Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant
Director: Kate Herron
Screenwriter: Michael Waldron

For all time. Always.

If there’s one word that can sum up the first season of Loki, it would have to be wow (and yet, ironically, Owen Wilson in his role as TVA analyst Mobius M. Mobius does not use his iconic catchphrase at all during the season). With Tom Hiddleston returning as the devious, titular character, season one of Loki, directed by Kate Herron, follows the escapades of the trickster god after the events of Avengers: Endgame. 

The third of Marvel’s TV shows to be released this year, Loki is set to lead into future instalments of the MCU, with head writer Michael Waldron also working on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Accordingly there are some big concepts introduced in Loki in just six episodes. Fair warning to any Marvel fan, the following contains spoilers for not just the show, but also, it seems, for the future of the MCU.

When Loki was last seen, appearing in Avengers: Endgame during one of the jaunts into the past, he was stealing the Tesseract (aka the Space Stone) during the 2012 Battle of New York. He scooped up the shiny blue cube, vanished and… as Loki now reveals, he lasted a whole of maybe one minute (in which he does attempt to conquer a new place) before he gets caught and arrested by a portal-opening uniformed unit of armed soldiers and taken to the mysterious Time Variance Authority (aka the TVA), to face trial for his “crimes against the scared timeline.” In a matter of minutes we get the first real introduction of the Multiverse, handily explained by a holographic talking clock named Miss Minutes (voiced by Tara Strong), and accompanied by an equally helpful corresponding informational video.

And things just get bigger from there.

It is revealed that the TVA monitors the timeline of the Multiverse. Their job? Catch and prune variants, people whose actions jeopardise the sacred timeline and threaten to disrupt the flow of time from continuing in the way it’s supposed to. Although, exactly who decides what is “supposed” to happen remains one of the biggest mysteries of the series. Loki, at the behest of Owen Wilson’s Mobius, is temporarily detained and then employed to put his unique “Loki” skills to use (i.e. thinking deviously and just generally being Loki) to catch a dangerous variant who is running rings around the TVA—a variant that is another version of himself. Whilst at first it seems that this could be the central conflict of the show, the identity of the second Loki, the debatably “superior” Loki, is revealed by the end of episode 2, and the show shifts direction as more is discovered about Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), a female Loki variant who has quite the agenda (and skills to match).

Despite the magnitude of the concepts being woven into the plot, which is tackling not just the Multiverse but all of time, the series is incredibly introspective. At its core, this is a show about identity, about the struggle between who you are and who you want to be. The character development is masterfully constructed, with everyone (or well, perhaps, everyone excluding Miss Minutes) forced to confront some element of inner turmoil, be it trauma or insecurity or both, and make a choice about how much their past lives, their past selves and their inner insecurities are going to decide their future going forward. Despite appearing in 6 movies and being a staple character of the MCU, this series is Hiddleston’s first time leading an MCU project. Previously, across all six of those movies, Hiddleston’s Loki had a total of 78 minutes, 30 seconds screen time; in this series he gets nearly six hours (almost 3 movies worth) of development—and it’s brilliant. Out of control and uncertain about his role in the universe for perhaps the first time, Loki is forced to re-evaluate his inner self and his glorious purpose, to look beneath the mask he puts on for both the world and himself, and to consider whether he is, could be, and wants to be, something more than just a master of deceit and harbinger of mischief. He isn’t the only one reckoning with self-knowledge and self-acceptance either; throughout the series Sylvie and Loki constantly challenge the question ‘what makes a Loki a Loki’ in their quest to understand who they are and what they want, while at the same time, the TVA agents are forced to confront the fact that they were mislead by the mysterious Timekeepers who govern the TVA and were not, in fact, created by three lizards who oversee all of reality, but are variants who were pulled out of their own timelines and previous lives.

Along with the individual character arcs, the character interactions are some of the most compelling elements of the show. Relationships blossom and fracture, crumble and reform—trust plays a big role in the series; the characters are constantly questioning who they can rely on, what is safe to believe, and what is merely lies and deceit. Watching from the outside, the audience is challenged to ask those same questions too (after all, can you really trust a Loki?), which make following along with the plot all the more interesting. Standout relationships from across the series include Mobius and Ravonna’s relationship (and their shared history and betrayals), Loki and Mobius’ friendship, and of course, Sylvie and Loki’s growing connection.

As Mobius puts it (semi-eloquently), you can be whoever, whatever you want to be… just in case anyone ever told you different.

Whilst Hiddleston’s Loki, was, as always, a standout, the other big star of the show was Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie. Much the way Sylvie gave Loki a run for his money in the show, Di Martino’s on-screen presence proved a perfect match for Hiddleston’s, bringing the same sense of chaotic energy and underlying fragile inner-self to Sylvie that Hiddleston crafts for Loki. Captured by the TVA as a child (it was strongly hinted that Sylvie was causing her timeline to branch simply by virtue of being good and thereby being more inclined to save Asgard than to cause it trouble), Sylvie quickly transforms from the mysterious, shadowy antagonist into an interesting and complex character in her own right. She is revealed to be brutally fierce but emotionally vulnerable, with a tough exterior but harbouring severe trust issues stemming from a childhood spent living alone in various apocalypses, constantly on the run from the TVA. Di Martino’s powerful performance captured all the nuances in Sylvie’s character, beautifully portraying her spark and strength and at the same time, conveying all of her underlying emotional insecurity.

Through a mad-cap misadventure that involves just narrowly surviving an apocalypse, Loki and Sylvie’s relationship grows and they unite to take down the TVA—a relatively straightforward goal with an anything but straightforward path. The writers throw twist after twist into the mix that ensures that the 40-50 minute episodes feel like they couldn’t possibly have lasted more than 10. The series is, it has to be said, delightfully bonkers, but in the best way. After all, this is a show based on the inner workings of a hyper-bureaucratic organisation that has TemPads that make it possible to travel anywhere, any place, in time yet rely on battery to keep the devices running. The TVA can monitor the universe (and travel into the future when who-knows-what tech would be available) but can’t upgrade from a manual, paper based filing system. This says nothing of the fact that during the series we meet Alligator Loki, along with many other variants of the mischief god. Easter eggs pop up for the hardcore Marvel fans (Throg aka Frog Thor, Thanoscopter), and the story is peppered with loops both big and small to keep the audience on their toes (this is a place where infinity stones are being used as paper weights), to the point where, as Loki perfectly surmises in episode five, the strange occurrences do not even seem that strange anymore.

