Due to COVID-19 delays and reschedules in 2020, the MCU's Phase 4 plan was turned upside down before it ever really got started. Not to mention the fact that the studio was diving headfirst into the world of streaming alongside its movies.
But like everything Kevin Feige touches, Marvel's Disney+ series have been golden as the studio introduces new characters like U.S. Agent, Monica Rambeau, and now Mobius.
Still, despite the studio's intention to bring a new roster to life, the MCU hasn't forsaken its roots.
Marvel's latest Disney+ series Loki not only focuses on the OG God of Mischief from 2012's The Avengers, but also includes Easter eggs dating back to the original MCU film — Iron Man.
LOKI SUPERSTORE IS A CALLBACK TO IRON MAN
In the first two episodes of Loki, the Timekeepers have only visited the past from 1549 France to Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1985. But towards the end of Episode 2 titled "The Variant," Loki, Mobius, and the Minutemen visited the future — a superstore known as Roxxcart in the year 2050.
According to Hunter B-15, played by Wunmi Mosaku, civilians were sheltering in a Roxxcart superstore in Alabama "to ride out a storm."
"Roxxcart is a vast superstore common to the era. It consists of a series of sprawling sections including a large warehouse. This warehouse is being used by civilians as a shelter to try to ride out a storm."
And if the name Roxxcart looks and sounds familiar, that's because it is.
WHAT IS THE ROXXON CORPORATION?
Roxxcart may actually have a connection to the Roxxon Corporation.
In Marvel lore, Roxxcon was a massive villainous corporation that was actually responsible for Howard Stark's death in the comics. But even though that particular story beat isn't MCU canon, the Roxxcon Corporation has appeared throughout the MCU's Iron Man Trilogy.
During the climactic battle between Tony Stark and Iron Monger in 2008's Iron Man, a building topped with the Roxxcon Corporation logo can be seen in the background.
Then, in 2010's Iron Man 2, the Roxxon name pops up again during the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique as the sponsor of a Formula One car.
And to keep the tradition going, the Mandarin in Iron Man 3 pretends to execute a Roxxon accountant on live television after casting blame on Roxxon's Norco tanker for an oil spill. That very Roxxon tanker was then featured in the film's climax.
IS ROXXON MARVEL'S MOST COMMON EASTER EGG?
In addition to appearing in the Iron Man films, the Roxxon Corporation has a rich history within Marvel-based television series such as Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, Daredevil, and Cloak & Dagger.
In Agents of SHIELD specifically, a Roxxon-branded gas station is seen in one episode, and the company's Cybertek division is actually featured in various episodes.
ALWAYS LOW PRICES. ALWAYS ROXXCART?
In the comics, Roxxon was Marvel's way of representing corporate greed, particularly in regard to oil companies (ExxonMobil, anyone?). Roxxcart may be the MCU doing the same, but perhaps packaged in a way that's a bit more relevant for its audiences with a dash of consumerism.
After all, doesn't Roxxcart look and sound a bit like Wal-Mart met Amazon?
It's also worth noting that Roxxcart is a superstore that Hunter B-15 says is common to the era. So if Roxxcon has existed in the MCU for years, maybe Roxxcart is one of the company's future divisions?
The possibility of exploring the company's many branches is likely to intrigue Marvel fans since Roxxon's division Cybertek contributed to the development of the Super Soldier Serum. And since the serum was a huge part of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, maybe the two series will prove to have a connection in more ways than one?
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