Loki: What’s hidden in plain sight in episode 1

“Devil bearing gifts”

I have no doubt that when some of us saw the depiction of the Devil in the stain glass window in the cathedral, we thought, “Are they confirming Mephisto for real this time?” Well, no. Episode 1 director Kate Herron quickly debunked that. Rather, it was a “super weird coincidence” that was a reference to Loki, particularly when it came to the horns (like Loki’s horned helmet) and being cast out of Heaven (like Loki was cast out of Asgard).

Of course, since this is a television series planned out to the last detail, the series comparing the God of Mischief to the Devil doesn’t seem that much of a coincidence. In addition, the stain-glass window makes other allusions to Loki which may not be so obvious.

For instance, notice that the devil in the stain glass window wears a robe of green and yellow. Those are the colors which are associated with Loki in both the comics and the MCU. It also has a blue tongue, as did the kid who received the “Kablooie” gum/candy from Loki Variant. Even the devil having red skin could be a sly nod to Loki. That’s because in the original Norse mythology, Loki is described as having red or “fire colored” hair due to the fact that, besides being a trickster god, Loki is also associated with fire. And how does the Loki variant kill those TVA agents at the end of the episode?

There’s another bit of information about Loki also mentioned in the premiere. When he’s before the court, Judge Renslayer addresses Loki as “Loki Laufeyson.” Laufeyson, like Odinson, translates as “Son of Laufey,” and in the comics and the MCU, Laufey is Loki’s biological frost giant father. However, in Norse Mythology, while Loki is the son of a giant, or jötunn, Laufey was the name of his mother and she was also a goddess.