Moon Knight recently debuted its action-packed finale episode, which featured, among other things, Marc Spector and Steven Grant fully coming to terms with one another, a pitched showdown between Moon Knight and Arthur Harrow, and a giant crocodile fighting a giant bird skeleton. Yeah, things got interesting. Amidst all the chaos was the full debut of May Calamawy's Layla El-Faouly as the MCU's own Scarlet Scarab, the first Egyptian superhero put to screen.
Armed with twin blades and the power of flight when suited up, Layla is the Avatar of Tawaret, the Egyptian goddess of women and children. She uses her newfound abilities to help Marc and Steven turn the tide against Harrow and his forces.
Of course, Moon Knight was almost completely devoid of crossovers from the larger MCU. Director Mohamed Diab and the team at Marvel Studios decided to let the story of Marc Spector stand on its own, rather than getting too distracted by a parade of Easter eggs and cameos. But that's not to say that May Calamawy doesn't have some ideas on whom she'd like to see Layla cross over with.
Scarlet Scarab and Friends
Speaking to Inverse, Moon Knight actress, May Calamawy expressed her desire for her character, Layla El-Faouly, to team up with a variety of MCU characters, like Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange:
There has been nothing yet that I know of what could happen with Scarlet Scarab. But I love Doctor Strange, that would be cool. Blade would be cool because I've worked with Mahershala Ali and I think he's so wonderful.
She added that there are a couple of other MCU staples that she thinks Layla should cross paths with, while also being sure to note that "it depends on the story:"
And then, I love all the women. I love Agatha. I feel like in the beginning, I used to love anyone that was kind of a villain like Nebula. I found them so complex. But honestly, it really depends on the story. I kind of want to be with all of them.
Calamawy then went on to detail how her representation of her own Egyptian culture on screen as a superhero is meaningful:
Being a superhero feels like you're truly stepping into yourself and allowing yourself to shine as you are. As an actor, I've had to do a lot of work to allow myself to pursue this and not follow certain norms that maybe people from my society at my age would already be conforming to. I had to really evaluate a lot and recognize how I wanted to live my life as opposed to how anyone else would
The actress is also sure to make mention that she hopes Layla becomes a "testament" to being true to one's self:
To really step into what's true for me has taken a lot of courage. And, I know not everyone is going to look at Layla and go, I relate to that woman, but what I hope is that she becomes a testament of being true to you. Because that's going to always be every single person’s superpower.
The Continuing Adventures of Layla El-Faouly?
Given where this season of Moon Knight leaves off, with Marc and Steven seemingly free of their commitment to Khonshu, and Layla being most likely being released from her duty to Tawaret, it will be interesting to see where the MCU takes these characters next. Obviously, with Marc's other alter, Jake Lockley, still on the table and still in service of Khonshu, the story isn't over yet.
Season 2 of Moon Knight seems likely. And with that second season comes more of an opportunity to add in some cameos from other MCU properties. Perhaps May Calamwy will get her wish to team up with Blade or Doctor Strange granted. With all the speculation surrounding an MCU Midnight Suns-style team-up, that could be the place where all these supernaturally-tinged heroes could come together against a larger threat.
It's also very nice to see Calamawy speak on the power of representation and that her role as a Marvel hero can still be inspiring whether you directly see yourself in her character or not.
All six episodes of Marvel Studios' Moon Knight are now streaming exclusively on Disney+.
