- "Duat? The Egyptian underworld."
- ―Steven Grant to Marc Spector[src]
The Duat is an astral dimension that serves as the Egyptian underworld.
Overview[]
- "Because the Duat's true nature is impossible for the human mind to comprehend..."
"Right."
"...You may perceive this realm as something more easily recognizable to you." - ―Taweret and Steven Grant[src]
The Duat is an astral dimension and one of several parallel afterlife planes in existence, alongside the Ancestral Plane[1] and Valhalla.[2] The Duat is a vast Egyptian-style land that is sheeted with an ocean of sand. The skies and clouds have a purple color scheme, with peaks of yellow light shining through. The desert acts as an actual ocean for Taweret's Boat, as the ship sails across it as if it were water. There are other landscapes available within the realm, such as the heavenly paradise known as Aaru and the Gates of Osiris that lead back to the realm of the living.
Since the true nature of the realm cannot be comprehended by humans, when their soul arrives inside Taweret's boat upon passing away, the interior of the ship will appear as a place more recognizable and suitable for them. It can also manifest as a representation of the soul's mind, for example, when Marc Spector died, the boat appeared as Putnam Psychiatric Hospital, due to him having a fractured mind and a mental illness.[3] Furthermore, people with dissociative identity disorder become separated from their alters, who are initially transported inside a sarcophagus.[4]
On the boat, they are welcomed by the Ennead Taweret, who has notes of the lines she says to the souls. She then removes their heart and places it on the Scales of Justice to measure with the Feather of Truth. If the scales are balanced, the soul will pass on to Aaru, where they will spend the rest of eternity in peace.[3] However, the soul is able to exit Aaru and arrive back in the desert, but they are unable to return.[5] If the scale are unbalanced, the soul will either be cast or dragged down by zombified unbalanced souls into the desert and will be frozen in sand for all eternity[3], unless they earn a balanced heart or if the Gates of Osiris opens up for them.[5]
The Duat also reshapes the boat's interior to contain all of a life's memories, allowing souls to revisit their past. Other than that, manifestations of the soul's past, such as Spector having a room filled with his victims, or an illusion of his brother Randall Spector. What is more abnormal is how souls can be suddenly teleported from one place to another, with Spector occasionally finding himself in Arthur Harrow's office to discuss his mental state. During their time at the therapist's office, Spector and Steven Grant were made to believe that their experiences as Khonshu's Avatars were all a fantasy and delusion, and that supposedly they were composed of aspects in the hospital, such as its residents and items.[4][3] Even when the soul returns to life, they would have a visit to their illusionary reality one night during their sleep. If they manage to realize that their experiences were real, portions of the true reality seep into the illusion, for example, Dr. Harrow having bleeding feet, a reference to how Arthur Harrow put glass in his shoes.[5]
History[]
| This section needs a rewrite |
Khonshu's former avatar, Marc Spector, after chasing Arthur Harrow and his disciples to Egypt, was shot in the tomb of Alexander the Great and briefly lost consciousness as he fell into the water inside the chamber. When he reawakened, he found himself partially sedated in what he perceived as Putnam Psychiatric Hospital, watching his favorite childhood film while in a wheelchair. He was soon wheeled away and observed several patients who had the likenesses of individuals from his living life, including Bertrand Crawley, several of Arthur's cult followers, Layla El-Faouly, and Arthur Harrow, who appeared as a doctor who claimed he was attempting to help Marc understand his mental illness. However, when the sedatives wore off, a distrustful Marc attempted to escape and managed to make his way into another section of the hospital, where he hid from the orderlies chasing him down.
Within the room, he noticed a sarcophagus with someone screaming inside and begging to be let out. When Marc opened the sarcophagus, he released a physical form of Steven Grant, separated from his body. The two joyfully reunited and resolved to leave the hospital, leading them to briefly sneak through the halls, while deliberately passing another sarcophagus with something raging inside. However, they then encountered the Ennead Tawaret, who attempted to greet them, to their horrified surprise.[4]
Marc then found himself back in Arthur Harrow's office and engaged in a brief conversation with him before attempting to stab him with a nearby figure. However, when he was injected with more sedative, he found himself back with Steven and Tawaret. Tawaret then attempted to explain to the two that they had entered the Duat, the Egyptian underworld, noting that their perception of the realm as a psychiatric hospital was most likely due to its more comprehensible and relatable nature. However, a disbelieving Marc attempted to leave through another door before exiting out onto a ship sailing over the Duat's dunes, much to his shock.
After Grant explained that the two were sailing to Aaru, Tawaret added that they would only be able to pass on if their hearts were balanced. However, when she attempted to weigh their hearts, the scale began to fluctuate wildly, leading Tawaret to advise the pair to reconcile their past or be condemned to the dunes.
Despite Spector's attempts to convince Grant to kill Tawaret and take control of the boat, Grant insisted on seeing their past together as they traveled back inside, now able to visit their memories as rooms within the ship, starting with the death of Spector's brother and continuing through his history up to his origin as Moon Knight. However, after viewing Marc pledge his allegiance to Khonshu, they were led outside by the sound of baboons, revealing that souls were being sent to the Duat without being judged - a sign that Ammit had returned. Despite the duo's pleas to be resurrected, Tawaret explained that, even if they were brought back to their body, they would die of their wounds without Khonshu's healing. The two then requested a message be sent to Layla to task her with freeing Khonshu, and Tawaret agreed on the condition that their hearts balanced.
When they returned inside, however, Spector steered Grant away from another door and, in his frustration, found himself back with Harrow, who advised him to reconcile with his alter. When Spector returned to the Duat, he and Grant experienced Spector's memories of childhood trauma, with Spector explaining that Grant had been able to live a happier life where he believed that his mother was alive and had loved him, despite Grant's disbelief. Grant then found himself with Harrow, who continuously pressured him into making a phone call with his mother, resulting in Grant finally accepting that his mother was gone when he heard nothing but a dial tone on the other end.
Finally, the two arrived at one of Spector's more recent memories, that of him refusing to visit his mother's shiva. With Grant's final reassurance that it was not Spector's fault, the two alters embraced, but were interrupted by the ship stopping.
The two came out onto the deck of the ship, with Tawaret explaining that, as their scales were not balanced, the lost souls would be boarding the ship to take their souls. Despite their best efforts, Grant was dragged off the ship in an attempt to help Marc and, despite his pleas, was left petrified in the sand. However, this left Spector's heart balanced as the ship sailed into the Gates of Osiris.[3]
For a few moments, Spector was transported to the Field of Reeds, left in awe of its picturesque and peaceful nature. However, he refused to take his place in the Field and ran back out to save his alter, despite warnings that he would be unable to return. After delivering an impassioned speech and giving the petrified Steven his heart as he slowly turned to sand himself, the two were restored as the Gates opened once more. Just as a sandstorm was approaching them, Tawaret assisted them and took them through the gates on the ship, restoring them to life.[5]
Appearances[]
In chronological order:
Moon Knight | Episode 1.01: The Goldfish Problem (mentioned)- Moon Knight | Episode 1.04: The Tomb
Moon Knight | Episode 1.05: Asylum- Moon Knight | Episode 1.06: Gods and Monsters
References[]
External Links[]
- Duat on Wikipedia
- Duat on Marvel Database
