Moon Knight Ending Explained: Who Was That in the Post-Credits Scene?

This post contains spoilers for Moon Knight.

The six-episode series Moon Knight comes to an explosive finale with death, resurrection, and the long-awaited appearance of a classic Marvel Comics character. Just who did we meet in the closing seconds of the episode? Let’s discuss!

The finale “Gods and Monsters” brings back both Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac) and Steven Grant (also Oscar Isaac) from the Egyptian afterlife as they achieve a new balance together. Khonshu (F. Murray Abraham), now freed from his effigy thanks to Layla El-Faouly (May Calamawy), once again strikes a deal with Marc to serve as his avatar–but only until the goddess Ammit is defeated.

Who is the Scarlet Scarab?

Layla wisely refused Khonshu’s offer to serve him while Marc was in the afterlife. But the power of an Egyptian god’s avatar is necessary to bind Ammit once and for all, so she temporarily accepts the role of Taweret’s avatar instead. Now clad in gold armor with wings, Layla is the superhero Scarlet Scarab, a new twist on a superhero who first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1977, and the first Egyptian superhero in the MCU.

In the comics, the Scarlet Scarab is Dr. Abdul Faoul, whose name is similar to Layla’s father in the Disney+ series. Faoul used the power of the mystical Ruby Scarab to become Egypt’s protector during the 1940s. 

With the combined powers of Moon Knight, Mr. Knight, and Layla as the new avatar of the goddess Taweret, Ammit is defeated. Marc and Layla seal the evil goddess inside the mortal form of Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke). Despite Khonshu’s insistence that Marc finish off Harrow once and for all, Marc chooses to spare his life. He considers his time as Khonshu’s avatar complete and the bargain fulfilled.

Someone else has a different opinion on the matter, however.

The New Guy

Comic book readers wondered when and where Jake Lockley would appear, as he’s a vital part of Moon Knight’s character. The Disney+ series struck the right balance of teasing Jake to both newcomers to the character and Marvel Comics veterans who have been waiting to see him finally make his debut. Hints were dropped all season long that there was another identity hiding within Marc’s damaged psyche, including unexplained blackouts, the three faces of Oscar Isaac in the end credits, and an ominous, shaking sarcophagus in the afterlife. 

We finally meet that identity in the final scene of the episode. Harrow, now a patient in the Sienkiewicz Psychiatric Hospital (a nice nod to Moon Knight artist Bill Sienkiewicz), feels a heavy, gloved hand on his shoulder. The man it belongs to pushes Harrow outside in his wheelchair while humming a Guatemalan hymn, and dumps him unceremoniously into the backseat of a luxury car. Khonshu is waiting inside.

As Khonshu gloats that he still has an avatar to command, the car divider slides down to reveal the person sitting in the driver’s seat. It’s Jake Lockley, the third personality that lives alongside Marc Spector and Steven Grant. The scowling, Spanish-speaking Jake shows no hesitation in killing Harrow. Jake drives away, and we get a glimpse of the license plate of the car – SPKTR – as seen in Moon Knight (2014) #3.

Jake is clearly the most violent of the three personalities, taking over when the odds are stacked against Moon Knight and unleashing brutal attacks against anyone in his way. There’s something sinister about him that’s immediately distinct from Marc and Steven.

So Who Is Jake Lockley?

Traditionally, Jake Lockley is a cab driver, often depicted as a mustached man wearing a flat cap similar to the one we see on Oscar Isaac in the post-credits scene. He exists in harmony with Marc and Steven, fulfilling his duty as a defender of travelers in the night. The streetwise taxi driver often narrates like a noir detective as he cruises the nighttime streets of New York. Jake keeps his ear close to the ground to seek out those who might be in need of his protection.

In Moon Knight (2016) #2 by Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood, Marc scribbles a portrait of the cap-wearing cabbie with the notes “perfect disguise” and “must clean the blood off the streets!”

In the first issue of Moon Knight (2014) by Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey, a doctor describes the four aspects of Khonshu to Marc Spector. The one, she says, who appears “in your most violent moments, [is] Khonshu’s vengeful secret aspect, the One Who Lives On Hearts.” It seems that this is what Jake Lockley embodies in the Disney+ series. Is he a hero? A villain? Or somewhere in between?

Is There Going to Be A Moon Knight Season 2?

There hasn’t been official word on a Season 2 of Moon Knight on Disney+, but there are a few hopeful signs. A tweet on May 3 from Marvel Studios calling the episode the “series finale” was later replaced with a tweet announcing it as the “season finale” instead. Producer Sarah Goher told Marvel.com, “This is a story that we’ve only scratched the surface of.”

However, Moon Knight director Mohamed Diab tweeted on May 4, “We are missing around 1100 amazing people who made this incredible show. Each and every one of you I’ll always call family. I’ll miss you & it’s hard to say it, but every journey has to end at some point. Goodbye #MoonKnight.”

Whether or not there’s a second season, however, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Marc Spector somewhere in the MCU in the future. But now that Marc has been released from his bargain with Khonshu, will we see him as Moon Knight again? And how will Marc and Steven react to the new guy?

Kelly Knox is a freelance writer who also contributes to StarWars.com, DCComics.com, Nerdist, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox to talk Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, and comics.