The show balances its poignant moments with humour; the writing is consistently witty and entertaining and there are some brilliant exchanges between characters. The sepia-toned colour palette of the TVA and occasional use of unique camera angles only add to the droll, mind-bending (or perhaps reality-bending) tone of the show. The series does a good job of maintaining a sense of intrigue and anticipation for the audience not only during the episodes but also week to week, constantly scattering more questions to be pondered even as the plot unravels. With a persistent sense of urgency carried throughout, the series is well paced; in every episode our characters are hurtling towards something and there is not an idle minute or wasted moment— every line, action and scene contributes to either the plot or the character development.

As things heat up, part of the ruse surrounding the TVA is uncovered. Loki and Sylvie battle their way to the Timekeepers only to discover that the enigmatic giant lizard rulers were nothing more than robots. Loki and Sylvie’s continued struggle to reach the real Timekeeper sees them pruned and sent to the Void where they meet some of the best additions to the show—numerous other Loki variants (Kid Loki, Boastful Loki, even President Loki) for some of the funniest scenes in the series. Thanks to a noble sacrifice of glorious purpose by Richard E. Grant’s Old Man Loki, Sylvie and Loki make it to the Citadel at the End of Time and face He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). He Who Remains (who is human but still unsettlingly creepy), torments and teases Loki and Sylvie with a frustrating barrage of half-truths and riddles until, in a heart wrenching move that sends Loki back to a different version of the TVA where Mobius no longer recognises him, Sylvie kills He Who Remains and takes the MCU into an uncertain future for everyone.

What follows is an ending that shows the timeline now splitting into hundreds of branches, promising more multiverse shenanigans to come. The mysterious warning given to Sylvie by He Who Remains suggests that Major’s character may return to the MCU again, though perhaps this time in his conqueror form. Too many questions and too much unfinished business remains—thankfully a season two is confirmed—though less fortunately, we now have to wait more than a week to see where everyone, and the universe itself, goes next.

What did you think of the first season? Sound off in the comments below!

The post ‘Loki’ Season 1 Review appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

SOILERS AHEAD

After the Marvel Logo and opening credits, a title card tells us it’s Monday. This episode uses days of the week to structure its five acts as it’s set during the period of time known as “Fury’s big week”—arguably the most important period of time in the MCU—where the events of The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, and Thor all take place concurrently.

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is in a car and starts reciting his ‘there was an idea’ speech— that he used to bring the team together in the first Avengers film—only for Black Widow (Lake Bell, doing a really good job of standing in for Scarlett Johannson) to finish it, in a slightly bored tone, telling him that she’s read the speech. They go back and forth, Fury telling her that if she’s read it then she knows what’s at stake and Natasha responding “which is why I’m surprised you’d wanna bet the future of the Avengers Initiative on that” just as the giant doughnut with Iron Man (Mick Wingert, who’s something of an old hand by this point, having voiced Tony Stark in previous Marvel animated titles) sat in the middle, pulls into view in the windshield.

Fury replies that Tony Stark may be eccentric but that he has potential. Natasha is sceptical but Fury reminds her that he’s taken big swings before, herself being an example. We then get the doughnut shop scene from Iron Man 2, with Stark telling Fury that he doesn’t want to join his “super-secret boy band” and Natasha injecting him with lithium dioxide to abate the symptoms of his palladium poisoning. Only this time something goes wrong, Tony appears to have an adverse reaction and dies.

Nick Fury looks on in shock and cross dissolves into the Watcher, who says: “Humanity, so eager, so willing to face the impossible, yet blind to the bigger picture.” He narrates a slideshow that summarises the events of the three films and how these events would act as the crucible that would “transform this collection of individuals into a team of heroes.” Or, at least, that’s how it played out in the universe we know…

Tuesday. Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) finds Mjolnir in a crater in New Mexico and calls Fury, who is at the Project Pegasus base where Natasha has been detained by Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo) and the SHIELD Strike Unit. Fury tells Coulson to set up a perimeter around the hammer and to tell the team he’s en route. Natasha is being led away for questioning, under suspicion of murdering Tony Stark. Both she and Fury know she didn’t do it but as SHIELD has protocols, and she’s a former Russian spy, his hands are tied as much as hers. He discreetly hands her the injector, telling her that’s he’s counting on her getting away as he wants to find out who in their organisation sabotaged Tony’s antidote. He watches as she’s led into a truck and taken away.

Sure enough, the handcuffs don’t hold her for long and she soundly thrashes the rest of the strike team despite the confined space (once again, showing off how fluid the fight animation is) and escapes.

Back at the Mjolnir site, night has fallen and thunder is rumbling. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) briefs Fury, telling him that all they’ve been able to surmise about the hammer is that it’s extremely powerful and that it’s not from Earth. Meanwhile, someone is taking out the agents patrolling the site. Clint also reveals that no-one has been able to lift the hammer, and Fury remarks that when something that powerful goes missing someone always comes looking for it and they have to hope that someone is an ally. Hawkeye asks what their next move is and Fury replies, same as always: “hope for the best, prepare for the worst.”

Coulson finds one of the agents knocked out by the mysterious assailant and sounds the alarm. The intruder is revealed to be Thor, and even in the midst of an emergency, Coulson knows a hot man when he sees one—“he’s a Caucasian male, mid-twenties with…really great hair… Sir, he’s gorgeous.” Cap wouldn’t be happy to hear you’re cheating on him, Phil! Fury orders Clint into position but to hold his fire, as he wants to see what Thor will do. Thor approaches Mjolnir (Clint even getting in on the ‘ogling Thor’ act—“Coulson wasn’t lying about the hair”) and goes to lift it but somehow Clint’s fingers slip and his arrow impales Thor in the chest, killing him.

