Moon Knight takes a deeper look at the pantheon of Egyptian gods, but there’s a Black Panther connection teasing a future Avengers villain.
Warning: Spoilers for Moon Knight Episode 3.
moon knight has explored the Egyptian gods in the MCU and laid the groundwork for a future Avengers villain. The Egyptian deities (called the Enneads) were active for many millennia. During this time, however, the relationship between the gods and humanity became strained. The gods believed that humanity had abandoned them, so henceforth they only used their avatars to carry out their will on earth.
In Episode 3 of Moon Knight, Marc Spector and the moon god Khonshu summoned the Ennead members to accuse Arthur Harrow of plotting to revive Ammit. Before the trial, Marc met with Yatzil, the avatar of the love and music goddess Hathor. It was revealed that before the Egyptian gods banished Khonshu in Moon Knight, Khonshu enjoyed Hathor’s tunes and friendship. But audiences may have missed that Hathor was already mentioned in the MCU, which harkens back to Captain America: Civil War. After King T’Chaka’s death, T’Challa mentions the Egyptian goddess, but under a different name. In the comics, Hathor was also known as Sekhmet. T’Challa says: “In my culture, death is not the end. It’s more of a starting point. You grasp with both hands, and Bast and Sekhmet lead you into a green steppe where… you can walk forever.”
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See also: Moon Knight: Marvel’s Egyptian Gods Explained
Moon Knight introduced Hathor as the goddess of love and music, but the Egyptian goddess has a much darker side. This dark side could lead to the Egyptian deity becoming a future Avengers villain. In the comics, Hathor became bloodthirsty after her father Amun-Ra sent her to punish humanity. Her hunger for death transformed her into Sekhmet, and she later became known as the Lion Goddess, in some ways sharing similarities with the Thor: Ragnarok villain Hela. Sekhmet eventually became an enemy of Wakanda and the Black Panther in particular. In the comics, she even once kidnapped Black Panther to attack the Avengers. Therefore, it is possible that Hathor/Sekhmet could prove to be a greater threat to the Avengers in the future.
Currently, Hathor seems to take pity on Khonshu’s plight, as evidenced by Yatzil’s efforts to help Marc find Ammit’s grave. Hathor’s loyalty to Khonshu is the perfect setup for a trigger that could turn Hathor into Sekhmet. As shown in Moon Knight, Khonshu does not particularly think about the feelings of others, or does not consider them at all. Hathor thought Khonshu would at least mention her to Marc, but that wasn’t the case. Though Hathor Khonshu was obliged in her aid, the sentiment may not be reciprocated by the moon god. It’s possible Khonshu, who Hathor takes for granted in Moon Knight, could tipp her off. That might be enough to turn Hathor into the bloodthirsty Sekhmet in the future.
As mentioned by T’Challa, the panther goddess Bast and Hathor shared a connection by guiding souls to the astral plane. Bast will reportedly appear in Thor: Love and Thunder, so the dynamic between Hathor and Bast’s relationship could be explored further. Audiences will have to wait and see if more could happen in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the next few episodes moon knight.
Next: Moon Knight’s new power creates a huge Avengers plot hole
New episodes of moon knight Coming to Disney+ on Wednesdays.
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release Date: May 06, 2022
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: 07/08/2022
- Black Panther: Forever Wakanda / Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: November 11, 2022
- The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: February 17, 2023
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release Date: May 05, 2023
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: July 28, 2023
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Emmanuel Noisette (8 articles published)
Emmanuel Noisette (or “E-Man”) is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic and a member of the Critics Choice Association, the Hollywood Critics Association, and the African American Film Critics Association. Emmanuel is also the director of the Chicago Indie Critics, which strives to emphasize diversity in film criticism. In addition to writing about films, Emmanuel is also a video content producer and social media influencer on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. He has been writing and creating video content since 2013.
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