Light spoilers for the latest episode of Marvel’s Moon Knight, “The Friendly Type,” lie ahead.
Moon Knight has plenty of interesting components, but one of the things that’s been most surprising to see is just how self-contained it is. The series (streamable with a Disney+ subscription) has included very few references to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, seeing the latest episode, some fans believed that they saw a nod to the villainous Kang the Conqueror. Said Easter egg has now been verified, though one still has to wonder what it means for the MCU.
The third episode of Moon Knight (reviewed here at CinemaBlend) saw Marc Spector cross paths with a group of Ammit worshipers early on in the installment. Eagle-eyed viewers seemed to notice that there was a peculiar-looking piece of art on one of the thug’s jackets. Said image appeared to look like a drawing of Rama-Tut, an incarnation of Nathaniel Richards a.k.a. Kang the Conqueror, though some may have been skeptical. Well, the nod has now been confirmed by New Rockstars, whose sources say that this is indeed the case.
First introduced in the Fantastic Four comics of the ‘60s, Rama-Tut was born after a time-travelling Nathaniel Richards landed in Egypt and decided to forge his own dynasty. During this period, he also came into contact with Moon God, Khonshu, who’s been featured heavily on Marvel's latest Disney+ show. This fact and the multiversal nature of MCU Phase Four make this a cool and natural reference. Though I have questions regarding whether it’s just a simple nod for fans or an actual in-universe connection.
MCU productions have featured their fair share of Easter eggs over the years. Loki alone dropped at least 20 references in a single episode. Many of the nods we’ve seen over the years are mostly utilized for fun. (The Thanos-Copter is a significant example of this.) So it’s possible that this latest tidbit in Moon Knight could just be something cool for fans to spot and get excited about.
However, it’s fair to say that Kang’s growing presence in the franchise could lend credibility to the idea that this is indeed an in-universe link. He Who Remains, played (and slightly improvised) by Jonathan Majors on Loki, did say that he’d held many alter-egos over his lifetime(s) after all. With that in mind, it’s totally possible that this was a link to Rama-Tut, who also has ties to Ammit in the comics.
While most of the specifics of Kang’s MCU past remain shrouded in mystery, it’s no secret that the true version of the conqueror is set to arrive in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. And that likely won’t be his final appearance in the interconnected franchise. That’s up for speculation but, right now, let’s simply enjoy this cool Moon Knight Easter egg.
You can spot out more cool references by checking out Moon Knight, which drops new episodes on Disney+ on Wednesdays.