Clint is detained, not understanding what could’ve happened as he doesn’t slip or misfire. Fury tells Coulson that not only is Thor dead but that his blood samples revealed him to be both over a thousand years old and not human. Coulson remarks that that’s two high value SHIELD targets seemingly killed by their own agents within the last twenty four hours. Fury goes to try and talk to Hawkeye only to find him on the verge of death. He calls for a medic and Coulson yells at the guards, angrily demanding to tell him who they let in the cell, but they insist that hadn’t let anyone in. Fury tells Clint to stay with him but it’s too late, and our next shot is in the morgue. Coulson ponders whether it could’ve been a cyanide capsule but Fury points out that Clint had a wife and kids, and so if he was going to go he wouldn’t do so willingly, and speculates that he was murdered by the same person who killed Tony Stark, despite the fact that he was in a locked cell under observation, with no sign of forced entry, struggle or entry wounds. (Put a pin in that.) But what could connect a billionaire playboy, a SHILED assassin and a “space corpse that looks like a Chippendales dancer?”

Wednesday. We arrive in Virginia at Culver University, an important setting in The Incredible Hulk and where Bruce Banner conducted his experiments. Natasha approaches Betty Ross (Stephanie Panisello) and manages to persuade her to help examine the injector, as she’s not only an “expert in the tactical applications of cellular biology” but also good at keeping things off SHILED’s radar. Ross examines it under a microscope and reveals that not only are no traces of lethal pathogens but that the antidote never made out of the syringe, instead looking like a tiny projectile was fired from the needle, making Natasha think of nanotech (again, put a pin in that). Ross asks her to leave but, as she does so, she notices a hat and jacket for ‘Stanley’s Pizza Parlor’ (the pizzeria in the film where Banner has a job). Fury then calls to tell her that Hawkeye is dead—her devastation poignantly and effectively shown by a single line: “who do I kill?”—and that it looks like that the killer is going after the Avengers Initiative candidates. She asks who else is on the list and Fury answers her and Bruce Banner, so she needs to find him and get the two of them to ground. Natasha answers that she thinks she already has. She goes to open a closet but is prevented from opening it by Betty. Before tells her to move before she makes her, which makes Bruce (Mark Ruffalo—the model has even been altered to look more like him to keep in line with the current continuity) reveal himself, saying that violence probably wouldn’t work out for any of them. Natasha hears helicopter blades in the distance and tells them that they need to go.

In the New Mexico desert, the Watcher watches Coulson drive to the site. But as he arrives so does the Bifrost, from which Loki emerges and the entire Asgardian Army emerges (along with the Destroyer and Thor’s friends: Lady Sif and the Warriors Three). Fury and a convoy of SHIELD agents rush out to meet them. He and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) have a bit of back and forth as he introduces himself. Back at Culver, Natasha tries to get in touch with Fury and Bruce insists that it’s safer for everyone if he fends for himself as he can’t die, to which Natasha replies “then I guess you’re in luck”, as General Ross (Mike McGill) and his forces arrive. We intercut between the two locations as Fury finds out that Loki came to Earth for vengeance for his brother’s murder and Natasha tries to get Ross to stand down, but a crosshairs reveals that someone has Bruce in their sights and he is shot, much to the General’s confusion as he didn’t order anyone to open fire.

Natasha tries to calm Bruce down, promising she’ll get him out of this, but Bruce turns into the Hulk and Loki unleashes the power of the Casket of Ancient Winters on SHILELD. The Hulk fights Ross’s forces. Betty tries to intervene to get her father to stop but is prevented by Natasha, who tells her that the General isn’t the one who started this. Then something strange happens: the Incredible Hulk becomes the ‘Inflatable Hulk’ and explodes (no blood or guts of course, this is Disney, but still pretty disturbing regardless). Fury tells Loki that declaring war on Earth won’t bring Thor back and Sif (Jaimie Alexander) halts Loki’s attack, acknowledging that Fury isn’t wrong and that the All-Father would want them to listen. Fury tells him that whoever killed his brother also killed two of their own and offers him a compromise: give him time to find his brother’s killer and he can “have his pound of flesh.” Loki agrees, giving him until sunrise to do so, or he’ll reduce the planet “to ash and ice.”

Meanwhile, in Virginia, Natasha has snuck into a public library to get to a computer to try and access the Avengers Initiative files. She manages to get Coulson to tell her his password (which we learn is “Hashtag-Steve-Steve-Steve-I-heart-Steve-0-7-0-4”, no wonder he was reluctant to tell her) as she’s locked out of the system. She logs onto SHIELD’s server and accesses the personnel files—including Janet Van Dyne, who is presumed deceased—and notices something strange: “how did a woman who died two years ago access the database yesterday?” She calls Fury but hears something strange and realises she’s being watched. She tells whoever it is that they won’t win against her or SHIELD before she’s brutally attacked by a seemingly invisible assailant. Her phone call goes to voicemail and Natasha desperately yells “it’s Hope! It’s all about Hope!” (another pin) before she’s dragged away and killed off-screen.

In New Mexico, with only four hours to go before sunrise, Fury sits in a diner, replaying Natasha’s voicemail message over and over. Coulson reveals that there’s still one candidate left: Fury himself. Fury remarks that he’s not the only Avenger left and goes to his car, retrieving Captain Marvel’s pager from his glove compartment. He tells Coulson it’s their last hope and, as he does so, realises what Natasha was trying to tell him. As he’s about to set off, Coulson asks where he’s going and he says: “either make a pact with a god or a deal with the devil.” He arrives at the ice structure in the desert where the Asgardians have made their base and tells the Destroyer armour standing guard that he’s “here to see your boss.”

