Loki is set to showcase the multiverse on the small screen, bringing together the concepts of time travel and timekeepers in a massive series. The upcoming MCU series will follow Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief that escaped the Time Heist during 2019's Avengers: Endgame, but his freedom will be short-lived due to the arrival of the Time Variance Authority.
The TVA is an organization that is responsible for protecting the sacred timeline in the MCU, and Loki's actions from Endgame led to his arrest. However, for reasons unknown, marketing confirmed that the TVA recruited Marvel's trickster to fix his mistake, teaming up with Owen Wilson's Mobius.
The inclusion of the TVA alone presents major ramifications to the larger MCU, but it remains to be seen how it will affect the rest of the franchise.
Now, it seems that a comment from the show's creator may shed some light on the matter.
A SECRET WARS CONNECTION IN LOKI
Loki creator Michael Waldron recently sat down with Murphy's Multiverse to talk about the upcoming series and its implications to the larger MCU.
When asked if the Tom Hiddleston-led project will eventually lead to the famous Secret Wars storyline from the comics, Waldron played coy about the matter:
“We'll see. You'll probably know, as well as I do, not everything is just in there. If the purpose of that whole thing was to just indoctrinate the audience and everything. Yeah, we'll see how this plays out in the MCU moving forward.”
A MULTIVERSE CONFLICT IN LOKI
Michael Waldron's latest comments could be the first hint that the endgame of the next chapter of the MCU might be a Secret Wars storyline. In a way, this makes narrative sense, especially after the large presence of multiverse-heavy stories in Phase 4.
For context, there are two versions of Secret Wars on the pages of Marvel Comics, but it seems that the MCU will lean towards Jonathan Hickman's take back in 2015. This adaptation included the destruction of multiple alternate universes and Battleword that brought together individuals from different Earths.
Avengers: Endgame brought together the entire MCU in a massive battle against Thanos and his forces, but a potential live-action adaptation of Secret Wars could easily create a much bigger ensemble, especially now that the X-Men and the Fantastic Four will be involved.
The Russo Brothers have previously shown interest in directing this grand scale of a movie, with Anthony pointing out that it “would be the biggest movie you could possibly imagine.”
Given the scale and impact of such a storyline, it's reasonable to assume that it will be a while before a Secret Wars movie will be in development. Still, the fact that Loki is already laying the groundwork goes to show how the MCU is carefully crafting a consistent story beat that will be addressed down the line.
The first episode of Loki is set to stream on Disney+ on June 9, 2021.
