With only two episodes left to premiere on Disney+, Marvel Studios has found itself another wild ride with Tom Hiddleston's Loki.
Spinning directly off from the events of the Time Heist in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, the God of Mischief got tangled up in the grasp of the mysterious Time Variance Authority before chaos quickly emerged. Seeing through the organization's lies from the beginning, this led to the whole story turning on its head in Episode 4.
After convincing Owen Wilson's Mobius that he was on the wrong side of the fight, both he and Loki were pruned seemingly out of existence, sending Loki to an apocalyptic wasteland in an unknown location. He was then confronted by four different Variants of himself towering over him, bringing one of the show's most iconic shots in its fourth week.
As it turns out, the mastermind behind Loki used some particularly fun inspiration for this shot, taking cues from one of Tom Hiddleston's past appearances as the show's leading character.
"IF IT'S ALL THE SAME TO YOU..."
Loki director Kate Herron confirmed on Twitter that she used a scene from Marvel Studios' The Avengers as inspiration for the post-credits scene in Episode 4 of Loki.
Specifically, she and cinematographer Autumn Durald borrowed the framing of the Avengers confronting Loki in Stark Tower after the Battle of New York,with Herron admitting she "couldn't resist" the reference:
Additionally, Herron confirmed that the scene included a reference to the musical theme from The Avengers thanks to Loki composer Natalie Holt, who added her own "Loki twist on the reveal."
"...I'LL HAVE THAT DRINK NOW"
MCU fans know how big of an impact The Avengers had upon its debut in 2012, coming in as the franchise's first team-up effort. Marvel Studios' crown jewel at the time became the third-highest-grossing movie to date and helped the MCU expand to bigger and better things in the following years.
It only makes sense that director Kate Herron would take inspiration from this movie for a similar moment with Tom Hiddleston's Loki, which recreated his moment with Loki Variants instead of Earth's Mightiest Heroes standing in front of him.
While Loki is likely set to team up with this group rather than fight them like he did the Avengers, this scene was bound to bring back memories of the MCU's final outing in Phase 1. It also shows that Herron is paying close attention to the anti-hero's history within the franchise by paying tribute to a moment that first came about over nine years ago in real-time.
If trailers are any indication, Loki will find himself in unique situations that include locations from his past MCU appearances, although it's a mystery how he will end up there and what he will be doing. That being said, this reference in Episode 4 is unlikely to be the last of its kind, and Marvel has set the stage for an unpredictable rollercoaster ride over the next two weeks.
The first four episodes of Loki are available to stream on Disney+. Episode 5 will debut on Wednesday, July 7, 2021.
