The Ending Of Moon Knight Episode 6 Explained

Contains spoilers for "Moon Knight" Episode 6

The end of "Moon Knight" is here, and Episode 6 of the show has some pretty heavy lifting to do. The show's penultimate episode left both Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac) and his Steven Grant identity stranded in different corners of the mythological Egyptian afterlife and the world at the villain's mercy. Yet, the finale manages to bring things to a point that at least somewhat resembles a more traditional Marvel Cinematic Universe conclusion ... only to pull the rug out from under the viewer's feet at the last minute.

Though Marc and Steven manage to return in the game and find a way to peacefully coexist, the situation seems dire after Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) releases Ammit (voiced by Saba Mubarak) and her followers start their mission to purge the world on a massive scale. The episode offers giant battles, multiple brand new avatars, and even a first look at a surprise character that many people have nevertheless been waiting all along. But how does it all play out in the end, and can you expect more from the wonderful, weird world of "Moon Knight" in the future? Here's the ending of "Moon Knight" Episode 6 explained.

"Whoever else might be in there", Harrow notes of the brain Marc Spector and Steven Grant share. By the time the episode is over, this umpteenth little tease about another personality's existence comes into play in a major way. 

Despite Taweret's (voiced by Antonia Salib) warnings, Marc Spector turns his back to the peaceful Field of Reeds, and chooses to rescue Steven from Duat. He still finds a form of peace, though, after finally confessing that he needs Steven to keep together, and even calling the cheerful Brit identity his only true superpower — a pretty heavy statement from a guy who wields powers granted by a moon god. With that, Marc and Steven become whole, return to their body, and become Moon Knight (and Mr. Knight) again.

Unfortunately, even their combined forces aren't quite enough to defeat Harrow, who comes within inches of killing Marc. However, after Marc experiences another unexplained mid-fight blackout, it's Harrow who lies helpless on the ground. At this point, even the most casual viewer probably suspects that a third, unseen identity is responsible for knocking Harrow's glass-filled shoes off his feet. After all, the show has teased this dangerous persona's existence since Episode 3. 

By the time the post-credits scene comes along, the Jake Lockley identity indeed makes his presence known. Wearing his signature flat cap, the violent Jake hijacks Harrow from the hospital, and shoots him while Khonshu (voiced by F. Murray Abraham) looks on. In this short scene, this new persona establishes himself as a ruthless and capable operator. What's worse, he's still willingly working with Khonshu, and since he occupies the same body as Steven and Marc, it appears that none of them are as free from the lunar god's servitude as they think. 

"Moon Knight" has been teasing the possibility that Layla El-Faouly (May Calamawy) might become the new avatar of Khonshu for a while, and while she does gain avatar-based superpowers in Episode 6, this happens in a very different way than you might think. Sure, the show teases a "Layla as Moon Knight" moment when she releases Khonshu from his mini-statue prison and the moon god offers to make her his new avatar — but Layla promptly refuses, and even attempts to browbeat Khonshu into partnership instead of a servitude deal. This doesn't go particularly well, but as it turns out, this isn't the first time Layla cold-shoulders an Egyptian god's avatar offer that day. 

Earlier in the episode, Taweret delivers Marc's message to Layla, and throws in a far less ominous avatar deal in the process. Wary of Marc's negative experiences, Layla initially turns Taweret down, but reconsiders upon learning that Team Egyptian Pantheon needs more avatars to successfully trap Ammit. As such, she accepts the hippo goddess' offer. This proves to be a good call, because the delighted Taweret provides Layla with some welcome information about her father's afterlife situation, and grants her a cool, winged costume. 

Layla appears to highly enjoy her new avatar powers. What's more, the show pretty much states that she's not going away any time soon, when a young girl asks her whether she's an Egyptian superhero, and Layla immediately confirms. Just like that, "Moon Knight" has delivered the origin story of a brand new, hitherto unnamed superhero ... and while Layla did tell Taweret that her avatar service is only temporary, it seems pretty unlikely that the chatty goddess will be a Khonshu-style slavemaster, so this might not be the Taweret-Leyla team's sole appearance in the MCU.

Harrow continues his penance-filled path in this episode of "Moon Knight," and his mission to let Ammit clean the world keeps adding to the show's body count. After pulling assorted "don't resist and you don't get hurt" stunts — including one on the Egyptian gods' avatars — he finally releases the crocodile-headed judgement deity, who promptly makes Harrow her official avatar.