Thursday. The Watcher overlooks a misty San Francisco graveyard and Fury is standing at the grave of Hope Van Dyne, who in this reality was a SHIELD agent. Now tie all those pins together, as the assassin is revealed to be none other than Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), this time in the guise of Yellowjacket, and who has gone off the deep-end after the deaths of his wife and daughter. He blames Fury and SHIELD for her death (it’s revealed that she was killed on a mission outside Odessa Ukraine, meaning that in this universe Hope Van Dyne was killed by the Winter Soldier) and so he decided to get revenge on Fury by tearing down everything he built, able to kill the Avengers candidates undetected by his ability to shrink down to microscopic sizes (in a bit of nightmare fuel it’s revealed he killed Bruce by using a re-sizing disc on his heart, causing it to uncontrollably enlarge).

Throughout the encounter, Fury is uncharacteristically flippant, only shifting to serious when it comes to Thor and unimpressed to find that he killed him just because he could, as he was the sort of person Fury would recruit in a heartbeat. Pym goes to kill Fury only for him to be easily swatted away. They fight and when Fury starts duplicating himself and using ice magic, we quickly realise that this is Loki in disguise. Sure enough, Loki beats Hank and the real Fury shows up and gives him a ‘reason-you-suck’ speech—“SHIELD is people, people willing to give their lives for something greater than themselves to save the world from men like you”— before he’s taken away by the Asgardian army. Loki tells Fury it’s been a pleasure and Fury replies “Good. Now take your hammer and get off my planet.” But Loki’s decided that maybe they should be allies after all and says he plans to extend his stay on Midgard, and Fury warily asks him “how long?”

Friday. It turns out that Loki means to stay indefinitely, marching into the United Nations and giving a televised speech—the one he gave in Germany in Avengers—conquering the planet with no bloodshed whatsoever. Meanwhile, in a hanger Fury and Coulson look over a row of coffins containing the Avengers’ remains. Coulson says that the Avengers fell before they had a chance to rise but Fury says that the Avengers were not just a team but an idea, “the affirmation of humanity’s need to believe that in our darkest hour, we will find our heroes.”

The Watcher then states that he believes that hope never dies, no matter the universe, as long as someone keeps their “good eye” on the bigger picture. He says this as Fury explores the Captain America crash site and finds him frozen in ice. He says, “welcome back Captain”, and this turns out to be two-fold, as Captain Marvel (Alexandra Daniels) appears and asks “so where’s the fight?” Showing that, in a reversal of the ending of last week’s episode, all hope is indeed not lost.

So, this week was a murder mystery and next week looks like it will be shenanigans with Doctor Strange.

The post What If…? Recap: 1.03 ‘What If…The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

SPOILERS AHEAD

We start with a quick recap of the story thus far before the Marvel Studios logo. But instead of the music over it, we get various voice clips from across the MCU, clear at first before coming together in a static like cacophony, almost as if the entire Marvel universe itself were being affected. We then take a 2001 A Space Odyssey-esque zoom out from the Earth, through the Solar System, the Universe, then reaching across other universes, right to the end of time itself, emerging from the time-stream surrounding the castle on the rock beyond the Void at the end of time; all accompanied by even more sound clips from both the MCU and the real world.

After a much more sombre opening title sequence, we find Loki and Sylvie standing outside the castle doors, everything’s been leading up to this moment and Sylvie is a little overwhelmed, but the doors themselves obviously feel like they spend too much time dithering and open of their own accord. They enter and are promptly jump-scared by Miss Minutes—complete with scare-chord, shrunken pupils and a slightly deranged grin. She reveals that this place is called the Citadel at the End of Time, that it—and by extension the TVA—is run by a being known as ‘He Who Remains’—“he created all and he controls all. At the end, it is only he who remains”—and that they’ve been expected. She tempts them with the claim that he’s worked out a way to reinsert them into the timeline in a way that won’t disrupt things too much, so the TVA can keep doing what it does and they can live the lives they’ve always wanted. Loki could win the Battle of New York, kill Thanos and take the Infinity Gauntlet for himself. Sylvie could wake up to a lifetime of happy memories rather than being on the run. But both recognise a deal too good to be true and refuse.

Miss Minutes then appears in Renslayer’s office. When Renslayer asks her what took her so long, she replies that “some things had to get worked out”, before downloading some files to Renslayer’s TemPad. Ravonna points out that these aren’t what she asked for, but apparently “he thinks this’ll be more useful.” (So Miss Minutes has gone full HAL.)

Back in the Citadel, Loki and Sylvie make their way through before coming to a pair of elevator doors, which open to reveal… Jonathan Majors, wearing a sh*t-eating grin. Yeah, so you know how last week I said it would be unlikely that – even with all the Easter eggs that were setting him up—they’d reveal Kang as the villain in the last episode? Turns out I was wrong. True it’s technically a Variant of Kang and that they’ve combined him with ‘He Who Remains’ (similar to how Sylvie is a composite of Lady Loki and the Sylvie Lushton version of the Enchantress) but Kang is a character for who, in the comics, multiple versions of himself are already part of the deal, to the point where there’s a council of them. He’s pleased to see them and invites them up to his office to talk. Loki is bemused that the mastermind they’ve been searching for has turned out to be an ordinary man, but to Sylvie, that just means he’s easier to kill. Except every time she tries, he’s able to avoid it, showing that despite his goofy exterior (he’s more concerned with eating his apple) he is very much omniscient (Miss Minutes’ offer having already hinted at the power he’s able to command).

Back at the TVA, Mobius arrives in Renslayer’s office as she’s frantically packing a bag. Ravonna expresses remorse for pruning him but says she couldn’t let him get in the way of their mission and calls for security, but Mobius replies that that’s not going to work how she thinks, now that they now her ‘secret.’ We then cut to B15, in a high school in 2018 Ohio, being pursued by more Minutemen. Chekov’s pen finally pays off as she enters an office with a pot full of ‘Franklin D. Roosevelt High School’ pens like the one Renslayer has. The other Hunters have her cornered until… Judge Renslayer shows up. Except it isn’t. It’s her main timeline version—a diploma on the wall revealing her name to be Rebecca Tourminet—clueing the other Hunters in on the fact that they’re all Variants.

