Moon Knight Episode 4 References Marvel Character With Captain America Ties

By Richard Nebens Updated:
Moon Knight, Captain America, Layla

Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight is approaching the home stretch within its first and possibly only season on Disney+, now having aired its fourth episode for fans worldwide. Marvel has thrown loop after loop into this story with each new episode, diving deep into ancient Egyptian mythology within the MCU while trying to keep up with Marc Spector and Steven Grant's journey together.

Along with the incredible action that came through in the Egyptian tomb with Marc and Layla, Marvel provided some intriguing history on the series' core characters as the adventure inches closer to its end. Arthur Harrow unleashed even more of his fury during his mysterious quest to appease the goddess Ammit, which puts the show's leading heroes into some serious trouble.

While Moon Knight is almost completely separate from the rest of the MCU, fans have seen nods to other past projects like Avengers: Infinity War and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier throughout the plot. While this past episode didn't include any other connections like that, it did tie back to one of Captain America's earliest villains from back in the day.

Captain America Comic Nod in Moon Knight

Warning - the rest of this article contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Moon Knight.

Moon Knight Ethan Hawke
Marvel

Episode 4 of Moon Knight included a moment between Ethan Hawke's Arthur Harrow and May Calamay's Layla that shed some light on Layla's history in the MCU.

Harrow told Layla about how her father died in a raid that involved Marc Spector, even mentioning that her father's name was Abdullah El Faouly. This is likely based on a character from Marvel Comics named Abdul Faoul, who fought Captain America as a villain called the Scarlet Scarab.

Abdul Faoul, Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics

The Scarlet Scarab led a group of warriors called the Sons of Scarab, who protected Egypt for many years. He has also come into conflict with Namor the Submariner, who is rumored his MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever played by Tenoch Huerta.

Scarlet Scarab, Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics

Will Moon Knight Explore Layla's MCU Connections?

Seeing how the MCU often takes characters like this and loosely ties them back to heroes and villains from the comics, it's not too surprising to see someone like the Scarlet Scarab introduced in this manner.

The nod to this villain likely won't tie back in any big way to Namor if he's eventually introduced later this year in Wakanda Forever, especially since Abdullah was killed years ago in the story. However, tying him into Layla's backstory adds a new twist to her potential importance to the journey ahead, especially being a character that was created specifically for the MCU.

Even with Chris Evans' Steve Rogers now retired, the Captain America legacy lives on and continues to grow through other characters like Sam Wilson and through references like this one within the expanding narrative. It's unknown if Layla's father will be mentioned again in the show's final two episodes, but this nod alone makes her somebody to keep a close eye on moving forward.

The first four episodes of Moon Knight are available to stream on Disney+.

- About The Author: Richard Nebens
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.