in the dark or encountering thieves.

This interpretation projects onto Marvel’s version of Khonshu, as he carries the same mission of being a defender, pathfinder, and watcher of overnight travelers.

To make it more interesting, he is also portrayed as the God of vengeance, but since he can’t involve himself with mortals, he needs an avatar to do it for him. This is where Marc Spector comes in.

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Friend or Foe?

Khonshu has been shown to be an intimidating personality in Marc’s life. While he is the being that rescued Marc from his demise and gave him extraordinary powers, he is also shown to manipulate and provoke his avatar throughout the series. For example, when Marc asks Khonshu to release him from his oath after Ammit`s plan is foiled, the moon deity replies, “I know you enjoy the work I have for you. Let me remind you, should we part, you may not like my next candidate, near and dear as she is to you.”

In many ways, Khonshu tries to rule Marc’s mind by provoking him and deluding his sense of reality. Although the God has been there for Marc whenever danger arises, he is a presence that Marc cannot escape.

According to episode five, it is believed that Khonshu has been grooming the protagonist by manipulating his surroundings since he was a child. For example, when Steven follows young Marc and Randall to a cave, he steps on a fossil that looks exactly like Khonshu. Soon after, heavy rain filled the cave; killing Randall and making Marc feel extremely guilty and responsible for killing his brother. While not shown, it is hinted that Khonshu killed his brother in order to drive his to-be avatar to the edge. In another instance, when Marc Spector was left to die in the temple of Khonshu, the God took the opportunity to manipulate him into becoming the Moon Knight.

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Khonshu`s Powers

The God of the Moon is an Ennead, which allows him to possess many powers and superhuman abilities. He can pass these abilities on to his avatar to complete his series of vengeance and protection:

Immortality: This allows his avatars to be immune to disease and aging.

Healing: His avatars can withstand and heal from any level of injury.

Manipulation of the Moon: The ability to manipulate anything that is made out of moon particles. For instance, when Moon Knight confronts Thor on the moon, he can be seen effortlessly lifting his hammer, as it is made out of moon rock.

Manipulation of the Sky and Time: In episode three of Moon Knight, Khonshu is seen rotating the sky backward, with the help of Steven (Mr. Knight). This reveals what the sky looked like 2,000 years ago.

Khonshu is a Liar

When Marc and Steven are revived in Moon Knight’s finale, they demand Khonshu release them once they imprison Ammit in a human form. The god agreed to their demand. However, in the post-credit scene, this turns out to be a lie as Jake Lockley, Marc`s third alter-ego, can be seen still serving Khonshu. Whether he serves as Moon Knight is still unknown, but it seems like he doesn’t intend to let him go just yet.

What’s Next?

One thing is for sure, Jake Lockley loves to kill and Khonshu wants to continue his streak of vengeance. While there may not be much news for Marc and Steven, it is hoped that more scenes with Jake might be up for the show in future installments. From another perspective, it is unknown whether the other Gods’ avatars were killed by Harrow. For now, only Tawaret seems to be alive in the MCU. There is also the possibility of more Gods showing up in the MCU.

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