In the Citadel, He Who Remains demonstrates to Loki and Sylvie just how omniscient he is, showing how he already knows what will happen by pulling out a TVA dot matrix printout script of events and dodging another of Sylvie’s attempts to kill him. She angrily points out that that’s just because of TemPad he has but he counters by pointing out that how else would he be able to programme it with everything he needed to avoid being killed by them? He’s seen everything they’ve done and every step they took was down a road he paved for them. (He also seems to be trying to drive a wedge between them, asking Sylvie if she can really trust Loki, or if she’s capable of trusting anyone at all).

Mobius and Ravonna’s reunion continues to sour. She insists that if they didn’t prune the timeline, chaos and death would be the result. Mobius points out they’d also have free will but Ravonna replies that the only one who gets to have free will is the one in charge. She finally snaps when Mobius accuses her of betraying him, yelling that threw away eons of friendship for a ‘couple of Lokis’. This, and her earlier comment that the TVA’s mission “had to mean something” makes her seem an awful lot like someone in cult who’s worldview’s breaking down when they’re confronted with the magnitude of the lies they’ve been told. Mobius tries to stop her from leaving but fails. Before she steps through the time door, he asks her where she’s going and she replies “in search of ‘free will’”. And that is the last we see of her. For now.

Speaking of the TVA’s mission, He Who Remains says that, while his methods may be deceptive (maybe stick a pin in that) the mission never was. Loki asks him what he’s so afraid of and he replies: “Me.” He reveals that he’s been called many things—including “conqueror”, just in case you had any doubts remaining—but that before the TVA, a Variant of himself, a scientist living in the 31^st century, discovered the existence of multiple universes and figured out how to cross between them, making contact with other versions of himself who were learning the same thing. For a while, there was peace (although “narcissistic” and “self-congratulatory”) but some of his Variants weren’t so cordial and saw other universes as new lands to conquer. This saw the peace between realities shatter into a multiversal war, with each Variant, fighting to preserve their timeline by making sure it was the one that came out on top. But it’s here the story diverges from the TVA dogma. He Who Remains created the Time Keepers and the TVA to oversee the proper flow of time, but they didn’t end the war. It was Alioth, who’d been created from all the tears in reality. As he was capable of consuming time and space, He Who Remains experimented on and weaponised him, using him to isolate their timeline—the ‘Sacred Timeline’—end the war and save reality. And all it cost was everyone’s free will. But, if Loki and Sylvie think he’s evil, just wait until they meet his Variants.

Then, like the snake in the Garden of Eden, he offers them a sadistic choice: kill him, allowing malevolent Variants of himself to emerge, thereby starting up another multiverse war, or they can take over the TVA, continuing to prune timelines and trample all over everyone’s free will in order to keep the timeline safe. “Stifling order or cataclysmic chaos.” Loki wonders why he would want to give being in control and He Who Remains replies that he’s been at this a long time—he’s a lot older than he looks—and he’s tired; he’s gone through a lot of scenarios, trying to find the perfect person to take over, and it just so happens that that person “came in two.”

Sylvie is unimpressed, accusing him of playing with real people’s lives like it were some kind of game. He replies that it was practical not personal but Sylvie states it was personal to her. This actually makes him come close to something like losing his temper, throwing back what she told Loki in episode 2, that it’s not about her. “Grow up Sylvie! Murderer. Hypocrite.” He points out that they’re all essentially villains here, how they’ve all done terrible things, but here is a chance to do them for good reasons. Again, when the ends justify the means…

But Loki and Sylvie don’t have long to think about this choice. An ominous rumble sounds outside, and He Who Remains says they’ve “just crossed the threshold.” Turns out, he was fibbing earlier when he said he knew what was going to happen… he knew what was going to happen up to a certain point… and that point was a few seconds ago. Outside, the timeline is beginning to branch. Again, Loki is slightly incredulous that he’s just going to sit there and let them decide his fate but He Who Remains argues what’s the worst that can happen? Either they take over the TVA and carry on his life’s work, or they kill him, the Sacred Timeline fractures into a multiverse again, his Variants start another multiversal war and another version of him will end up right back here. “Reincarnation baby.” As he seems to believe it’s inevitable that that, eventually, another Kang Variant will emerge to start the whole thing over again.

Sylvie remains convinced that this is all another elaborate manipulation and goes to kill him…only to be stopped by Loki. Loki seems to have taken the “it’s not all about you” message to heart and thinks that He Who Remains is telling the truth (a liar can recognise another liar after all) or, if he isn’t, the consequences are such that they risk unleashing something even worse than the TVA and need to take time to figure out the best solution. After all, “remove the dictator and what fills the void?” Unfortunately, Sylvie is having none of it. She thinks Loki is after the throne for himself, asking if everything between them has been a con. A heartbroken Loki replies: “Really? That’s what you think of me. After all this time?” We then get to the crux of the matter: Sylvie asks “why aren’t we seeing this the same way?” Loki answers “because you can’t trust and I can’t be trusted.”

They start to fight, Loki all the while trying to talk her down, refusing to hurt her and trying to get her to see that the cost of getting this wrong is too great. He is on verge of tears when he tells her that he has been where she is emotionally, knows what it leads to, and all he wants is for to be OK.(All the while He Who Remains is sitting back with a metaphorical bowl of popcorn and watching.) He seems to get through to her, Sylvie kissing him as a way of showing that she does reciprocate his feelings… before she sadly tells that “I’m not you”, making the decision for him by opening a time door with He Who Remains’ TemPad and pushing him through it, sending him back to the TVA, so she can have her revenge without having to hurt him. Sylvie then kills the one responsible for all her pain, He Who Remains is rather nonchalant about the whole affair, going out with a wink and a smile, promising to “see you soon.” Sylvie has finally gotten her revenge, but instead of bringing her happiness or a satisfactory conclusion, all it seems to have done is ruin the one meaningful connection she managed to make and she sinks to the floor in tears. Meanwhile, outside, the timeline continues to sprout branches like cracking glass.

