As a time traveling Marvel Cinematic Universe series that’s got ties all the way back to Phase One through Tom Hiddleston’s title hero and right the way up to Avengers: Secret Wars via Jonathan Majors’ appearance as Kang the Conqueror variant Victor Timely, Loki was always going to be a treasure trove of Easter Eggs.
One of the most intriguing appeared in today’s episode, though, with the God of Mischief clearly disgruntled at being omitted from a display at the World’s Fair that featured fellow Asgardians Odin, Thor, and Balder the Brave. The latter has been close to debuting in the MCU a couple of times, with rumors sweeping the internet that Daniel Craig was in line to appear as the character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Initially, the former James Bond denied all knowledge by saying “it’s all rumor, I don’t know where these things come from,” before Elizabeth Olsen told the opposite side of the story by admitting in regards to Craig as Balder; “Yes, that’s what I thought was going to happen too. I saw the art. They made a costume. They had a design.”
Loki makes it appear as though it’ll be happening sooner rather than later – with or without the Knives Out headliner – and executive producer Kevin Wright effectively hinted as much to ComicBook.
“Balder is always a funny one because he has not found his way into an MCU project to this point and it felt like that is part of the joke to us. It’s ‘Why not? Why is he seemingly being erased from history?’ which we wanted to then turn a little bit at the World’s Fair. We’re always looking for ways to organically get those things in and not force it.”
Balder the Brave is getting up there with Beta Ray Bill for comic book favorites who keep getting teased to no avail, but Loki has at least taken one step forward to making it a reality.
