Disney+ has launched a new series based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But this time, we delve into the story of one of the most ambiguous characters — Loki.

If WandaVision broke our hearts, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier blurred the lines between good and evil, then Loki is ready to blow our minds with theories and time travel. Its story is set to have massive consequences for the entire Marvel multiverse.

Don't be surprised if you don't understand a thing throughout the entire first episode. As Owen Wilson's character said, you'll catch up. It seems the series will be packed with complex concepts and ideas that we have yet to fully grasp.

This article contains spoilers, so beware!

Let's Talk About Loki

Loki is arguably one of the most contradictory characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Prince of Asgard, son of Odin, rightful king of Jotunheim, God of Mischief. We've seen the character evolve over the films from a villain to someone who helped the Avengers fight Thanos, and Thor in his struggle for Asgard. Of course, the actor Tom Hiddleston himself also contributes to the character's popularity. His charisma, wit, and talkativeness have been carried over into the solo series.

A New Bromance

The first episode and several trailers give hope for a new dynamic duo: Loki and Agent Mobius. One is impulsive and uncontrollable, while the other is too calm for what's happening around them. It's a pleasure to watch the excellent chemistry between the actors (Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson), who will be protecting the sacred timeline.

A Bit About the Episode's Plot

The episode starts at the moment when the Avengers team went back in time to steal the Tesseract. But at one point, Hulk accidentally knocks the Cube out of Tony Stark's hands, and it falls into the hands of the god Loki, who is handcuffed and awaiting sentencing. Naturally, he uses it to teleport. In doing so, he incurs the wrath of an agency called the Time Variance Authority (TVA) for deviating from his prescribed chronology or sequence of events that had already been predicted. What's important in this episode is what the main character encounters. He sees his past and future and undergoes, one might say, a therapy session.

The agency itself is a whole structure, somewhat comical and exaggerated, that combines seemingly extraterrestrial technology with nostalgia for old times. They exist outside the flow of time and space. Inside the 'office' itself, superpowers don't work, and titles don't matter. But there's one fact that 'blew the minds' of many fans...

Infinity Stones

Marvel made billions of dollars from movies where a whole bunch of people and heroes fought over magical stones. Thanos spent seven years collecting all the stones. The Avengers went back in time for them. Natasha and Tony sacrificed themselves for the universe. A TVA office worker keeps a bunch of these stones in his desk drawer and uses them as paperweights. The question arises: how many deviations and branched timelines related to these stones did the TVA have to process?

Perhaps that's all you need to know about the scale of the Avengers' problems from the perspective of the entire universe. This episode was meant to show Loki just how insignificant his choices are, choices that don't exist.

A Tribute

Did you also notice the little Easter egg for Tony Stark? Loki ends up in Mongolia, specifically in the desert, when he travels through time.

Remembering Ragnarok

An obvious reference to Thor and his preparation for battle as a gladiator on Sakaar. Right in the first episode, Loki is stripped and his clothes are changed into a prison jumpsuit.

Coulson

Many fans are shedding bitter tears over the loss of Phil Coulson and the announcement that the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series is not part of the cinematic universe canon. But through watching the flashback, we can see any hero again.

D.B. Cooper

For those who didn't know. Yes, this is a real person. Dan Cooper is the alias of an American criminal who hijacked a Boeing 727-51 aircraft belonging to Northwest Orient Airlines on November 24, 1971. After receiving a ransom of $200,000, the hijacker released the passengers, forced the pilots to take off, and parachuted out. Despite a lengthy investigation, the FBI was unable to determine the hijacker's identity or his ultimate fate.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, D.B. Cooper turned out to be Loki, who lost a bet to Thor and flew to Earth. Agent Mobius cracked the case. And why not? It's a good explanation for the inexplicable.

Nexus

Yes, we hear this word again, just like in the days of the WandaVision series. The seventh episode featured a commercial for an antidepressant called 'Nexus,' which can 'bring you back to reality — or to a reality of your choice.' This hints that Wanda's situation might indeed be connected to the multiverse, and the Nexus of All Realities from Marvel Comics could be the key to unraveling the entire mystery. Also, in the comics, a Nexus can be an individual character capable of controlling realities, altering reality, and connecting different universes. Agent Mobius is also hunting for a certain Nexus or a mysterious fugitive.

A Device from the Era of Kang the Conqueror

First, let's get acquainted with Kang the Conqueror. He's a character from Marvel Comics who learned to travel through time, move across eras, and raid civilizations. Interestingly, Jonathan Majors will play Kang the Conqueror in the film 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'.

The episode ends with a TVA team investigating an event in 1858 in Oklahoma, USA. There they find a device that looks like a device from the 30th century. This is interesting, because Kang the Conqueror is from the 30th century. Maybe we'll actually meet this character earlier than in the movies?

Multiverse of Madness

Like Loki, we could use a few educational videos on how many timelines exist in the universe. We also learned about the Time Keepers who control all the processes. But there's almost no doubt that the multiverse branch won't be restored by the end of the six episodes of Loki, because ahead of us are two major films that indirectly hint at madness.

What Else to Look Out For

The years visited that we've already seen in the series: 2012, 1549, and 1858.

A Skrull! These characters now appear in every Marvel project. Although, wait. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we weren't shown a Skrull, but many fan theories are related to this.

Loki is good at identifying smells. He smelled the cologne of two Tony Starks when one of them traveled through time. A funny fact, but most likely useless.

Are the titles, their style, and the changing font related to what we see in the series? Or is it a hint that we will see different versions of Loki?

Mephisto! Yes, that's exactly who we saw in the church, in the 1594 version of France. And then we learned that the mysterious fugitive and criminal was Loki himself. Does that mean that version of Loki resembles the devil? Or was it the real form of Mephisto? Get ready to form new theories.

Theories and Expectations

What happened to the universe

We know what exactly will happen after the events of Avengers. But now Loki has escaped, changing the original reality. And this plot hole or inconsistency was never explained by Marvel's numerous theories about time travel. Following logic, everything should have changed, because Loki no longer exists there.

Meeting Thanos

The 2012 version of Loki is still working for Thanos, but after the events of the first episode, we're not sure that seeing his own death would make him happy about a new alliance. But that doesn't change the fact that fans liked Thanos so much — everyone is waiting for his appearance in other projects. And time travel provides that opportunity.

Loki — a Frost Giant

Frost Giants are a race of intelligent giant humanoids living in Jotunheim, one of the Nine Realms. And Loki is one by nature. But since the first Thor movie, this hasn't been mentioned.

Abilities

We'd like to see all of Loki's abilities in action again, not just astral projections.

Loki's story will lead to Doctor Strange

One of Kevin Feige's comments recently surprised fans. He stated that the series would be connected to another upcoming Marvel film, hinting at the Multiverse of Madness.

P.S. Marvel, is there something we don't know?