From this point on, things play out much like Harrow promised in Episode 1. Ammit's followers start cleansing the world, and the goddess feasts on the souls the scales deem unworthy. Unfortunately for the villains, the plan is rudely interrupted by the freshly resurrected Moon Knight and the Tawaret-powered Layla, who manage to defeat Harrow and trap Ammit in his body. The shock is enough to hospitalize Harrow, but even then, he finds no peace despite Ammit's promises. Instead, Jake Lockley unceremoniously abducts and shoots him, destroying Ammit in the process. 

It's not exactly a surprise that the villain loses in the end, but the way Episode 6 presents Harrow as a vulnerable, hurt, and deeply regretful man who's simply going through his twisted perception of doing the right thing is a pretty nice take for a MCU antagonist. Harrow's even fully aware that his own scales are irreparably unbalanced, and is fully resigned to lose his soul to Ammit the moment she appears. Instead, the goddess forces him to serve her, which doesn't seem like a particularly cool deal for a guy who's clearly never quite recovered from his previous avatar gig under Khonshu. By the time he's forced to act as Ammit's living, broken vessel, Harrow has clearly endured so much pain that even the hitherto implacable Doctor Harrow construct in Marc's mind is hurt and terrified.

Few MCU properties can escape the big CGI ending battle, so by the time Harrow stands on a pyramid and Moon Knight is flying around, it's clear that "Moon Knight" is about to deliver on this front. Instead of the Harrow-Moon Knight showdown that you might have been expecting, though, the show turns this ultimate battle into a full-on superteam fight. Moon Knight keeps alternating between his main costume and Steven's Mr. Knight persona, the freshly avatarized Layla soon turns up to help, and Harrow's cultists keep stirring the pot. On the background, Ammit and Khonshu keep themselves busy with a kaiju-sized grudge match. 

This goes pretty much as you'd expect. After almost getting defeated, the good(ish) guys ultimately win the night, and even Steven gets to demonstrate some sweet moves. However, this being "Moon Knight," the real battle is just beginning ... and, ultimately, inside Marc's head. As the post-credits scene reveals, Khonshu's been to deploying Marc's third personality, Jake, as his secret avatar, which effectively renders his release of Marc and Steven completely moot as they share the same body.

And so, like cycles of the moon, the protagonist ends where he began — in Steven's messy London apartment, with the confused main character's leg chained to his bed in a futile attempt to stop blackout-walking, and the same song playing on the background. Meanwhile, a mysterious, violent personality is making moves out in the world. 

Though it's an oddly fitting ending in its own right, the Jake Lockley sequel hook in the end of Episode 6 is obvious. While Oscar Isaac's reportedly unique "Moon Knight" contract doesn't necessarily guarantee that he'll appear in the MCU again, the ending virtually screams that Moon Knight may well return. Here's hoping this turns out to be the case. 

At no point does "Moon Knight" shy away from the fact that Khonshu isn't the nicest or most effective deity around. As everyone from Harrow to Layla is quick to point out, he's an abusive and treacherous entity at the best of times, and Khonshu himself is quick to confirm all the negative reviews with his condescending attitude, overly theatrical delivery, and rampant name-calling. It doesn't exactly help the moon god's case that he manages to get himself trapped in a statue halfway through the show, and starts throwing shade at Layla the second she releases him. 

The end of "Moon Knight" Episode 6, however, features copious Khonshu action, and makes extremely clear that the deity is far more than the pompous, comically serious poser with a fixation for night-time crimefighting that the show has often made him seem. Not only does he fearlessly engage the dangerous Ammit in combat on two separate occasions, but he also reveals himself as the kind of ruthless trickster that Loki Laufeyson (Tom Hiddleston) would be proud of. His interest on Layla as a potential future avatar was a feint all along, and the moon god has actually been working with Marc's Jake Lockley identity to ensure that he stays in Khonshu's service. 

Though Khonshu is technically fighting evil, it certainly seems that he's no angel himself, and may actually be outright dangerous. He's extremely dedicated to keeping Marc-Steven-Jake as his avatar, and his final scene in the episode hints that this obsession is about to turn hostile. Not only does he outright declare that Marc's troubles have only just begun, but his new, sweet suit resembles the outfit he wears in the Jeff Lemire-penned "Moon Knight" comics ... where Khonshu is the villain.