Who's In The Second Sarcophagus In Moon Knight Episode 4?
Contains spoilers for "Moon Knight" Episode 4
Two thirds of "Moon Knight" are now out for the world to wonder, and once again, the show seems intent on changing pace in a radical manner. Much like it switched locales from the claustrophobic London-based adventures of the initial episodes to the large-scale Egyptian action of the middle, it seems that the show's next setting will be even more mysterious: the mind.
After Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) seemingly ends the protagonist's (Oscar Isaac) life with a bullet to the chest, the Marc Spector personality wakes up as a patient in a white-tinted psychiatric hospital, watching a cheesy adventure movie featuring a protagonist called Dr. Steven Grant. The staff and patients are all characters from previous episodes, and Marc is clutching a Moon Knight action figure. Did he imagine it all? Has he been a mental health patient all along, or is someone messing with his head in a particularly massive way?
The episode is full of mysteries, the biggest one of which is arguably the towering, oddly friendly character with the head of a hippo. However, just before the episode ends on that extremely peculiar note, Marc finds Steven in a sarcophagus, and the pair briefly encounters another one — one that's upright, and rumbling ominously. Whatever — or, rather, whoever — could this second sarcophagus contain?
Marc Spector's remaining personality might have a lot of pent-up rage
By the time the action moves to the psychiatric hospital, "Moon Knight" has already showed in no uncertain terms that Marc and Steven aren't the only personalities sharing the same body, and since the first asylum sarcophagus contains Steven, the remaining personality is likely inside the second, unopened one.
As for the exact nature of the personality that lies within, that's more difficult to say. Out of Moon Knight's classic personalities, the last remaining unseen one is Jake Lockley. Still, if it's him in the sarcophagus, he's probably very different from the cab driver version in the comics. This, of course, wouldn't be entirely without precedent, considering the makeovers the show has already given Steven and Mr. Knight.
"Moon Knight" has been quite happy to incorporate elements of the character's most iconic comic book runs — in fact, the fantastic psychiatric facility setting in Episode 4 is clearly inspired by the classic "Lunatic" storyline by writer Jeff Lemire and artist Greg Smallwood, and the deliberately awful "Dr. Steven Knight" show is likely a nod to Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev's series, which depicts Marc as the showrunner of an absolutely atrocious adventure serial that's based on his mercenary years.
As it happens, the Bendis-Maleev comics also feature an ultra-violent Moon Knight personality who's so threatening that he actually destroys two others ... and looks like none other than Marvel's mutant MVP, Wolverine. Since it's highly unlikely that the clawed Canuck will make his MCU debut in this fashion, the show might opt to combine Jake Lockley with this particularly ruthless and violent personality.