I’d like to point out some of the things I’ve picked up on throughout this season of Loki. In ep2 a couple of weeks ago, Mobius and Loki are walking after Mobius and Renslayer’s conversation. Loki stops to marvel at the expansive city (civilization?) of the TVA, and Mobius mentions “Time works differently here.”
I started thinking, where have I heard that line before? Thor: Ragnarok. When Thor is restrained in the chair, and sees Loki at the Grandmaster’s party, they have a conversation where the Grandmaster says something to the effect of him being millions of years old, but that “time works differently here.” When describing this to a friend, he remarked that Asgard isn’t in the Quantum Realm, but Thor, Hulk, and Valkyrie had to leave Sakaar through the Devil’s Anus.
Comic Speculation: I think this moment in the Loki series, since we can reasonably assume it pre-dates the events of Ragnarok, might be some kind of allusion to being in a similar universe as the Grandmaster. Or at least an allusion to the suspected multiverse that Lady Loki/Enchantress created at the end of ep.2. Which, as I’ve done in many other posts, brings me right back to Giant Size Defenders #3 with the “game” between the Grandmaster and the Prime Mover pitting the Defenders against a crew of aliens. One of which is Korvac, which multiple unsubstantiated rumors have confirmed will be a prominent figure in the future of the MCU. This particular team of Defenders is comprised of Daredevil, Dr. Strange, Nighthawk, Valkyrie, Hulk, and Sub-Mariner. Giant Size Defenders #3 is relatively cheap, I would assume, because it’s not on the immediate horizon. But if we’ve seen anything, with regards to the speculation market for comics, all it takes is one rumor and the whole internet is buzzing, sparking panic buys/sales and FOMO vibes that drive the FMV up to crazy heights!
Next, in ep5, when main Loki is following the other variant Lokis to their bunker to hide from Alioth (more on that in a second) there is a wide pan shot of the landscape where you catch a glimpse of Yellow Jacket’s helmet. Which further reinforces my suspicion that they’re in the Quantum Realm after the “time works differently here” comments from above. Yellow Jacket was shrunk into near non-existence at the end of the first Ant-Man movie. How did his helmet end up here in the Void?
At another point in the episode, you get a glimpse of a giant stone head that looks uncannily like the Living Tribunal. And if you recall, this isn’t the first time he’s had an easter egg within the MCU. Back in the Doctor Strange movie, Mordo explains to Strange that he has the Staff of the Living Tribunal. Couple this with a moment where you see a ruined Bleaker Street mansion in the background, and I think it’s a pretty solid indication we’ll see the Living Tribunal make an appearance in the MCU at some point.
Comic Speculation: Strange Tales #157 and #158 are the Living Tribunal’s first cameo and first appearance, respectively. Both books are relatively attainable in decent grades, should you be looking to grab a copy before the market (tentatively) drives up the value.
One thing I’m not too sure about, but have a sneaking suspicion that it’s relevant, is Sylvie’s comment to Loki about making her a new outfit. If he follows through with that, it could introduce her as a more permanent staple in the MCU cast in an outfit more resembling her comic book namesake.
Lastly, in the Avengers comic arc “The Terminatrix Objective” the Terminatrix (Ravonna Renslayer) accidentally frees Alioth, the giant all-consuming cloud monster, and asks the Avengers to help her defeat it. However, Ravonna is a Princess from the future and is romantically involved with Kang, who eventually takes control of Alioth. As we see things in the show, it makes sense to speculate that the Kang cameo we’re rumored to receive will be as Sylvie, Loki, and Ravonna all converge on the castle/mansion thing we saw at the end of ep5.
As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments!