Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Loki season 2, episode 1.
We were told ahead of time that Loki season 2 was going to be mostly standalone, seeing as it predominantly continues the plotline that it set up its own first batch of episodes and isn’t so interested in teeing up the next incoming Marvel project. Having said that, this is the MCU we’re talking about, cinema’s Emperor of the Easter Egg, the King of Connectivity, so naturally the Tom Hiddleston vehicle’s sophomore premiere is stacked with links to the wider cinematic universe.
For starters, season 2, episode 1 ⏤ “Ouroboros” ⏤ furthers our understanding of Kang the Conqueror as Jonathan Majors returns to the MCU for the first time post-Quantumania, in addition to pulling deeper from the TVA lore in the comics. It also teases a certain mutant superhero team that is definitely on its way to Earth-199999 before too long.
Life’s a glitch
Let’s get the most obvious callback out of the way first. As fans have been saying ever since this concept was revealed in the trailers, Loki’s time-slipping is very reminiscent of the way the Spider-people keep glitching when they’re in the wrong universes in Sony’s Spider-Verse animated films. But is there an actual multiversal connection here or is Marvel just copying Sony’s homework?
The Fifth Element element
Just for a moment, here’s an Easter egg that’s actually not Marvel-related. Did any other ’90s kids out there get flashbacks to The Fifth Element when Loki jumps out of a window at the TVA and crashes on top of a yellow flying mail truck? It has to be a deliberate homage to the moment in Luc Besson’s surreal sci-fi flick in which Milla Jovovich’s Leelo does the same thing and lands in Bruce Willis’ yellow flying taxicab.
A sneaky She-Hulk character
General Dox, the hard-nosed TVA official who leads the charge to capture Sylvie, appears to be a loose, gender-flipped variant of Mr. Paradox, a similarly characterized TVA judge who appeared in a single issue of She-Hulk. In classic fourth-wall breaking Shulkie style, Mr. Paradox presided over a trial to see whether She-Hulk should be hit by the Retroactive Cannon.
Gamble who?
The other new TVA official we meet is Judge Gamble, who turns out to be much more amenable and open-minded. Although this character is very different on the page, their change of heart lines up with the origins of Professor Gamble, who was a TVA agent until they stole a time machine and ran away. Yes, Professor Gamble is a Doctor Who expy, and it’s not even subtle.
A similar taste in podcasts
Trust Loki to give us an example of low-key MCU connectivity at its finest. Eugene Cordero’s Casey returns in this episode, and before he’s grabbed by Loki, he’s shown to be listening to a familiar podcast. It’s the same one ⏤ a self-help guide instructing on relation and breathing techniques ⏤ that Oscar Isaac’s Steven Grant listened to at the beginning of Moon Knight. Now we need Steven and Casey to team up.
Ravonna and Kang, sitting in a tree branched timeline
Ever since Ravonna’s introduction in Loki season 1, comics-savvy spectators out there have wondered if her romantic partnership with Kang would be explored in the MCU. In season 2’s premiere, we got our first major hints that this is indeed the case via a recording that Loki discovers of He Who Remains talking to an unheard Renslayer about how special she is. He Who Remains? More like He Who Simps.
Kang’s clothes
We already saw this in the season 1 finale, but it’s worth bringing up again. The statue of Kang, which we now know comes from the TVA’s past, is wearing the comics-accurate Kang the Conqueror costume, not the armored gear he wore in Quantumania. Is this a hint that the Loki Kang is a different variant from the Quantumania character, or just a sign that he, you know, changed his clothes once in a millennia?
Temporal Loom
The Temporal Loom, the metaphysical engine that weaves together the timelines to maintain the Sacred Timeline, is an original creation for Loki, but it brings to mind two separate concepts from the comics. First, the Loom of the Fates, as based on Greek mythology, which has appeared in Thor lore. Secondly, and more interestingly, it recalls Loomworld, the homeworld of the Inheritors, the predators of the multiverse’s Spider-People, whose homeworld is connected to the Web of Life and Destiny.
X-cuse me, is that what it looks like?!
Considering that we’ve just heard word that Marvel is finally working on its X-Men reboot, the fact that Loki season 2 makes a point of recreating the iconic “cerebro door unlocking” shot from Fox’s X-Men franchise via the bulkhead doors to the Temporal Loom in its premiere is ringing lots of alarm bells. Especially with rumors of a Loki crossover in Deadpool 3…
Broxton, Oklahoma
We got a post-credits scene, guys! In it, Sylvie escapes to 1982 Broxton, Oklahoma. The real-life town was actually the location of New Asgard following the destruction of Thor’s home planet during Ragnarok, in the comics, rather than Norway as it is in the MCU. So the fact that an (adoptive) Asgardian ended up relocating there anyway is a neat nod to Marvel Comics canon.
