Does Disney Plus’ Loki undermine parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The Loki premiere positions one of the best MCU villains in the most unpredictable of circumstances, but does some of the show’s early revelations diminish certain aspects of the franchise?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has spent the better part of a decade building up the limitless power of the Infinity Stones. Loki has desired this power and has come into possession of the Mind Stone and the Space Stone, from time to time. In Avengers: Endgame, he once again nabs the Tesseract and escapes (something he is very good at doing), and this scene also serves as a prelude for Loki’s solo series. However, in the first episode of Loki, he is unexpectedly apprehended by time cops from the Time Variance Authority (TVA).

Once Loki is stuck at the TVA’s base of operation, which operates outside of the realm of time (this may all seem familiar to fans of Legends of Tomorrow), Loki learns that magic and other types of power do not work there. The most shocking example of this is when the God of Mischief finds a bunch of Infinity Stones stashed away in a drawer like worthless desk items. This is purposefully jarring, as the sight of Infinity Stones in action were previously met by the audience with gasps and wows.

The point Marvel is making here is that the Infinity Saga is over and it is time for the MCU to move on to other stories and threats. The way Loki would often mock and dismiss mighty forces in the past is similarly how the franchise’s most effective macguffins are being treated in Loki; maybe that is why Kevin Feige thought his show would be a suitable place to incapacitate the stones. But was it necessary to do this at all? Couldn’t we have advanced beyond the beloved Infinity Saga without the most prized items in the franchise being deliberately weakened? There could be other ways of presenting how formidable the TVA is supposed to be.

Does Loki undermine everything we learned in the Infinity Saga?

If the MCU would have ended with the Infinity Saga, it would probably be remembered as the best franchise in movie history, and may still be. This next phase of the MCU has so much to live up to, therefore it would be difficult to surpass the Infinity Saga, while it wouldn’t take that much for the MCU to start to go down hill (fingers crossed it doesn’t). So mocking its importance might not sit well with die-hard fans.

Unlike the Infinity Stones, a new facet of the universe that has been established in Loki is the sacred timeline. But does the TVA’s sacred timeline dilute the events of the movies by affirming that certain things were meant to happen without our heroes really having control over how they play out? Were all of the possible futures that Doctor Strange foresaw really possible or does destiny dictate what will occur? These two ideas are essentially at odds with each other, which means Marvel’s introduction of a sacred timeline causes unnecessary narrative confusion.

Another perspective to consider is the Ancient One’s explanation to Bruce Banner that changing the past does not change the future for that same timeline, but instead causes an alternate reality that runs parallel to the original. This concept clarifies how a multiverse works within the MCU, but something to ponder over is whether or not two parallel realities are one in the same as two different timelines. Maybe they are not and we will learn more about this, if not in Loki, then possibly in Spider-Man: No Way Home or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

More from Marvel Cinematic Universe

• Loki season 2 finale does set the stage for Kang Dynasty
• Marvel: (Spoiler) exits Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
• Will Loki air a new bonus episode tonight? (November 16, 2023)
• What If…? season 2 gets premiere date (and there’s a major twist)
• Marvel rumors hint Pedro Pascal has been cast in key Fantastic Four role

Currently, if one subscribes to the belief that two realities are also two different timelines, then that doesn’t mesh with the concept of a sacred timeline. Or could the sacred timeline and the multiverse coexist because alternate realities are somehow contained within the one timeline? It is possible that by the time the Loki miniseries is complete, viewers will be enlightened by new facts and information, and there is always a chance that the events of the show will somehow cause a multiverse ripple effect that will impact the plots of the upcoming MCU storylines.

Lastly, the series opener also cuts down Tom Hiddleston’s trickster god a few notches; the antagonist who threatened to take over Midgard and wreak havoc across the nine realms was reduced to a helpless captive by a bureaucratic organization. Does this undermine the titular character himself? Perhaps a bit, but to a lesser extent compared to the aforementioned topics, since his perpetual arrogant humor still energizes the episode. And we know that Loki is sure to be up to his magical mischievous ways in upcoming chapters of the limited series.

Would MCU fans have loved to watch the 2012 version of Loki escape with the Tesseract and turn his wrath to other parts of the galaxy after losing to earth’s mightiest heroes? That is probably where most had initially imagined this show would take them, yet Marvel chose to go down a completely different path.

To the studios’ credit, this series already demonstrates that we are seeing yet another side of one of the most dynamic and engaging antiheroes in this genre. With five more chapters to go, Loki may or may not redeem its deflation of past MCU events, however there is a good chance it will be just as entertaining and surprising as the titular character has been for the last ten years.

Do you think that Loki’s portrayal of the Infinity Stones and the sacred timeline minimizes the importance of previous MCU narratives? Let us know in the comments below.