Loki’s series premiere gave viewers a lot. Unfortunately, answers weren’t part of that.
Loki is finally here. The heavily-anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe offshoot premiered on Disney Plus to a generally positive reception from fans and critics, raising expectations even higher for the subsequent installments.
The series premiere was primarily tasked with catching viewers up on the events that led the God of Mischief to this point in time (both literally and figuratively). As a result, he learned about the life that would have been waiting for him if he had not taken that unplanned trip into the timeline. And that ultimately helped him make a decision in regards to joining the Time Variance Authority’s mission to stop the mysterious threat that is killing the organization’s officers.
The premiere episode may have been all about giving Loki the answers that he was looking for but it only left audiences with more questions. On that note, let’s delve into some of the biggest questions that the first episode left us with as we look ahead to the second one.
5. Can Loki be trusted?
It might seem cold of us to ask this after witnessing the emotional rollercoaster that Loki himself went on in that premiere episode, but let’s face facts here: Anyone with a nickname like the God of Mischief will certainly raise suspicions in the trust department (and that’s not even taking into account all of the dastardly things that he has actually done).
It does seem like this formerly evil Loki has fast-tracked his own redemption arc by watching the authentic one from the original timeline unfold before his eyes. Whether he sticks with it remains to be seen.
But he’s not the only one we should be suspicious of…
4. Can the TVA be trusted?
The Time Variance Authority is an ancient organization overseen by three mysterious figures who wish for the multiverse to simply remain one single timeline. On paper, they sound like an organization of do-gooders (albeit an odd one) but they certainly raise an eyebrow or two in execution.
The mystery behind the TVA is enough to make any comic book fan suspicious because, well, suspicious organizations are never the good guys. Moreover, the ease at which they eliminate anyone who doesn’t comply with their rules (even those who verbally disagree with them) is quite terrifying – so terrifying, in fact, that Loki temporarily complied to avoid a similar fate.
Are the TVA really who they say they are? Or will Loki find himself attempting to outrun the all-powerful agency because of something they did?
3. What’s next for Loki?
The God of Mischief quite literally saw his own life flash before his eyes when he watched the events that were supposed to unfold. It seems that allowed him to accept the fact that he can’t return to the timeline (at least not in any capacity that doesn’t follow his original narrative). And that means that he will reluctantly help the TVA track down their threat.
However, what happens when he completes that mission? He literally can’t go back to his own life and he can’t create a new one for himself in the timeline either.
Is a life outside of the timeline working for the TVA his only option now?
2. Who is the villain in Loki?
Before the conclusion of the series premiere, Mobius M. Mobius revealed that the threat the TVA needed the trickster’s help with was, well, Loki. A moment so jarring it could only happen in a show as outlandish as this, it undoubtedly still left a lot of viewers scratching their heads.
Is Loki really the villain of his own show? Well it’s possible but probably not in the way you think. The likely theory is that the person responsible for all those TVA Agent deaths is actually Lady Loki.
In the comics, Loki could use his shapeshifting abilities to turn himself into a female version and rumors suggesting that the character will be involved in the show have been circling for a long time. This certainly seems to be pointing the series in that direction.
1. Is Loki responsible for the Doctor Strange and Spider-Man sequels?
The time travel and multiverse concepts don’t explicitly have to be the same thing. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, it seems that they are as Loki suggested that the chaos in the timeline was creating a new multiverse – something that the TVA would like to prevent.
We all know that the multiverse is coming to the MCU. The title of the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness suggests that and rumor has it that Spider-Man: No Way Home will be the movie that paves the way for that to happen. However, it now seems that Loki will be the project that opens those multiverse floodgates.
The TVA monologue revealed that all of these separate timelines risked creating a new multiverse and that could very well be what results in all of those former non-MCU Spider-Man actors showing up in the MCU before who-knows-what inevitably happens in Doctor Strange 2.
Loki adds new episodes to Disney+ every Wednesday for the next five weeks.
What did you think of Loki‘s premiere? Are you looking forward to episode 2? What questions did the show leave you asking? Let us know in the comments below!