In the TVA monitoring room, Mobius and B15 watch as the branches pass the red line, acknowledging there’s no going back now. Loki, clearly emotionally devastated by Sylvie’s betrayal (give this man a hug and then give this man a break, please!) makes his way through the TVA to find Mobius and B15, finding them in the archives, panicking over the amount of branching timelines. He tries to tell them though they’ve freed the timeline, they may’ve made a terrible mistake, that they found who one who created the TVA, how he orchestrated everything, and now they’ve unleashed countless different versions of a very dangerous person. But we, and Loki, are stopped cold when Mobius asks “Who are you?”

And here’s the even scarier part: insane villain though he may’ve been, He Who Remains might also have been right. Because Loki looks over in disbelief to where the statues of the three Time Keepers used to be… to see that they’ve been replaced by a single statue of He Who Remains… in his guise of Kang the Conqueror. Marvel’s ‘Time Lord’ is here folks, and if Majors’ performance turns out to be anything like the brilliant one he gave here, we’re in for a fun ride.

And on that bombshell is where we end things, with a promise that Loki will return in season 2. And it’s a good thing too, because there’re a lot of questions that need answering:

• Where is Loki? Is he in an alternate universe or has the TVA workforce just been ‘reset’?
• What does this version of the TVA run by Kang the Conqueror do if ? If it’s not to preserve the one timeline anymore, what’s their directive?
• What was in those files Miss Minutes gave to Renslayer that He Who Remains thought she should have?
• Has Renslayer gone off in search of Kang? What will happen when she does? Will she eventually become his lover (as she is in the comics)? What sort of villain could this make her?
• What will happen to Sylvie? Is this the last we’ve seen of her? If Loki can grow to the point where he cares about another without any reciprocity, is there hope for her? (There is another meaning to the phrase ‘learning to love yourself’ you know.)
• Was the gambit proposed by He Who Remains the only option? Had he really considered every scenario or is it simply that, as a Kang Variant, he’s too close to the problem?
• Was He Who Remains even being completely honest? Was he really as well intentioned as he made himself out to be? He also seemed to be trying to drive a wedge between them – pointing out the trust issues they’ve both had – did he intend for them to fight because together they’d be more of a threat to him? Is he more closely aligned with his other Variants than he made out?
• Will we learn anything more about Mobius, B15 and the rest of the TVA?
• Will Mobius ever get his jetski?
• What happened to the surviving Loki Variants? Will we see them again? Will we see more?
• The timeline started branching before Sylvie killed He Who Remains. So if his death wasn’t the cause, what was? Could it be – as thanks to Disney+’s MCU timeline order, we know that Loki comes before WandaVision – the moment Wanda became the Scarlet Witch? (Who, in the comics, is a Nexus being )

And speaking of WandaVision, though Kang is obviously now the next ‘Thanos-level’ baddie, Loki’s finale is going to have more immediate consequences for the MCU. The return of the infinite multiverse of course ties into WandaVision, the next Disney+ series What If…? (which will seemingly be building to its own in-series culmination crossover event “Guardians of the Multiverse”—which there has been some promotional material for—and also setting some things in the MCU going forward), SpiderMan No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, in which we already know Wanda will be appearing but now it’s rumoured Loki will be too. Which is possible as, not only is there precedence for it in the comics, but Loki’s head writer Michael Waldron is also the scriptwriter on that too, and I really hope it does turn out be true, as having Marvel’s most powerful magical characters interact and team up on screen would be awesome!

What sort of place will the MCU be in by the time we get to season 2? One thing is for certain: goodbye Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, hello Marvel’s Cinematic Multiverse! I’ve had a blast. See you in season 2!

What did you think of Loki? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Loki Recap: 1.06 ‘For All Time. Always.’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

SPOILERS AHEAD

We begin with an amazing tracking shot, rotating through the TVA—mirroring how last week’s revelations have turned everything upside down—dissolving through the gold elevator doors and into the Time Keepers’ chamber, lingering on the middle Time Keeper’s severed head before dissolving again into the desolate landscape we’ll soon learn is called the Void, (not a ruined New York, as the lettering on the side of what we thought was Avengers tower actually reads “QENG”, more on which in a moment) until we come to focus on our Lokis: our 2012 Loki, Boastful Loki (Deobia Oparei), Kid Loki (Jack Veal), Classic Loki (Richard E. Grant), and Lokigator. 2012 Loki is naturally rather confused and Classic Loki explains the situation as thus: “this is the void, that’s Alioth and we’re his lunch.” Alioth is a gigantic purple cloud monster with glowing red eyes that occasionally forms features that are a cross between feline and reptilian. (In the comics, he’s a trans-temporal entity that rules a time empire that borders Kang’s. And it’s this, along with other Easter Eggs—including QENG, which, a little research tells me, is the name of a company that bought the tower from the Tony Stark in the comics, run by a version of Nathaniel Richards, a.k.a Kang the Conqueror—that makes me think that, while it’s very unlikely they’ll suddenly reveal Kang to be the mastermind in the last the episode (rumoured second season notwithstanding) they’re at least laying the groundwork for him like they did with Thanos; there’re just too many coincidences otherwise.)

Back at the TVA, Sylvie demands to know who’s really in charge but Renslayer claims to be just as in the dark as she is. She also claims she wants to find out who lied to her and that it may be possible to find Loki. She explains that when they prune a branch reality they can’t actually destroy it so they just shunt it to somewhere along the timeline where it won’t continue growing, which is, in this case, the void at the end of all time, where all streams of reality converge at a single point and everything just stops. She proposes a truce, which Sylvie reluctantly accepts.

