The end of the Serie from Loki it has been a surprise for a good part of his fans. Most were betting that the villain behind the great castle guarded by Alioth was either another variant of Loki or some clever stunt from Marvel. But he turned out to be a main figure in upcoming movies.
The unexpected move reconfigured Phase 4 from its foundations and took a quick look at what’s new from Marvel. Or at least, what we can expect from their most ambitious movies and main plot lines. With Kang the Conqueror or any of his variants on the board, the game changes forever.
The decision, which contravenes what has happened so far in the Marvel series, demonstrates a crucial point about the future of the study. Until now, the short stories on Disney Plus had served as a snack or transitional.
WandaVision showed the harsh transformation of Wanda Maximoff into the Scarlet Witch. Made an ambiguous element in the midst of the future landscape, the story of Doctor Strange’s possible enemy was a powerful, but tiny, narrative. An argument that was even criticized for its lack of ambition. With a simple and emotional ending, the series added information of considerable interest to the character’s future. But it didn’t seem to make a decisive difference to the future of Marvel.
The same could be said of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Sam Wilson’s transition to becoming the franchise’s titular Captain America was emotional, but not overly important either. That, despite including new characters to the Marvel squad such as the US Agent and Countess Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine. But beyond that, the series concentrated on showing internal evolution towards a certain degree of maturity.
But Loki becomes a cornerstone to understand what will happen next in Phase 4 of the saga. Also, in the most important of the little stories that accompany the performance of the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to introducing the franchise villain, he also elaborated and showed the rules with which Marvel will play from now on. To the surprise of much of the audience, the multiverse did not begin in one great movie, but in six unique episodes of a rare series.
‘Loki’, from infinity to the war of the Multiverses
On LokiMarvel Studios’ fickle villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) reprises his role as the God of Deception in a new series that takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Kate Herron is directing it and Michael Waldron is the main screenwriter.
The intro of the series’ season finale Loki surprised the audience. Disregarding the usual intro score of Marvel productions, the short sequence was a tribute to the recently completed Infinity Saga. Amid the usual sequence of familiar faces, several of the iconic dialogues of the main characters could also be heard.
The audience was thrilled and taken aback by what was a short but direct message. Was that great belated goodbye which made it clear what could be expected then.
And this time, Marvel bet big. Not only did it show the birth of the Multiverse in all its rare splendor, but it featured the central villain of upcoming films. Jonathan Majors showed the more benign face of Kang the Conqueror, destined to face the new heroes. But the series also paved the way for two of the most anticipated stories.
While WandaVision introduced the possible villain of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Loki showed the rules in which the argument will be sustained. As the guardian of reality, the Supreme Sorcerer will have to deal with the consequences of the series. Especially with the complete rupture and at a broad level of time and space, as Marvel had proposed.
The series is also the prelude to the animated What if…?, in which the true impact of the lines of parallel universes will be understood. Billed as an experimental project, the show will tell the stories of various alternate realities. With Loki making it clear what will be the terrain in which the new battles will be fought, the animated show is also the first proof of that possibility.
Quantumania and three spidermen for the repertoire
The fragmentation of the central timeline will also have consequences on two other of Marvel’s great projects. The first of them: the third part of Ant man, which already seems to affect the multiple consequences of the series Loki. A few days ago, Corey Stoll was confirmed as the new one as the movie’s villain. This despite the fact that in the first part of the trilogy it ended up disappearing into the quantum Universe.
But the rules have changed at Marvel and Loki He showed it in an almost foreboding way. In its fifth chapter, and in the middle of a central scene, YellowJacket’s helmet could be seen, as a kind of relic in the middle of The void. As if that wasn’t enough, the series opened up the discussion about where or when TVA could be found. A topic that seems more than related to the quantum universe that Scott Lang and company are exploring.
But the possibility that has most excited fans is, of course, that of the spider verse, closer than ever thanks to Loki. After months of speculation about what might happen in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the arrival of the multiverse clears things up. Or at least it opens the doors to the insistent rumor of the inclusion of various versions of Peter Parker in the plot are real. The film, which will hit theaters on December 17, 2022, will also be connected to the sequel to Doctor Strange.
But more importantly, both movies will play by the same rules. And they will do it for the possibility of using the multiverse as a wide terrain for their characters. For the third of Spider-Man, the performances of Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius and Jamie Foxx as Electro are confirmed. Up to now, neither film was part of Marve’s main canonl. But the multiverse makes it possible for them to be.
So that Loki, with just six chapters, is the Marvel Phase 4 instruction box.