Disney+'s Moon Knight hid a Kang Easter egg that might tease how Season 2's plot will tie into Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.
All roads lead to Kang the Conqueror. Just as all the stories of the Infinity Saga were ultimately building toward the arrival of Thanos and the inevitable face-off, every part of Marvel Studios' current batch of Multversal storytelling is heading toward The Kang Dynasty and its time-traveling villain.
But in the midst of the increasingly connected pieces of this puzzle has come one curiously standalone chapter with Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight. The Disney+ series introduced a brand-new player to the MCU with a promise of more to come but did so in a package that avoided tying itself to the bigger picture.
There were no cameos, major set-ups, or teases toward future events. But there was one Easter egg that may have laid the groundwork for a Season 2 that connects itself far more closely to The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.
Moon Knight's Kang Easter Egg Explained
Moon Knight Episode 3 saw Marc Spector take on a group of Arthur Harrow's followers atop a building in Cairo, Egypt. One of the thugs sported a jacket with a design on the back that resembled a Pharaoh's headpiece, more specifically that of the fictional Egyptian ruler Rama-Tut, a Variant of Kang the Conqueror.
This being a direct reference to Rama-Tut is only made more apparent by the teal and purple patches on the jacket - these being the two colors most commonly part of Kang the Conqueror's villainous suit.
Moon Knight head writer Jeremy Slater revealed to The Direct in May 2022 that the series originally included a specific name-drop of Rama-Tut as Steven Grant was "mentioning a list of famous pharaohs." The idea was put forward by Marvel Studios executive Nick Pepin but never made it in:
“There was a line in the script, and I don’t know if it survived. I can’t remember. But there was a line where, I think Steven, is sort of rattling off some Egyptian history that he has locked away in his brain, and he did mention Rama-Tut. I don’t remember if that scene, if that line is still in the show or not. But it was that small, it was him mentioning a list of famous pharaohs or something like that.
When Earth-6311's Nathaniel Richards departed his futuristic time for Earth-616's Ancient Egypt - a universe and historical period he had a great fascination with - he did so in a time machine in the shape of a Sphinx.
Funnily enough, a Sphinx can be spotted in Loki Episode 5, "Journey Into Mystery," while Mobius and Sylvie are being chased by Alioth. Of course, The Void was packed with Marvel references, but the building hints to this particular Kang Variant is tough to see as a coincidence.
Nathaniel Richards lost his vision - almost like the MCU's Wanda Maximoff - during his journey to Ancient Egypt. But he was still able to conquer the age-old kingdom and appoint himself Pharaoh, under the guise of Rama-Tut, through the use of futuristic weapons and drones aboard his ship.
He was also able to restore his vision using a radioactive herb, however, Rama-Tut was ultimately forced to flee the time and place after a time-displaced Fantastic Four spearheaded a rebellion against him. This all happened a year before Kang was ever introduced, and serves as the villain's first appearance.
Why Moon Knight Season 2 Needs To Set up Avengers 5
Kang actor Jonathan Majors already teased that there are "so many Variants" of the conquering villain, and yet fans have only heard of two so far - Loki's He Who Remains and Ant-Man 3's Warrior Kang. Although a recent rumor pointed to a third "Inventor" Variant coming in Loki Season 2.
When it came to crafting the MCU's Kang, Ant-Man 3 and Avengers 5 writer Jeff Loveness teased how he took a deep dive into the character's comic history and got "way into the Rama-Tut and Scarlet Centurion stuff." So, Loveness is aware of the Egyptian Kang and may push to include him in the plans.
Not to mention, Marvel Studios is eager to develop Kang as a threat to all of time and the whole Multiverse. Introducing a Kang Variant with dominion over one of the most infamous civilizations in the farthest depths of history would only help to develop him as a villain of the past, present, and future.
The latest rumor surrounding the unannounced Moon Knight Season 2 revealed that Marvel Studios is planning for it to premiere on Disney+ sometime before May 2026's Avengers: Secret Wars. This would place its release somewhere in Phase 6 between Fall 2024 and Summer 2026.
Marvel Studios' desire to have Moon Knight return before Avengers: Secret Wars points toward the Disney+ story setting up the blockbuster in some way. And after a debut season with almost no links to the wider MCU, perhaps that's exactly what Moon Knight needs to help him smoothly enter the Avengers fold.
Then again, Moon Knight still has plenty of other loose ends to tie up before he can tag along with the Avengers. For one, Marc Spector and Steven Grant currently believe they are free of Khonshu's control, while their third alter Jake Lockley continues to do his bidding.
That thread will need to be resolved in Moon Knight's solo series before he can smoothly transition into other projects. So, unless Season 2 somehow receives a rapid fast-track to before The Kang Dynasty, the Fist of Khonshu's first Avengers team-up may need to be saved for Secret Wars.
However, this plan could see Moon Knight take on a role in Secret Wars with some resemblance to Ant-Man's in Endgame. After sitting out The Kang Dynasty, Marc Spector could be introduced to the Avengers in the sixth movie with some expertise on Kang thanks to a meeting with Rama-Tut.
How Kang's Rama Tut Could Fit Into the MCU
With Moon Knight being so focused on Egyptian mythology, it's easy to see how a former Pharaoh could easily come into play. As Khonshu - the Moon God who Marc Specter serves as the Avatar - has been around since even before the days of Ancient Egypt, perhaps he may have some issues with Rama-Tut.
Marc Spector and Steven Grant's relationship with Khonshu is rather complicated at the moment as the Moon God continues to use their body as a host without their knowledge through their Jake Lockley alter. But that dynamic will likely be repaired soon so that Spector and Grant can get back in action in Season 2.
As he has in certain Marvel Comics stories, perhaps the Khonshu of the past could reach out to the heroes of the future for their help in dethroning Rama-Tut. He even summons Moon Knight from the 21st century for his help, which could play out in Season 2 as a means to introduce the Pharaoh Kang.
One story saw took a Kang Variant to Ancient Egypt in search of three artifacts that joined into a staff from Khonshu that would offer him dominion over all of time. However, this plan was thwarted when the staff was broken and the components were scattered, with Khonshu calling on the present-day Moon Knight for help.
There have already been rumors of ancient artifacts - including Ms. Marvel's Bangle and Shang-Chi's Ten Rings - being the new Infinity Stones of this saga. Perhaps these are chunks of a similarly powerful artifact that a multitude of Kang Variants will be after to gain dominion over the Multiverse.
The MCU's Egyptian mythology doesn't currently have any connections to time travel - apart from how Khonshu rewound the sky several thousand years - but some Egyptian God magic could facilitate this. After all, Ms. Marvel introduced a whole new means of time travel that even contradicted Avengers: Endgame.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty hits theaters on May 2, 2025, and Secret Wars will follow on May 1, 2026. Moon Knight Season 2 has yet to be officially announced or set a release date.
