Wide open doors to the Multiverse, Loki could be the MCU’s biggest trip
With the next Doctor Strange movie set for 2022, Disney + series will be largely responsible for introducing realities parallel to the franchise
With two previews revealed, Loki’s plot is still a big mystery to the audience. For now, we know that the series will follow the god of cheating experienced by Tom Hiddleston by getting involved with the Time Variance Authority (TVA), the agency responsible for eliminating temporal anomalies that affect the universe. However, the path that will be followed by the scripts and Loki’s own behavior have been strategically omitted from the trailers. As much as the title of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the line-ups of Spider-Man: No Way Home have already revealed that the multiverse will reach the MCU, the way it will be explored following a mystery and it is precisely Loki who will take the first steps towards alternative realities.
One of the few things that is already known from the production is that Loki should be presented in its most villainous version, straight out of the first Avengers. With the same greed as nine years ago and the power to jump through different timelines, the God of Cheating may well move between realities in search of one he can master. Using the new gift without TVA’s permission, the regulatory agency can take on the role of antagonist, solving the problems caused by Loki and hunting him for multiple realities.
Another possibility is that the character of Hiddleston will negotiate a partnership with TVA, lending his skills to the institution as a way of reducing the sentence for his numerous crimes until that moment. Even supervised by Mobius (Owen Wilson), the god of cheating will cause problems with his unorthodox methods of resolving temporal anomalies. Despite opposites, these two paths would be the ideal way for Marvel Studios to delve further into the bizarre and playfulness of the comic book world.
If the alternative reality limited to Westview created by Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) on WandaVision was once considered a “trip” by fans, Loki can take that impression to maximum power. In episodes that remain separate from the general plot of the MCU, the series can explore different genres from its older sister’s sitcoms, placing the God of Cheating in realities that approach police procedures or teen dramas. Just as comics change artists and screenwriters over the years, Loki’s season can also bring unique visual identities and narratives, translating the language of comics in a different way than what has been done in theaters.
This structure would go according to the speech of Hiddleston, who stated that the logo with different arts in the series reflects Loki’s plot and identity. If the star’s claim is true – and if the series wins a second season with no connections to Doctor Strange 2 – it’s not unlikely that the production will still explore animated episodes or focused on metalanguage, with the team being able to take advantage of the scope and possibilities creative solutions provided by the MCU.
As a villain or anti-hero, Loki can explore still-unknown corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that, like comic books, can bring completely different versions of characters and events we’ve seen so far in the franchise. Alternative endings for the stories already told in the films and temporal paradoxes are just two examples of how the series team can play with the concept of multiverse while developing its beloved protagonist.