Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Moon Knight episode 5
The fifth episode of Moon Knight titled Asylum has left fans amazed. Arguably one of the best episodes so far from all the Marvel shows on Disney+, the latest episode was an emotional rollercoaster, once again proving Oscar Isaac’s unparalleled acting prowess on screen. As the series nears its end, the penultimate episode raises a lot of questions. However, the most important of them is how exactly does Steven Grant return from the Duat?
After getting shot by Arthur Harrow in the fourth episode, Marc Spector finds himself in a mysterious asylum. However, it turns out that the asylum is a metaphysical construct on Tawaret’s boat which is sailing on the Duat, the Egyptian underworld. There, Marc Spector physically interacts with Steven Grant, who has now taken a physical embodiment.
As the episode progresses, it is revealed that Marc created Steven as an entirely new persona to deal with his traumatic childhood, which shocks Steven. However, upon witnessing Marc’s painful past, Steven reconciles with Spector, which almost balances the Scales of Justice. However, the boat is attacked by a few undead spirits as the scales do not achieve perfect equilibrium.
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As both Marc and Steven try to fight off the spirits, Steven, unfortunately, falls off the boat while trying to protect Marc. As Steven reaches the sands of the Duat, his body mummifies, leaving Marc alone on the boat. However, upon Steven’s apparent death, the Scales of Justice are perfectly balanced, leading Marc into the Field of Reeds, the Egyptian paradise.
What happened to Steven Grant?
Since the beginning of the series, viewers were led by the belief that Steven Grant is the major protagonist of the series. However, the latest episode revealed that Marc Spector has always been the real host of the body, with Steven Grant being a different persona created to deal with trauma and abuse.
As Marc Spector created the persona of Steven Grant right from his childhood, he was in control of transitioning between identities for most parts of it. However, after his mother’s death and being chosen by Khonshu to become the Fist of Vengeance, Steven Grant started ‘bleeding out’ uncontrollably, putting Marc in the backseat. As a result, Marc has to beg Steven to give him control whenever he senses that they are in mortal danger.
In the latest episode, Marc and Steven reconcile despite their many differences. As both the identities are polar opposites of each other, the hostility between them had grown over the years. However, after witnessing Marc’s traumatic past, Steven reconciled with Marc, forgiving him for his many crimes.
Despite being Marc’s figment of imagination, Steven Grant is treated as another entity by Tawaret. As a result, she weighs both their hearts on the Scales of Justice. Despite Marc and Steven’s reconciliation, the Scales of Justice do not balance, leading to vicious attacks from the undead spirits. In the ensuing fight, Steven falls off the boat to the Duat and gets mummified.
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How Steven Grant can return from the Duat?
There are a few theories regarding how Steven Grant can actually make his return from the underworld. The first theory suggests that Marc can always summon Steven as he has always been a figment of his imagination. Though the Egyptian gods might have treated Steven and Marc to be two distinct entities, Steven has always been a part of Marc as one of his alter-egos.
The second theory suggests that Steven might have been actually lost to the Duat, which will force Marc to return from the Field of Reeds. However, in order to actually return from the Egyptian paradise, the Scales of Justice must lose their equilibrium once again. To achieve that, Marc Spector has to bring forth his third identity; Jake Lockley.
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Considering how secretive the show has been regarding Jake Lockley, the final episode can be the perfect setup to introduce Marc’s final and most dangerous personality so far. While Jake Lockley in the comics is shown to be a cunning cab driver with deep connections in the criminal underworld, the show has hinted that this persona might be Marc’s most violent and diabolical personality. As it is expected that Jake Lockley has a high propensity toward violence, it is possible that Marc has tried to hide this personality in the deepest corner of his mind. However, Marc might have to go summon this dark persona in order to save Steven, as well as to stop Harrow.
Related: Moon Knight Episode 5: Every Insane Easter Egg You Missed
Moon Knight will return with its final episode on May 4, exclusively on Disney+.