In the Void, Loki tries to question the others about what’s going on and what the plan is, dismayed to find the plan is simply not to die. His frustration gets the better of him, and I think it’s safe to say he speaks for all of us when he screams “Will someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?!” Kid Loki explains that the Void is essentially where the TVA dumps its rubbish and Alioth, a living tempest that consumes matter, makes sure none of it ever finds its way back. And with no TemPad and no way to cause a Nexus event, there’s not much they can do. It also turns out that Kid Loki is the one in charge because his Nexus event was killing Thor. (If one of the long term projects Marvel are setting up is The Young Avengers, and they want to use this version of Kid Loki, they may want to elaborate on that.) As the landscape is littered with the remains of alternate timelines, it’s obviously also full of Easter eggs. Standouts include: the Thanos-copter (yes, you heard correctly), Mjolnir, and Throg (frog Thor, who director Kate Herron has just confirmed was actually voiced by Chris Hemsworth) trapped in a jar (#pleasefreethrog). The other Lokis lead 2012 Loki to their hideout: a customised bowling alley inside an underground bunker.

Back with Sylvie and Renslayer, Sylvie surmises that whoever is behind everything must be hiding somewhere beyond the Void, as it’s the only place where they wouldn’t be detected, but Renslayer says it’s impossible to get there because there’s nothing for the TemPad to lock onto. Miss Minutes then suggests the prototype spacecraft that is capable of traveling through the Void. It takes her a suspiciously long time to look for the files however, and, sure enough, it was simply a delaying tactic until security showed up. So Sylvie escapes by pruning herself.

In the bowling alley bunker, the Lokis sit about drinking (Roxxcart brand boxed wine for adults and the alligator, Hi-C Ecto Cooler for the Kid; does this mean Slimer’s a part of the MCU now?) and we learn more about them: that ‘Boastful’ Loki’s moniker suits him to a tee and that Lokigator has the best Nexus event – eating the wrong neighbour’s cat (don’t remind him of it though; he’s sensitive). Kid Loki then tells Classic Loki to tell them about his Nexus event, which 2012 Loki is curious about, since the Sacred Timeline dictates that Thanos kills them after Ragnarok, therefore not making it to live to old Age. Classic Loki explains that in his timeline, everything proceeded ‘correctly’ until Thanos attacked their ship. Instead of trying to stab him he cast an illusion of himself so realistic it even managed to fool Thanos  (“blades are worthless in the face of a Loki sorcery, they stunt our magical potential”) and survived by hiding as a piece of inanimate debris. (That sound you can hear is fan-theorists heads’ exploding as Marvel appear to have taken their theory of how Loki could’ve faked his death back in Infinity War and sort of made it cannon; for an alternate Variant at least.) Afterwards, having concluded that all he brought to the universe was pain, he isolated himself for a long time on a remote planet. But he grew lonely, missing his brother and wondering if anyone missed him. However, as soon as he set foot off the planet the TVA arrived to arrest him, because, he bitterly declares, Lokis only have one part to play in the grand scheme of things: the God of Outcasts. They’ve given up but 2012 Loki hasn’t. He points out that as well as surviving, Lokis are also good at escaping, telling them about Sylvie and about how she’s truly different from the rest of them because she wants to bring the TVA down, not rule it. And he’s going to help her by vanquishing Alioth as it’s what’s keeping them there. He appeals for their help but they just laugh and, disgusted, he leaves, only to run into another gang of Lokis, this one led by President Loki (a nod to the 2016 ‘Vote Loki’ miniseries, and also played by Tom Hiddleston, just to be confusing). And the poor guy is just so done. (“This is a nightmare.”)

Elsewhere, Sylvie wakes up and is soon attacked by Alioth. When she accidentally touches it, she catches a glimpse of something, a castle on a rock in the middle of space (which we have seen in trailer footage), proving that Alioth has a mind and therefore can be enchanted. She’s then rescued by Mobius in a pizza delivery car (I can already see the Spiderman 2 ‘Pizza Time’ meme being resurrected).

Back with the Lokis, it turns out that it was Boastful Loki who betrayed them to President Loki, who in turn betrays him and who is then betrayed by his own army. The absolute best part of this sequence is watching 2012 Loki’s reactions, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, as even he’s grown fed up with the constant back-stabbing (in fact, his expression for much of this episode is a variation on ‘I am surrounded by these a***holes but they’re all ME!’). Lokigator then Captain Hooks President Loki and a fight breaks out, from which Classic Loki uses his sorcery to help him, Kid Loki, 2012 Loki and Lokigator escape. He’s also angry at their seeming inability to change. “We’re broken, every version of us. Forever.” And when any of them dare deviate from the established timeline by trying to improve themselves, the TVA send them to the Void to die. 2012 Loki points out that nothing can change until the TVA is stopped, and that Sylvie is the only one of them he does trust. Classic Loki acquiesces, saying that they’ll lead him to Alioth but after that he’s on his own.

Sylvie and Mobius are still driving across the Void. She comments on his prior actions and belief in the TVA, to which his response is “well, when you believe the end justifies the means…” They go back and forth, pointing out that she killed quite a few Minutemen as well, each professing they did what they had to, until Sylvie points out that they hunted her like a dog, a statement Mobius has no response to other than apology. Sylvie fears that Loki may already be dead and tells Mobius to drive back towards Alioth.

Speaking of, the other Lokis find Alioth as a ship appears in the Void, the USS Eldridge (a WW2 era ship that was the subject of a debunked conspiracy theory involving cloaking technology). 2012 Loki says that while Alioth is distracted by the main meal they can sneak around the back. But seeing how quickly and thoroughly Alioth consumes the ship and its crew puts paid to that idea. Sylvie and Mobius arrive, much to 2012 Loki’s delight. Both he and Sylvie have worked out that Alioth is the guard dog keeping them away from whatever’s beyond the Void but, rather than kill it, Sylvie’s going to enchant it instead.

At the TVA, Renslayer goes to question an incarcerated B15, asking what drives Sylvie. Revenge, she answers, is what drives her, and killing the Time-Keepers, but since they turned out to be fake, so she’ll be going after whoever created them. She also tells Renslayer that she’ll never find out who or what that is before Sylvie does, as Renslayer may want it but Sylvie needs it. As she leaves, Renslayer tells Miss Minutes that she wants all the files from the beginning of time and the creation of the TVA. (Her little smirk afterwards though has me undecided about just how in the dark she actually is though.)

