Warning: spoilers ahead for episode 4 on Plus.
Episode 4 of series Moon Knight serves some of the biggest twists of the show so far, as brutal truths wreak havoc and a cliffhanger ending leaves viewers’ heads in a spin.
After , Steven () and Layla () rush to the site to try and get there before cult leader Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke), with Marc in tow lurking in Steven’s mind.
They face life-threatening dangers inside the tomb, as viewers learn more about Marc and Layla’s history and the shocking circumstances that led to them meeting before they got married.
At the end, viewers may be left questioning (once again) what’s a dream and what’s reality, as Marc and Steven find themselves in an extremely mind-boggling situation.
Steven and Layla grow closer as Marc watches from the sidelines
When Layla was first introduced, it was revealed that she and Marc were on the verge of getting divorced, as he tried to protect her from becoming Khonshu’s next avatar.
While he clearly still cares deeply for her, and vice versa, the show has seen her grow steadily closer to the kind-natured, awkward Steven – so much so that they share a kiss, much to Marc’s dismay.
Marc punches Steven in the face as revenge, with Steven also telling Layla why Marc was trying to keep her at a distance.
While this may have helped Layla understand a bit more about why Marc was acting in such a distant manner towards her, another truth is spilled that could prove too hurtful to repair their relationship.
The dead rise while Marc reveals truth about death of Layla’s father
Having made their way to Ammit tomb in an effort to beat Harrow to the punch, Steven and Layla face an Indiana Jones-esque adventure when they’re faced with a literal deadly threat in the form of reanimated corpses.
After managing to survive in a fight by the skin of her teeth, Layla is confronted by Harrow, who speaks to her about her late father – who was an archaeologist – and reveals that Marc still hasn’t told her the whole truth.
Layla locates Steven – who had to dig around down the throat of the mummified Alexander the Great – telling him that she needs to speak to Marc, which is when her husband finally divulges what happened on the day of her father’s death.
Marc reveals that he and his mercenary partner were at a digsite when his accomplice ‘got greedy’ and executed everyone, including Layla’s father… so while Marc wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger, he did play a part in her dad’s demise.
On that night, Marc himself was shot and should have died, before Khonshu stepped in to make him his avatar as an act of servitude in exchange for saving his life.
To rub even more salt into the wound, Layla realises that the reason she and Marc met was because he felt guilty about her father’s death, as he’d tried (and failed) to tell her what happened from the moment they met.
Marc is ‘shot dead’ by Harrow – but it’s not the end
Shortly after Marc and Layla’s heated exchange, Harrow does what he does best and shows up out of nowhere, ready to put an end to Marc’s meddling with his plan to free the Egyptian goddess Ammit.
Having previously used his cane to enact judgement on people and decide whether or not in his eyes they deserve to live or die, this time, he whips out a gun, using it to shoot Marc twice.
Marc falls back into the water behind him as Layla watches on, with the protagonist sinking downwards to his presumed death.
However, of course, this isn’t the end. (We do have two more episodes to come, after all).
Cliffhanger ending leaves Marc and Steven’s fate up in the air
After Marc is shot, a film that looks like a parody of Indiana Jones is shown playing on the screen, before it’s revealed that it’s a video playing on a TV.
That video is playing inside what appears to be a mental health institution, where Marc is a patient and everyone else around him are people he’s previously crossed paths with.
There are Easter Eggs and references in every direction, with a woman seen drawing an illustration of a bird with Khonshu’s mask and Layla eating marshmallows while playing Bingo.
Marc, who’s in a wheelchair and can barely move, is sent to speak to the doctor, who – surprise surprise – is Harrow.
From the Tomb Buster movie to Harrow’s sandals, his cane and the figurines of Egyptian gods in the room, the scene teases that everything Marc’s experienced up to this point could have been a dream.
However, we’re not believing that for a second, as Marc flees into the hallway, which is shaking as though the Marvel hero is in Inception.
Marc opens the door to a room containing a sarcophagus with someone banging inside… discovering Steven once he opens it up.
The pair are seeing double as they interact with each other in the flesh for the first time, hugging before recalling how Harrow previously shot them.
After finding another shaking sarcophagus, which they decide to let be (could that be their third alter, Jake Lockley?), the pair reach the end of the corridor to find yet another big surprise.
Many fans are undoubtedly expecting Jake to show up next week… but will he, Marc and Steven be trapped in this alternate reality, or could they work together to find a way out, finding balance between their disparate personalities?
Who is hippo Egyptian goddess?
The door at the end of the corridor opens, revealing an Egyptian goddess who looks like a hippo.
Marc and Steven scream as they encounter the deity, who is none other than Taweret (Antonia Salib).
In ancient Egypt, Taweret was regarded as the goddess of childbirth and fertility, who was a protector for mothers and children.
What this means for Marc and Steven’s story remains a big question mark after the show’s most staggering cliffhanger yet.
Some fans dubbed the twist ‘game-changing’, while others expressed how ‘confused’ they are about what’s going on.
Moon Knight sure knows how to keep its fans on the edge of their seats, that’s for sure!
Moon Knight is available to watch on Disney Plus with new episodes released on Wednesdays.
