The following contains major spoilers for Moon Knight, Episode 6, "Gods and Monsters," streaming now on Disney+.
After the finale of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Moon Knight, fans were introduced to another Egyptian superhero: Layla El-Faouly as the Scarlet Scarab. There had been much speculation on whether Layla would become a superhero of her own, and the latest episode of Moon Knight confirmed that speculation. However, the MCU’s introduction of the Egyptian hero is a far cry from the Scarlet Scarab’s origins in the Moon Knight comics. In the comics, the Scarlet Scarab was a man who went by the name of Abdul Faoul and was a former archeologist turned leader of an Egyptian resistance group to oppose British rule during the 1940s.
Using the power of The Scarab, he possessed enhanced physical abilities along with flight and the ability to drain others of their power. His disdain for the British was so great that he even allied himself with the Axis Powers to drive them out. However, after coming into contact with heroes such as Captain America, he came to see how evil the Nazis were, yet he didn't ally himself with the Allied Powers. Despite the powers granted to him by The Scarab, he ultimately passed away, and The Scarab was passed down to his son.
While Layla’s last name and occupation as an archeologist are references to the Scarlet Scarab, this is where their similarities end. Rather than getting her powers from the Ruby Scarab, Layla is turned into the Egyptian superhero after becoming the avatar of Taweret, the Goddess of Women and Children. As the Scarlet Scarab, she possesses heightened physical capabilities on par with those of both Marc Spector and Arthur Harrow. Aside from these, she also has access to the ability to summon weapons.
After sealing away Ammit within Harrow, Layla and Marc both lost their powers. However, this doesn’t mark the end of the road for her character. While Khonshu did release Marc, he made another one of Marc's personas, Jake Lockley, his new avatar who killed Harrow in a mid-credits scene. This could open a number of doors for Layla's return as the Scarlet Scarab regardless of whether there will be a second season. Since Jake lives within Marc and is portrayed as the most ruthless persona, this could create more friction between Marc and Layla. While Layla met the kind and quirky Steven Grant, she never met Jake. Their first meeting could be violent, which in that case, Layla would need another layer of protection to keep herself safe from this cold-blooded murderer.
Before she could become the avatar of Taweret, Khonshu tried to persuade Layla to become his avatar instead after Marc was seemingly killed. However, Layla refused to become Khonshu's avatar, only to become Taweret's avatar a few moments later. Why was this the case? Layla understood that Khonshu is not a completely honest Egyptian deity. He tricked Marc into becoming his avatar when he was on the verge of death, likely due to his unstable mind caused by his Dissociative Identity Disorder (D.I.D). Unlike Marc, Layla has a much more stable mind, which would make her more immune to his influence. Additionally, Layla was still recovering from the shock that Marc killed her father. When Taweret mentioned she knew her father and that he went to the Field of Reeds, Layla became more open to becoming her avatar.
Although she might not be a character from the Moon Knight comics, Layla El-Faouly has roots that tie her to one of the comics' more obscure characters, the Scarlet Scarab. Despite seemingly losing her powers as the avatar of Taweret after the finale, it is entirely possible she may get them back. Since Khonshu made Jake Lockley his new avatar, and Jake is another persona of Marc, Layla is bound to have a run-in with the more murderous Jake. And what better way to prepare her for this meeting than have her once again become the avatar of Taweret?
All six episodes of Moon Knight are available to stream in Disney+.