Marvel Studios has made it a habit of spoiling fans in the year 2021. After releasing a new Black Widow trailer over the weekend, the MCU fire kept burning with the official trailer for the upcoming Disney+ series Loki.
The 2:16 trailer provides more context to the show's plot and the new characters involved than any previous promotion for the upcoming series. From the overall mission at hand, interesting details about the Time Variance Authority (TVA), and even a familiar face. Loki will be working alongside Owen Wilson's character Mobius and the TVA to correct the wrongs made in the MCU timeline following the events of Endgame.
It is expected that the God of Mischief will be keeping everyone involved on their toes throughout the entirety of the series. But for now, here is a look at 10 things to glean from the new Loki trailer.
DIRECTLY AFTER ENDGAME
Perhaps one of the most unexpected details of WandaVision earlier this year was the confirmation of its place in the timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans have learned that the Scarlett Witch story took place just weeks after the events of Avengers: Endgame, and that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes place months after those events.
What makes this such a big surprise is that both of these Disney+ shows are slotted BEFORE the events of 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home. And Loki is no different.
Audiences see right away the title character arriving at the TVA wearing the same suit from The Avengers and consequently Avengers: Endgame, where Loki stole the Tesseract and escaped. The Time Keeper (TVA agent) that has apprehended Loki is also seen holding the Tesseract upon arrival.
This implies that as soon as Loki stole the Space Stone in 2012 (with some help of present-day Tony Stark and Scott Lang) he shook things up enough for the TVA to immediately respond and bring him in for questioning.
THE FLOW OF TIME
"The Infinity Stones create what you experience as the flow of time." This is the groundwork laid by The Ancient One when she explains the importance of removing an Infinity Stone from the main MCU timeline. And while it is explained that if that stone is returned to the moment it was removed that it erases any alternate timelines caused, it is important to remember that Loki escaping with the Space Stone was never rectified by Cap's journey to return the stones.
Mobius tells Loki escaping with the Tesseract has "broken reality" and he has asked that version of our favorite trickster to help him fix it.
Fans get a look at The TVA's version of The Ancient One's mystic timeline diagram as they show all the different branches Loki's blunder has created. 13 different realities were shown, giving the first look at the scale of the damages done by Loki's escape.
It is unsure if this show will dive into each of the 13 branch realities specifically but after seeing how many locations this trailer alone has to offer, it is not out of the question.
Another important note about this scene is the idea that there is one apex reality that the TVA values over any alternate reality that stems off of it. This is a concept well known throughout comics that some realities take precedent over others, at least to the audience.
Merchandise revealed earlier this year offers the possibility that upon learning about this concept, Loki derives a plan to not only turn on the TVA, but to create more timeline chaos than we have already seen. As we see on a t-shirt featuring our main character, Loki has the slogan of "The Timeline Wants To Break Free".
EVERYTHING YOU HAVE EVER SAID
Throughout this trailer, viewers are presented with a very heavy-handed theme of bureaucracy in the TVA. Loki is passed around the Time Variance Authority facility, showcasing the headquarters for the MCU's time police.
One scene shows Loki in a very DMV-esque office as a TVA employee apathetically asks him to confirm everything he has ever said. This is surely an opportunity for Marvel Studios and the Loki writers to poke fun at fan theories, plot holes, or ambiguous lines of dialogue in MCU movies past, much like WandaVision.
Next Disney offers a peak at the incredibly consistent and interesting clock motif within the TVA. A door full of hourglasses, tv screens showing clocks in trouble, and even statues of what can be assumed to be the masters of time all carry this interior design style throughout the TVA.
All of these details further prove that "time" will be one of if not the biggest themes, factors, or even characters throughout this series.
SKRULLS. ARE. EVERYWHERE!
A brief shot of a Skrull in the TVA has allowed Secret Invasion fans everywhere to get excited for the sure-to-be massive story being told next year on Disney+. After the post-credit scenes of Spider-Man: Far From Home and WandaVision, the MCU has planted the ideas of Skrulls being all over the place in consecutive projects following Avengers: Endgame.
With a confirmed Skrull appearance in Loki, Marvel is one reference within The Falcon and the Winter Soldier away from Skrulls popping up in four straight projects following Endgame.
To pull off the massive scope of the Secret Invasion comic book storyline, it is imperative to build the paranoia factor of "anyone could be a Skrull". And with AT LEAST two of three post Infinity Saga projects doing that, Marvel Studios is well on its way to reaching that goal.
RAVONNA LEXUS RENSLAYER
Gugu Mbatha-Raw has been all but confirmed to be playing Judge Renslayer working for the TVA. And while the importance of her character is unknown, fans can safely assume she will play at least a major supporting role.
