Moon Knight episode 5 explained: What happened to Steven Grant?

Moon Knight episode 5, “Asylum,” put our hearts threw the ringer. If you haven’t watched the penultimate episode of the season, then we suggest you bookmark this post and come back. You won’t want to be spoiled for what is one of the most heart-wrenching additions to Marvel canon.

When we say “Asylum” is a lot, we’re not kidding. Prepare yourself for what’s set to happen in this episode. It not only answers many of the questions we’ve had throughout the series, it also presents new challenges for Marc and Steven that are unsettling, heartbreaking, and will change the story moving forward. Last warning, turn back now if you don’t want to be spoiled.

Major spoilers ahead of Moon Knight episode 5

Alright, if you have seen the episode let’s unpack it together. A lot happened in episode 5. Last episode, “The Tomb,” ended with the introduction of the Egyptian goddess, Taweret. Turns out, she’s meant to be Marc and Steven’s guide through the afterlife.

“Asylum” puts the audience on a journey through our leads’ memories. It’s a daunting task, but it’s one they must finish before their travel through the realm of the Duat comes to an end. If their scales aren’t balanced by the end of their trip, they’ll be pulled into the sandy depths of this realm by unbalanced souls.

What is the realm of the Duat on Moon Knight?

If you didn’t catch Taweret and Steven’s explanation of the Duat at the top of the episode, it’s the Egyptian underworld. Essentially, souls must go on a passage through the sands as their hearts are weighed on the Scales of Justice against the Feather of Truth. If the scales balance before they make it to the A’aru, also known as the Field of Reeds, then they’ll be granted access to eternal paradise.

Unfortunately, for Marc and Steven, their hearts are found incomplete which means they have to dive into their memories and complete their hearts before the barge they’re on reaches their destination. This, of course, means confronting Marc’s traumatic childhood which centers on the death of his brother, the end of the happy family he once belonged to, his mother’s abuse, and his father’s inability to intercede and help him.

How did Marc’s brother die on Moon Knight?

What Steven didn’t know prior to this exploration of the past is that he and Marc had a brother. Nicknamed, RoRo, the boy was younger than them. Together, they’d been fond of traveling through a cave and going on an “expedition” like their favorite characters from Tomb Buster.

The boys had been warned to stay out of the cave when it rains. RoRo mentions this to Marc, but he tells him not to be such a baby. Because they didn’t heed their mother’s warning, the boys were trapped in the cave as it began to flood. While Marc survived the experience, his brother didn’t.

His trauma was worsened by his mother who blamed him for RoRo’s death. Her grief manifested as resentment and bitterness. What started as verbal abuse transitioned to physical abuse as she began to spin out on alcohol and projected all her pain onto her son.

Is Steven the original or the alter on Moon Knight?

With no one to protect him, Marc developed the alter, Steven Grant. Steven comes to this realization after he barrels through Marc’s memories despite the man’s warnings and attempts to stop him. The British gift shop clerk is actually an identity Marc’s brain created in effort to protect himself from his mom’s abuse.

“When danger is near, Steven Grant has no fear” is a line from a Tomb Buster poster on Marc’s wall. Our lovable hero thought he was the original, but it’s actually been Marc this whole time. Their lives have started to bleed together now because two months ago their mother died. Unable to cope with her loss, the trauma she inflicted on him, his father’s complicity, and his own inability to sit shiva for her, Marc once again dissociated and Steven’s personality grew.

Did Steven Grant die on Moon Knight?

Despite the work that went into examining Marc’s past, the scales didn’t balance. He and Steven got close, but their time ran out by the time Taweret redirected the boat to Osiris’ gate so they could return to the land of the living. As such, it was out of her hands when the unbalanced souls started to attack the two men.

They held their own, even Steven jumped into the fray and physically protected Marc. It was a triumphant moment for him, but it was short-lived. In the melee, Steven fell overboard. Taweret warned that anyone who touches the sands will be frozen for eternity, and that’s exactly what happened.

With only one episode left, we’re hoping this can somehow be reversed. We’ve come to love Steven. Yes, he’s an alter, but for him to go out this way was heartbreaking. It did, however, balance Marc’s scales.

Did Marc Spector die on Moon Knight?

Technically, we started “Asylum” with both Marc and Steven dead. That’s why they were in the realm of the Duat in the first place. But, given what happened to Steven, this death situation is seeming rather permanent. One of our heroes is a statue in the sands and now Marc has gained entry into the Field of Reeds.

Yes, it’s beautiful. Glad there’s peace there, but we definitely need Marc to leave, help Steven if he can, and go back to save Layla and the rest of the world. There’s no time for paradise! We sure hope a resurrection is incoming.

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more Moon Knight news and coverage!