Is the Ancestral Plane in Moon Knight the Same as the One in Black Panther?
Moon Knight has become one of the most intriguing shows that you can watch on Disney+ because of how refreshingly new it is compared to the other MCU movies and shows. However, Moon Knight is also just as mysterious as it is mind-boggling. Nevertheless, the series did drop a huge bomb that could connect it to the MCU when the goddess Taweret mentioned something called the Ancestral Plane. So, is the Ancestral Plane in Moon Knight the same as the one in Black Panther?
It is possible that the Ancestral Plane that Taweret mentioned is the same as the one in Black Panther. She said that there are plenty of different afterlives depending on the person’s consciousness. And because the Panther Goddess in Black Panther is Egyptian, it could be the same Ancestral Plane.
It is interesting to note that Moon Knight has little to no references to the other MCU movies and shows at all. But by mentioning the Ancestral Plane, the series grows closer and closer to the rest of the MCU, as it is the only Marvel story thus far that has no connection to the greater MCU. In that regard, let’s look at what we know about the Ancestral Plane in Black Panther and Moon Knight.
What Is The Ancestral Plane In Black Panther?
The MCU is full of different stories and lore that tend to be exclusive to certain groups of people or ethnicities. While gods do exist in the MCU, especially because we have met godlike beings that are worshipped as gods by humans but are just really powerful cosmic beings living in other planets and realities all over the vast universe, there are some beings that are actually worshipped as gods but are yet to be revealed in terms of their true nature.
In the Black Panther movie, we get to understand that the Black Panthers and the members of the Wakandan royal family are connected to one another through what is called the Ancestral Plane, which the Black Panther travels to upon consuming the Heart-Shaped Herb, which is the plant that grants the chosen protector the powers of the Black Panther. And the Wakandans also worship the goddess named Bast, who is often considered the one who grants the Black Panther his powers.
When T’Challa and Erik Killmonger ingested the Heart-Shaped Herb respectively and were buried in sand, they both awoke in the Ancestral Plane, where they met their own fathers. In that regard, this is some sort of a different dimension that coexists along the Material Plane but can only be accessed when a person is separated from their physical forms.
In this case, T’Challa and Killmonger were both separated from their physical forms through the ritual that produces the Black Panther and were both sent to the Ancestral Plane, which is the place where the souls of all of the other members of the Wakandan Royal family are sent after death.
It is suggested that the Ancestral Plane is much like the Mirror Dimension that the masters of the mystic arts can access and is not so different from when Doctor Strange and the Ancient One use their powers to separate the soul from the material body. They both exist in the Material Plane of existence but are separate from it in the sense that the person’s physical body won’t be able to easily access them unless certain conditions are met.
Is The Ancestral Plane From Moon Knight The Same One In Black Panther?
While you already have a good idea of what the Ancestral Plane is in Black Panther, it is worth noting that it was mentioned in passing during episode 5 of Moon Knight in a scene involving Taweret, the Egyptian goddess of women and children.
In that scene, the souls of Marc and Steven were in a psych ward where they met Taweret, who introduced herself to them as the one who would guide their souls through the afterlife. That was when Marc wondered and asked if the afterlife is actually just a psych ward.
To that end, Taweret said that the afterlife that Marc and Steven were in is just one of the many different afterlives in existence. She also went on to say that there are many intersectional planes of untethered consciousness that exist. After that, she mentioned in passing that one of those intersectional planes of untethered consciousness that exists is a beautiful place called the Ancestral Plane.
So, is the Ancestral Plane that Taweret was referring to the same Ancestral Plane that we saw in Black Panther?
Well, it is quite possible that these Ancestral Planes are one and the same. And the clue there is the fact that Taweret called these places “intersectional planes of untethered consciousness.”
What Taweret was referring to when she said that is that the afterlife can be different depending on the state of consciousness of the person. In that regard, the afterlife for both Marc and Steven is a psych ward because they both understand that they are not entirely mentally stable. This leads us to the afterlife that the Wakandans call the Ancestral Plane.
Because the Wakandans have the very same state of consciousness in the sense that they all believe in the Wakandan culture and traditions and that they all worship the panther goddess Bast, their consciousness intersects in a plane called the Ancestral Plane. As such, whenever they die, they all end up in the same afterlife.
This could mean that the Ancestral Plane that Taweret was referring to is the very same one that the Wakandans go to whenever they die or whenever a new Black Panther is chosen. And when you see how Black Panther connects with Moon Knight, things will become clearer.
How Does Black Panther Connect With Moon Knight?
Now that we have mentioned that the Ancestral Plane that Taweret referred to in passing could be the same as the one in Black Panther, how do these two different stories even connect with one another?
Take note that this is one of the few times that Moon Knight makes any sort of reference to other MCU movies and shows as this series, save for the fact that it mentioned Madripoor in the past, is yet to connect itself with the main MCU events. This is something that is quite rare as most MCU movies and shows immediately establish how they connect with the entire MCU.
On the other hand, Moon Knight allows us to believe that it is an entirely different world on its own because of how it doesn’t make any references to the MCU at all. It might be due to the fact that Marc Spector is an entirely new character who has no connections to the other MCU characters that have been revealed in the Marvel movies and shows. But how does Black Panther even connect with Moon Knight?
Of course, in Moon Knight, a good part of the plot revolves around the Egyptian gods, who are actually deities that live in a separate dimension that can also be found in the Material Plane but cannot be accessed so easily. In that regard, the Egyptian gods themselves could be interdimensional beings instead of actual gods.
Going back to our point, it was established as early as Captain America: Civil War in 2016 that the Wakandands worship Bast and Sekhmet. In case you didn’t know, Bast and Sekhmet are Egyptian gods themselves or are interdimensional deities. This is what T’Challa said to Natasha in Civil War:
“In my culture, death is not the end. It’s more of a stepping off point. You reach out with both hands to Bast and Sekhmet, they lead you into the green veld where you can run forever.”
In that regard, it is possible that the connection between Moon Knight and Black Panther can be found in the fact that they are both connected to the Egyptian gods and deities. In Moon Knight, the Egyptian gods choose avatars that would represent them on Earth because they cannot materialize themselves on the Material Plane. This could be the same case in Black Panther.
It could be possible that the Black Panther is not only the protector of Wakanda but is also the avatar of the Egyptian goddess Bast. Since Bast herself could not materialize on the Material Plane due to her status as an interdimensional being, she might’ve appointed the Black Panther as her avatar on Earth. Just as Moon Knight is appointed by Khonshu to be his fist of vengeance and justice on Earth, the Black Panther could also be the same to Bast but serves as the protector of Wakanda instead.
Considering how Moon Knight has kept itself separate from the rest of the MCU so far, it is possible that the next episode will reveal more connections. And like the Marvel movies and shows of yesteryears, the post-credit scenes of Moon Knight could very well reveal how the series connects to the entire MCU.
