This article contains spoilers for the season finale of “Loki.”
With the season finale of “Loki,” it is perfectly clear that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is officially expanding into the multiverse. Of course, many knew this was coming; the sequel to “Doctor Strange” is called “Multiverse of Madness.” But there has been constant speculation and theories about what will take place in the “Doctor Strange” sequel. And with very strong multiverse rumors for “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” a movie that premieres before “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” many were asking: what will be the catalyst?
And we finally got our answer in “Loki.” Of all the Marvel Disney+ shows, “Loki” is going to be the catalyst for several Marvel movies, as well as returning for a second season, and it’s absolutely glorious. The MCU has truly returned at full force, and it’s time to theorize about what this will mean going forward.
First up is “Loki” Season 2. While sadly, it has already been confirmed that director Kate Herron will not be returning, let’s hope that head writer Michael Waldron and composer Natalie Holt come back to deliver their magic. At the end of season one, the TVA is now openly ruled by Kang the Conqueror, who has reset the TVA workforce. That is why neither Mobius nor Hunter B-15 remember Loki.
But will Loki use this to his advantage? After the shock leaves him, Loki could take on the identity of a TVA analyst and now have full access to the TVA. But while Mobius doesn’t know our Loki, it is curious that he wouldn’t recognize him at all. Did Kang completely erase Loki from the timeline or this Mobius just no longer a Loki expert?
“Loki” also left open-ended storylines for both Sylvie and Ravonna Renslayer. Remember, Sylvie has Immortus’ TemPad so she could easily go anywhere in the multiverse; it’s just a matter of where she ends up. And Renslayer is in search of “free will,” implying that she’s searching for the leader of the TVA who she believes is the only one who has it. Will she find Kang the Conqueror and become an ally to him? A Renslayer villain level-up would be great to see.
As Immortus affirmed, there are infinite versions of him; just how many will MCU fans get to see in the future? Kang has the makings to become a major MCU villain as his character has fought both the Fantastic Four and the Avengers in the comics. He has the knowledge of people’s pasts and their futures, and he uses this to his advantage. The main villain will obviously be Kang the Conqueror, but other variants could pop up in the movies.
Iron Lad, Nate Richards, is a teenage version of Kang, horrified by his villainous future and decides to become a hero; this is a very quick summary, by the way. Another version of Kang that would be fantastic to include is Victor Timely. Timely hides out in 1901, and over the years, poses himself as his own heirs. Maybe we could see Jonathan Majors pop up as Victor Timely in other movies. Just because he is only confirmed for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” doesn’t mean that he won’t appear throughout the MCU.
Yes, thanks to Sylvie, there are multiple variants of Kang, but also multiple variants of other characters, and this will play into future MCU and Marvel Disney+ projects. In just under a month, “What If…?” is premiering on Disney+ on August 11th. “What If…?” is an animated series that will showcase multiverse stories that lead into “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Michael Waldron, the head writer for “Loki,” is the writer for the “Doctor Strange” sequel.
Jonathan Majors is confirmed for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” but what version of Kang will we see there? And with Kathryn Newton confirmed to be playing an older Cassie Lang, Nate Richards could make his debut as Iron Lad here.
And as stated above, there have been various rumors and speculation about “Spider-Man: No Way Home” about Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, and even past Spidey villains returning. The multiverse is a great explanation for whatever chaos happens in the third MCU/Sony Spider-Man film.
I wonder if we can get that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” trailer now…
