Major “Moon Knight” episode 1 spoilers are ahead.
The highly anticipated limited series “Moon Knight,” starring Oscar Isaac as the titular hero Marc Spector/Steven Grant and Arthur Harrow as the cult leader evil, has recently released its first episode (Ethan Hawke). The central assumption of Marc’s character is that he is the avatar of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, hence the “Moon Knight” story is based on Egyptian mythology and tradition.
Khonshu won’t be the only notable Egyptian deity in the series; episode 1 also gave viewers a glimpse of Ammit, also known as Ammut, a demonic figure revered by Harrow and his sect. Although Ammit/Ammut has not yet appeared on cinema, in “Moon Knight” comics she is typically depicted as a humanoid crocodile.
Harrow is initially seen performing what appears to be a ritual involving some form of physical mortification in the episode’s opening seconds. His actions are still a mystery. He uses his cane, which has been repeatedly seen in the countless TV advertising and trailers for the programme and is decorated with two crocodile heads that are turned apart from one another.
When Harrow tells Steven that he needs the scarab to bring Ammit back to life, it is evident that he is acting as the Egyptian goddess’ vessel and is determined to use the authority she has given him to carry out her vision of justice. What does the scale tattoo on Harrow’s arm represent within the context of “Moon Knight”?
Playing judge, jury, executioner
Steven mistakenly falls asleep, which is when his Marc Spector persona basically takes control, and this is when he first sees Harrow and the infinite power of the scale tattoo on his forearm (although he is not aware of this at the time). Steven, who is perplexed by how he was able to sleepwalk to the countryside, notices Harrow’s men following him menacingly, which prompts him to attempt to blend in with the cult members who are watching Harrow execute Ammit’s judgement on an old member.
The scales represent in actual form Ammit’s assessment of “worthy” and unworthy souls. Based on whether they might conduct terrible deeds in the future, Harrow utilises them to determine a person’s fate. Steven experiences firsthand this preemptive (and incredibly warped) form of justice when Harrow kills a fellow cult member after the scales rule that her soul is unworthy on the grounds that she is capable of committing wicked things in the future. Although Ammit is not as well-known as the other Heliopolitan race of gods in the “Moon Knight” comics, her religious and cultural roots play a significant role in Harrow’s motivations in the TV series.
According to Egyptian mythology and ancient religion, Ammit was a key figure in the process of soul weighing after death, which was overseen by Anubis, and he dwelt close to the scales of justice in Duat, the Egyptian underworld. If the deceased person’s soul was judged to be pure, they would journey to the underworld in the direction of Osiris; if not, Ammit would eat their hearts, obliterating their souls from the inside out. This component of Ammit is adopted by “Moon Knight” and applied in a contemporary setting: Harrow, Ammit’s avatar, uses the scale tattoo to assess souls, releasing them or sentencing them to death depending on the results.
The catastrophic consequences of Harrow’s objectives are troublesome since he wants to use the prized scarab, which Steven/Marchas carried in episode 1 of the show, to release Ammit onto our physical reality.
A flawed, harmful idea of justice
Steven and Harrow’s men get into a battle because the scarab, an ancient item that points to Ammit’s tomb, which Harrow is looking for in order to resurrect the deity, must be taken from him. The power of the scales alone is terrible since it gives the character the ability to carry out a perverted conception of justice as he sees fit, even though the full amount of Harrow’s abilities have not been revealed in episode 1 of “Moon Knight.” Aside from the final scene, where Steven gives Marc permission to take control of his body and battle the Egyptian jackal that Harrow let loose inside the museum, Marc’s character has not yet been fully revealed.
The final resurrection of Ammit directly usurps Khonshu’s notion of vengeance since Marc, who punishes those who deliberately engage in wickedness, is how the divisive moon god communicates his notion of just justice. The other inhabitants of the Celestial Heliopolis cannot be too thrilled with Harrow’s scheme, as it directly upsets the balance created on Earth and in the different pocket dimensions, even though it is too early to predict the course the series would take.
Furthermore, there is a reason why Ammit was dreaded by the ancient Egyptians rather than adored since the act of devouring a soul would subject it to perpetual unrest, an outcome that is worse than death. Steven, the poor soul, finds himself unwittingly involved in these serious issues as he struggles with his anxiety about hearing voices inside his head and wonders if his waking nightmares are genuine. However, Harrow himself resolves this conundrum when he finds Steven in the museum and explains his grand scheme of evil being “eradicated” after he revives the crocodile goddess. As seen in the series’ official trailer, Harrow uses the scale tattoo to try to decide Steven/fate, Marc’s but he is unable to do so since the scales wildly bounce between both possibilities, illuminating the chasm in his mind and the fundamental instability in his spirit.
Undoubtedly, Harrow will continue to show off his scale tattoo, and the results could be startling because their illogical notion of putting an end to evil in its early stages is certain to result in further devastation, chaos, and death. Steven and his alters must now prevent Harrow from carrying out his grandiose, erroneous plan.
On March 30, 2022, “Moon Knight” episode 1 made its exclusive Disney+ debut.
