Moon Knight Episode 5 Confirms The Sad Truth About Steven's Calls To Mom
Contains spoilers for "Moon Knight" Episode 5, "Asylum."
The Marvel Cinematic Universe keeps getting bigger thanks to Disney+, and "Moon Knight" is no exception. Although the series isn't massively connected to the movies or other shows, it definitely widens the scope of mysticism and magic in the universe thanks to the existence of Khonshu and the other Egyptian gods that play a part in Marc Spector's (Oscar Isaac) story.
Fans were left desperate for more at the end of Episode 4, "The Tomb," when Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) shoots Steven-slash-Marc in the chest, and they wake up in a mental institution — before being told that everything that has happened so far is a figment of their imagination. To make matters even more confusing, the dynamic duo come across an intimidating sarcophagus — which may or may not contain another alternate personality — before running into a giant hippopotamus god called Taweret (Antonia Salib). Thankfully, Episode 5, "Asylum," contains plenty of answers about Marc, before predictably leaving fans with a devastating cliffhanger.
It's mainly a character-focused chapter of the story rather than a bombastic action-packed adventure — although it has its moments — and it explains a little more about where Marc's dissociative identity disorder comes from. Yes, we're in the tragic superhero origin story part of "Moon Knight" now, and Marc's life has been far from easy.
We actually get to see what his life was like before his crime-fighting career, before Khonshu, and before the other personalities. But unfortunately, it also confirms the sad truth about Steven's phone calls to his mom at the beginning of the series.
Steven hasn't been talking to anyone
During Marc and Steven's time in the mental institution — which is actually a representation of the Egyptian afterlife called the Duat — they dive into Marc's memories to help balance the scales of their souls so they can escape the underworld. Steven learns that Marc's brother Randall Spector (Claudio Fabian Contreras) died as a young boy when they went adventuring in a cave that flooded in the rain. This was crushing for Marc's mother, Wendy Spector (Fernanda Andrade), who subsequently struggled with mental illness because of her crippling grief. To make matters worse, she physically abused Marc because she blamed him for her other son's death.
But another heartbreaking memory reveals that Wendy passed away a few years before the series starts, and Marc couldn't bring himself to go to her shiva. Instead, he walks away and breaks down into tears in the street. Almost instantly, Steven takes over the body and "calls" his mom on the phone to tell her he's got lost and doesn't know where he is. Gulp.
Yes, this all means that Steven hasn't actually been talking to anyone this whole time. It's possible that this is just a coping mechanism for them both and Steven has just repressed the information, but it certainly seems like he has no idea about the revelation. It's just another tragic element to Steven's character, which is made even worse by the realization that Marc completely made him up as a child and that he isn't the core personality. Oh Steven, you poor thing.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.