Grumpy ancient Egyptian deity Khonshu was one of the best things about Moon Knight — his bird-headed visual design was excellent, the hallucinatory way the show used him in early episodes was terrifying, and F. Murray Abraham’s vocal performance was perfectly pitched.
Khonshu ended the show’s first season on a high. After defeating rival god Ammit, Khonshu appeared to release Marc and Steven from their servitude. Then came the credits scene, which revealed that a third personality, Jake Lockley, is still all aboard the Egyptian god’s murderous justice train. Somewhere along the way Khonshu also got that drip, scoring a stylish limo and sharp suit.
So what’s next for him? A small clue might have come in the background of the season one finale. First spotted by @StreamrNews, some Arabic graffiti in Cairo reads “Khonshu lives!”:
This may be a hint that the Knights of Khonshu, seen in the comic books, are also active in the MCU. In Marvel Comics, this cult worshipped Khonshu and saw Marc Spector as unworthy of being his avatar. If the Knights were already active in Cairo (as indicated by this graffiti), you have to imagine Khonshu showing up in Godzilla-sized form and beating a giant alligator lady into the Great Pyramid has to be good for recruitment.
By the time the credits scene rolls in, they may have already allied with Khonshu — after all, expensive cars and tailored suits cost money.
The cult has popped up many times over the years in Moon Knight comics, each time clashing with Marc as they misinterpret Khonshu’s philosophy and commit atrocities in his name. There are a bunch of fun ways this could play out in the MCU, though Marc and Steven being at odds with Khonshu could lead to the fun situation where he’s both siding with the cult while they are fighting against Jake Lockley.
Khonshu’s very public appearance in Egypt may also inflate his ego, potentially causing him to expand his mission of deadly justice way beyond what Marc, Steven, and Jake can achieve as his avatar.
The only fly in the ointment is that we have no confirmation that Moon Knight will return at all, though tellingly F. Murray Abraham clearly thinks Khonshu’s story is far from over.
Moon Knight is available to stream on Disney Plus.
