7 'Loki' Episode 6 Easter Eggs And What They Could Mean For The Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Loki finale has arrived, and there's plenty for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to talk about. Not only do we have confirmation that the series will continue with a second season, but we have the perfect set-up for what's to come in the MCU. Whether you were immensely satisfied with the culmination of Loki's journey or had a hard time connecting with the God of Mischief due to his deceptive deeds, you're probably still interested in some Easter eggs throughout the episode. So let's dig into the Loki episode 6 Easter eggs.
Before we begin, we'd just like to clarify that Easter eggs are not clear and obvious references to the comics that Marvel Studios is adapting. Take a spin around the internet and you'll see articles labeling the return of Miss Minutes or the reveal of He Who Remains as Easter eggs. Those aren't Easter eggs. For some real Easter eggs, keep reading below.
The Voices of Today and Yesterday
The Marvel Studios logo isn't accompanied by the usual fanfare. Instead, we hear the voices of the characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You can hear the likes of Falcon, Wasp, Black Panther, Star-Lord, Black Widow, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Hank Pym, Captain Marvel, Loki, Korg, Nick Fury and more as the logo comes into focus. Also playing with these voices is the song ""It's Been a Long, Long Time" by Harry James, which is the tune Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter dance to at the end of Avengers: Endgame.
Along with those voices, as we soar through the universe, we also hear real-world figures like Neil Armstrong, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, and more.
We zoom out of the universe until we see another right next to it, which we end up zooming into after hearing a few brief tidbits of other songs. As we zoom in, Classic Loki can be heard shouting "Glorious purpose!" from the previous episode of Loki. We hear from former Liberian President Ellen Johnson, Vision's touching line about love persevering in WandaVision, "I will rise" from Maya Angelou, and then Sylvie saying, "Open your eyes!"
What we're wondering is why are there two universes here. There's one where we heard everything from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and some real world chatter, and then we zoom into this other one that has real figures mixed with a few lines from Marvel's new TV shows. What does that mean?
The Fourth Time Keeper?
After Loki and Sylvie refuse Miss Minutes' offer to allow them to co-exist in a timeline without making a mess of everything, they pass a trio of statues that appear to represent the Time Keepers. However, there's a fourth statue that is broken in pieces on the floor. Does that mean there was a fourth Time Keeper?
In Marvel Comics, when He Who Remains created the Time Keepers, there were originally four of them. However, the Time Keeper known as the Oracle of Siwa was banished to Ancient Egypt. Perhaps this is a reference to that Marvel Comics detail, and maybe it's something that can be explored in a second season of the show.
The Colors of Kang
When we meet the pleasantly goofy He Who Remains, he's wearing a sort of tunic and cape combination that is purple and dark green. Though the wardrobe doesn't exactly match Kang the Conqueror's typical appearance, it does have the same colors and there are variations on his wardrobe that somewhat resemble this ensemble. Plus, the gold symbol on his chest feels like a nod to Immortus, another version of Kang who was tasked with keeping the timeline in balance and has a little more in common with this version of the character.
The Apple
There are two interesting observations to be made about this apple. First of all, there are the obvious ties to the Bible where the apple represents knowledge, and here He Who Remains is imparting plenty of it on Loki and Sylvie as they try to understand the creation of the TVA and the origins of this variant of Kang the Conqueror.
But at the same time, there's a link to another master of time and mysticism. Doctor Strange is eating an apple when he begins to mess with the time manipulating abilities of the Eye of Agamotto (which contains the green Time Stone). Turning back time, he rewinds and fast forwards the state of the apple as it's eaten and reversed. Perhaps it's no coincidence that He Who Remains, who is the master of The Sacred Timeline, is also chomping on an apple.
Ravonna Renslayer's Real Name
Now that Mobius and B-15 are wise to the lies of the TVA, they try to get all the Minutemen to realize the same. In order to do that, B-15 lures some of the TVA to Franklin D. Roosevelt high school located in Fremont, Ohio in 2018. There we find Ravonna Renslayer before she was turned into a TVA employee, which is why she still has a pen from that school in her office.
If you look in the background of this scene, you'll see that Ravonna Renslayer's real name is Rebecca Tourminet, as listed on a diploma showing her college accolades in the life she had before the TVA. That's also a name that Renslayer adopts in Marvel Comics after she is no longer associated with Kang the Conqueror.
The Council of Kangs
As He Who Remains explains how the TVA came to be, he talks about how a variant of himself discovered the existence of the multiverse in the 31st century. When other variants had the same revelation, they began to share technology and information with each other. But of course, some of those Kangs wanted to conquer, and that's where the multiversal war began. This feels like a reference to the Council of Kangs from Marvel Comics, which encountered a similar problem where the Prime Kang wanted to destroy every variant of himself and conquer all timelines.
Planet of the Kangs
You maniacs! You blew it up! Goddamn you all to hell! These are the lines Loki might as well be saying from the ending of Planet of the Apes as he looks upon a statue of Kang the Conqueror in place of the regular Time Keepers in this new universe that he finds himself in where Mobius and B-15 have no idea who he is. Not only that, but Kang is wearing the classic costume he dons in Marvel Comics. So maybe we weren't so crazy when we noticed the similarities between one of the fake Time Keepers and Kang the Conqueror.