Warning! This article may contain spoilers for Moon Knight! Read at your own risk!
Moon Knight Episode 4 shook everyone’s worlds with the sudden change of environment from the sands of Egypt to the mental institution facility and by the end of the run, an adorable Egyptian hippo, the goddess of childbirth and fertility, Taweret, finally made her appearance in the show. The creator of the series is the one we have to thank for in adding her to the narrative with “their permission to get weird.”
Moon Knight creator Jeremy Slater opened up on Twitter how they got to include Taweret into the series and while the other writers in the show were laughing in shock with his question, it proved to be a success when the goddess made her appearance, “Guys, we have something much more important, which is, how do I get this hippo into the show?”
Slater shared that they were given more liberty in the show unlike other projects, “I'm very serious. We're putting her in the show. I think that was the first moment everyone realized, oh, we have permission to get weird, here. We have permission to do some things you wouldn't necessarily get to do if you weren't working at a place like Marvel Studios… This gave me my weird swing. And most importantly, it got my favorite hippo into the show."
Taweret has no comic book counterpart which means that the creators of the show had a liberty to do anything with her character. With what Slater just shared, their permission to weirdness has made her appearance possible. She could easily be everyone’s favorite hippo and what makes her impressive is how her movement really mirrors a real one. Check the way her ears and nostrils move.
Taweret made her debut at the end of Episode 4 when Marc and Steven were trying to escape the mental institution and just before they reach the exit, they encounter an Egyptian hippopotamus who said hi, in a really sweet and nice way but they screamed at her. That seems rude but if you are to see a hippo walking on its feet and not on fours then it says “hi” to you, you’d understand Steven and Marc.
Related: Moon Knight Episode 4: The Bingo Card Explained
In ancient Egyptian lore, Taweret is the goddess of childbirth and fertility, the protector of women in their pregnancy. An ally of Hathor who was previously revealed to be an ally of Khonshu, Taweret’s appearance could be key tp how Marc/ Steven could come back to life, either by rebirth or by making them her avatar.
Moon Knight has been deep into Egyptology especially with the ancient gods and deities that the show introduced into the MCU. From the setting to the references the show used, the myths of ancient Egypt have shaped the show into something amazing, even having Alexander the Great involved with Ammit in the story.
See more of Taweret in Moon Knight exclusively streaming on Disney Plus.
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