Moon Knight has easily proven itself to be one of the most iconoclastic features of the MCU. From the multiple identities of the title character to the outside-the-box settings of London and Cairo, the series definitely treads the path not taken, and one of its most unique features is its use of the Egyptian Ennead, the nine gods worshipped by the ancient Egyptians at Heliopolis.
Producer Grant Curtis recently sat down with Screen Rant to discuss his choice over which gods of the pantheon to use in bringing Moon Knight to the screen and why more obvious choices like Anubis and Osiris ended on the wayside. To him, it was about “falling in love” and curiosity.
In the penultimate episode, both Steven Grant and Marc Spector, untogether for the first time, are sent on a voyage through the afterlife to be judged by the hippo-headed goddess Taweret. The goddess is actually not part of the traditional Ennead but was worshipped in ancient Egypt as a goddess of fertility and childbirth. The traditional gods associated with the afterlife, Osiris and the Jackal-headed guardian of the dead, Anubis, may have made more likely choices, but Curtis said the team just couldn’t help falling in love with Taweret and the actress who voiced her, Antonia Salib.
“There were a variety of factors, and some of them are spoilers that I can’t get into. But to be honest with you, very early on in the process, we had a poster in the room of all the Egyptian gods. There was one that we fell in love with from the very beginning, and it was Taweret, this hippo goddess. We just kept pointing to her. ‘I want to know her story. I want to spend more time with her.’ To be honest, that’s how a lot of that shook out. Then there were some other narrative points, and I don’t want to spoil anything. But it was really falling in love with that character and her bubbly personality on the page. Then once Antonia came aboard, we just fell in love with her all over again. She just kept on being the leader of that journey through the Duat that we wanted to go with.”
– Grant Curtis
Curtis definitely made a great choice going with his gut. Taweret and Salib have proven to be breakout fan favorites.
