Avengers: Endgame
is the biggest movie of the year, a massive event for the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has no rival. The film is filled with amazing Easter eggs that fans of the MCU certainly appreciate, and the fast-paced story is fun to follow, although there are various events that have puzzled fans.
The film’s plot isn’t full of holes, and most everything can be explained — and we did look at the various controversies that emerged after the premiere. Not to mention that Marvel stepped in to clarify matters, going on record to explain some of the more divisive elements of the plot — time travel rules and Captain America’s timeline come to mind. But there’s still something Marvel needs to properly explain, a detail that might prove to be very important for understanding the entirety of Endgame as a film, and of what’s to follow in the MCU.
Almost two months ago, actor Tom Hiddleston had this to say to Stephen Colbert on The Late Show:
In the years since Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, which came out this spring, two questions have been asked: Is Loki really dead, and what is Loki doing with that cube? And this series will answer both of those questions.
But Hiddleston never expanded on those questions. At the time, we told you that Marvel will solve these two remaining mysteries, but that we’ll have to wait. Little did we know that Marvel was about to do something unexpected and actually deliver what initially seems like a tiny spoiler, but is actually of major importance.
While addressing the complex Phase 4, full of movies and Disney+ TV shows, Marvel president Kevin Feige acknowledged that the Loki series will actually tie into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:
The Scarlet Witch will be a key character in that movie, and Feige points out that the Loki series will tie in, too. “I’m not sure we’ve actually acknowledged that before,” he says. “But it does.”
That’s a massive revelation about the character, as Marvel practically confirmed the revival of a dead hero.
Loki might not be an officially anointed Avenger, but he’s still a beloved MCU hero. Endgame cemented the idea that his death in the early scenes of Infinity War was permanent. The Loki we got to see in Endgame, was the 2012 version who was able to steal the Space Stone back in New York and escape, thus generating an entirely new timeline, one where the events that followed the first Battle of New York may look a lot different.
The Loki in our timeline was captured and taken back to Asgard, so the 2012 Loki who stole the cube is a different character, one that’s yet to see almost eye to eye with Thor-and-friends.
Now that Feige confirmed Loki will return in the MCU and will influence the events in the Doctor Strange 2, it’s clear that Marvel has practically revived Loki in a Gamora fashion. The original Gamora, our Gamora, died in Infinity War when Thanos sacrificed his favorite daughter for the Soul Stone. But then in Endgame, 2014 Gamora traveled to our timeline with 2014 Thanos and his army and got stuck in this reality version. That’s the Gamora we’ll get to meet in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and maybe other MCU movies down the line.
Also, truth be told, a Loki TV show that wouldn’t be intertwined with the rest of MCU would be a lot less exciting. So, in a way, we’ve all been expecting the show to be tied to the bigger picture in some way.
Feige’s revelation is also essential for clarifying, once and for all, how time travel works in the MCU. Yes, 2012 Loki escaped, but he created a different timeline when he got his hands on that cube. Just like Cap did when he went for that dance and stayed for the full marriage experience. Once Loki premieres in 2021, we’ll also learn what he’s been doing after his escape. And I’m definitely excited to see how it’ll be possible for him to meet Doctor Strange or anyone else in our timeline. Or why Strange would somehow travel to Loki’s reality. Moving through time, or to alternate realities requires Pym particles, after all.