In the comics, Renslayer has major connections to Kang The Conquerer. Kang is one of Marvel's most established villains and the main focus of most time travel stories. What appears to be homages to Kang as a master of time can even be seen within the TVA.
Renslayer will surely be providing context and clues to Kang's arrival in the MCU but also play a large role in Loki's involvement with the TVA. As she is seen not only serving Loki his judgment but also defending what appears to be an attempted escape from custody by the God of Mischief.
"VARIANT"
One of the most important concepts introduced in this trailer is the idea of the main Loki in the series Loki being a "Variant" Loki amongst endless Lokis viewers are sure to meet in the Disney+ series.
As was mentioned earlier, the main MCU timeline has a Loki that experiences the events of Thor: The Dark World, and the redemption of Thor: Ragnorak and Avengers: Endgame. This Loki is the villainous tyrant from the Battle of New York in 2012's The Avengers. Or: Loki L1130.
Mobius explains the reason that THIS Loki is chosen to help the TVA is that they need his "unique Loki perspective" as he is the one who stole the Tesseract and ruined the timeline.
This hardens proof Loki could be seen doing battle with alternate versions of himself (such as the one seen running for post-apocalyptic office) as they seem to be reaping the benefits of these alternate timelines.
This is a challenge Loki is more than likely excited to take on.
HOODED FIGURE IN ACTION
Audiences were introduced to the front-runner for the lead antagonist in this series in the last trailer for Loki in December 2021. The hooded figure that many assume to be Lady Loki is featured heavily in this trailer as he or she is shown dishing out some major action sequences where anyone can get it.
Multiple shots of this figure are shown of them causing problems for the Timekeepers that appear to be trying to slow him/her down.
A shot later in the trailer shows Loki sitting down to have a one-on-one conversation with what appears to be Sophi De Martino's character. If this is in fact true, a much-anticipated conversation between two Loki variants is set and is sure to be a turning point in the series.
Perhaps this is where Loki discovers some reason to "break the timeline free" for the betterment of Lokis everywhere.
LOKI AND MOBIUS
Throughout this trailer, a ton of evidence is presented that the Tom Hiddleston/Owen Wilson chemistry on screen is about to be electric. Loki and Mobius share some incredibly witty back and forth as they feel each other out ahead of their tumultuous journey.
Loki confirms that he knows of the TVA, and is insulted at the fact that Mobius thinks he can manipulate Loki.
This is built for tension and comedy that carries the in-between of this time-hopping series. Trust will play a huge factor as Mobius explains that he is well aware that Loki has literally stabbed people in the back at least 50 times. Of course, Loki ensures that will not be the case this time.
CONFIRMED LOCATIONS
If there is one thing fans have learned from these trailers it is that this show is going to go all over the place. And there are now a few locations that will certainly appear as Loki travels through time correcting his wrongs.
Combining a timestamp from a recent trailer and an explosion in this newest one, it seems certain that Loki will be stumbling upon the events of Pompeii. This seems more like a fun adventure than a tragic event as Loki is seen posing in front of the explosion doing his best Tony Stark impression.
Also shown is Loki visiting the great city of New York but with a little less glamour and a lot more destruction. It appears to be what New York would have turned out to be had Loki won the battle back in 2012. Seeing the Avengers Tower in the background plants this timeline at least as far back as 2017.
And lastly, is a look at Loki on the throne of Asgard. And while the throne has changed hands in each Thor movie, this is yet another version of Loki's most sought-after endeavor. He is also seen wearing the armor from Thor, which opens the door for some fan-favorite Asgardian characters to appear.
THE COLORS OF THE MCU
In a "blink and you'll miss it" moment, Loki is seen using a rare bit of magic to combat an enemy. After WandaVision, the colors of magic in the MCU have never been more important. Wanda, Dr. Strange, and Agatha Harkness all have unique color sets to their spells that are explained within the debut Disney+ show.
Perhaps after over a decade of MCU presence, audiences will finally get a deeper dive into what Loki's skills are and how he is able to be one of the deadliest tricksters in the Nine Realms.
LOTS AHEAD FOR LOKI
This show has been as hyped as anything else Marvel has promoted in the past year. Much like Black Widow, Hawkeye, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, this show is a chance for a Phase 1 character to finally get a solo project and the screen time they deserve.
For as much as fans learned about Loki from this trailer, there is still so much that is unknown. This Dr. Who, Rick and Morty, Time Traveler's Guide Through The Galaxy inspired series has been confirmed for a second season. And there have been hints that Loki will appear in Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness and/or Thor: Love and Thunder.
So as much as fans (and writers) like to assume they know what is going to happen, there are no guarantees in the MCU.
What Easter eggs and details did you find that wasn't covered here? Comment below to let us know or hit me up on Twitter @MattRoembke to teach me up.
