‘Moon Knight’ Episode 1: 3 Ways Marvel Completely Changed Ammit
Moon Knight Episode 1, “The Goldfish Problem,” finally dropped on Disney+, throwing Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) spiraling as Marc Spector, Khonshu, and Moon Knight dragged him helplessly along. Marvel fans had their first proper encounters with Moon Knight villain Dr. Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) and his cult of Ammit followers. It seems the Moon Knight TV show will explore these mortals caught amid an Egyptian gods’ war. However, the Marvel Cinematic Universe changed a lot about Harrow’s god, Ammit, from the Moon Knight Marvel Comics and Egyptian mythology.
1. In ‘Moon Knight,’ Ammit fills the role traditionally assigned to Anubis
When Ethan Hawke joined the Moon Knight cast, fans became confused why Marvel would choose to adapt such an obscure character like Dr. Arthur Harrow. While he bears little resemblance to his Marvel Comics counterpart, Hawke already left a huge impression on viewers.
On his right arm, he has a tattoo of the “Judgement Scales.” Steven Grant witnesses the tattoo move as Harrow channels “a fraction of Ammit’s power” to judge people. However, this was the first significant change that Marvel added.
While Ammit is closely connected to the scales, in Egyptian mythology and Marvel Comics, Anubis is the one who judges souls. If a soul is deemed unworthy, Ammit consumes them.
Fans who tuned in to watch Moon Knight Episode 1 likely witnessed this event. When the scales on Arthur Harrow’s tattoo judged a woman negatively, she faded away right in front of them.
2. In ‘Moon Knight’ Marvel Comics, Ammit is associated with a very different doctor than Arthur Harrow
The MCU reworked Dr. Arthur Harrow from Marvel Comics so much that in the Disney+ Moon Knight, he does not seem to be a doctor at all. In fact, he never had any connections to Egyptian gods. However, Ammit did have ties to another doctor.
In one of the best Moon Knight comics, writer Jeff Lemire had Khonshu toy with Marc Spector’s mind. It threw everything into question, and several other Egyptian gods took on mortal forms.
In Moon Knight #2 from 2016, Ammit possessed Dr. Emmet, a psychiatrist who already had a particular interest in Marc Spector. She even worked with Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe in Spider-Man: No Way Home)
Moon Knight had to fight his own fracturing mind and the Egyptian gods to separate fiction from reality.
3. In Marvel Comics, Ammit had ties to a sword instead of a scarab
Moon Knight Episode 1 dropped a MacGuffin in Steven Grant’s pocket – literally. Marc Spector, Khonshu, and Moon Knight stole a golden scarab that Arthur Harrow said belonged to Ammit. While scarab remains an iconic Egyptian symbol, Ammit has ties to a much more intimidating item in the comics.
Marvel is home to dozens of fantastic weapons, like the Black Knight’s Ebony Blade and Moon Knight’s crescent darts. A lesser-known Marvel sword is the Sword of Bone.
A couple of X-Men Mutants, Dani Moonstar and Magik, used the Sword of Bone to defeat a villain. They returned it to its resting place to be guarded by Ammit.
While Moon Knight fans might not be completely familiar with the weapon, Doctor Strange fans might recognize it. Villains and heroes have both taken up the Sword of Bone to fight.
In Moon Knight, Egyptian gods like Khonshu and Ammit and Marvel Comics characters have a lot changed about them. The Disney+ show is in a position to surprise even the most well-read fans.