Back in the Void, a moment of calm before the storm. Kid Loki asks Mobius what he’ll do, assuming he does get back to the TVA. Mobius says that, at the very least, he’d like to let the people know the truth. Classic Loki is incredulous that he’s suddenly turning his back on the thing he’d previously devoted his entire life to, but Mobius replies that it’s never too late to change (this show in a nutshell). 2012 Loki and Sylvie share a similar moment of vulnerability (as well as a blanket), Sylvie asking him “how do I know that, in the final moments, you won’t betray me?” Loki replies that he previously betrayed everyone who’d ever loved him, “I know what I did and why I did it, and that’s not who I am anymore (again, the show’s theme in a nutshell).

Then it’s time for Alioth take two. Sylvie explains that, when it hit her earlier, she linked to it and it showed her something, so if she can enchant it, it can take them to however is behind everything. She gives 2012 Loki the opportunity to leave, unsure of whether the plan will work, but he’s adamant that he’s staying with her. She also gives Mobius her stolen TemPad to get him back to the TVA. He offers the other Lokis a ride out but they decline. Kid Loki gives 2012 Loki his dagger and both he and Classic Loki wish them luck. 2012 Loki asks Mobius what he plans to do once he returns to the TVA, and, in a nice call back to episode 1, he replies “burn it to the ground.” They share a friendly hug and he departs. Loki and Sylvie then put their plan into action, Loki distracting Alioth’s attention while Sylvie tries to enchant it, which works until it doesn’t. They’re saved, however, by Classic Loki who conjures up an entire illusion of Asgard in order to distract Alioth (the awesomeness of which is enhanced by the samples of Wagner’s ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ that are woven into the music) proving his earlier words right as 2012 Loki comprehends that they must be stronger than they realise. Sylvie asks Loki to help her but he says he doesn’t know how to enchant, she replies that he does because they’re the same. Classic Loki isn’t able to hold the illusion for much longer however, as his strength fails. But he remains defiant, laughing as Alioth consumes him, leaving nothing but his horned helmet behind. (If this is truly the last we see of him, then farewell sir, you were magnificent! You even managed to make a costume that looks like it could’ve been mugged off a passing cosplayer look good.) 2012 Loki and Sylvie finally manage to enchant Alioth and the smoke pulls back like a curtain, revealing that castle beyond the Void.

But who is it that’s behind the curtain? The anticipation is palpable.

What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Loki Recap: 1.05 ‘Journey Into Mystery’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

SPOILERS AHEAD

After a quick recap, we go straight into the Marvel Logo, bopping to the beat of Hayley Kiyoko’s ‘Demons’ before segueing to a bar where C20 and the Variant (who, as she herself asks later in the episode, we’ll from now on refer to as Sylvie) appear to be enjoying some drinks. It quickly becomes clear however, that this is all going on inside C20’s head, Sylvie interrogating her to find out how to reach the Time Keepers. The lyrics from the song—“I’ve got demons in my head”—complement this nicely, especially as Loki and Sylvie themselves are referred to as “devils” later on; “There’s something in the water” gives us a hint that there’s something up with the TVA too.

After the opening titles, we see Sylvie arrive at the TVA. Like Loki, she quickly finds that her powers don’t work there, but she’s more than happy to use hand to hand combat and the TVA’s own weapons to fight her way through. Loki catches up and they fight in front of the elevator doors (this also quickly establishes the relationship between them that will play out for the rest of the episode and, oh my god, the sass is strong with these two—they spend most of the time bickering like siblings stuck on a road trip neither wants to be on but that they have no choice but to get through, and it’s glorious) only to be interrupted by Renslayer. Sylvie threatens to kill Loki but Renslayer’s not bothered. Before she can erase them however, Loki activates Sylvie’s TemPad. Unfortunately, they escape from the frying pan right into the fire, for Loki has inadvertently brought them to Lamentis-1, a doomed mining colony on a moon that, in about 12 hours’ time, will be totally annihilated by an approaching planetoid. As Sylvie says, of all the apocalypses saved on the TemPad, it’s the worst. And the TemPad is out of juice.

After Loki manages to steal and hide the TemPad from Sylvie, and Sylvie finds she can’t enchant Loki (his mind’s too strong apparently), they realise they’ll have to work together if they want to survive and so they form an uneasy truce. Sylvie tells Loki to refer to her as Sylvie because ‘Loki’ isn’t who she is anymore (further reinforcing that she could be neither Lady Loki nor Enchantress but a character inspired by both of them). They set out to find a power source to recharge TemPad only to find that most of the people have already fled, but an encounter with a woman who had chosen to stay behind (in which Loki tells Sylvie that “brute force is no substitute for diplomacy and guile”, only to find that sometimes they don’t work either) they learn that there’s a train to take people to the evacuation ark. They arrive to find the wealthy being escorted on board and the poor being kept back, (hello Snowpiercer, fancy meeting you here), but between Loki’s shapeshifting and Sylvie’s enchanting, they manage to blag their way on board.

The show then proves once again that, while it has great action scenes, its best ones are often just two people talking, as Loki and Sylvie get to know each other a bit more. She tells him that she won’t try and steal the TemPad from him because someone taught him some “pretty decent magic”, whereas hers is purely self-taught. This leads to some reminiscing about Frigga—“She was a queen of Asgard. She was good, purely decent.”— showing that while his relationship with his adoptive brother and father may be rocky, he does love his mother, holding her in high regard, making it all the more poignant as he’ll likely never see her again. We also begin to see the differences in their upbringings: while Loki may’ve struggled to fit in on Asgard, he still lived the life of a prince, with at least one person who believed in him, whereas Sylvie can barely remember her mother and seems to have spent most of her life on the run from the TVA, and of course this colours their worldviews.

Then the conversation moves onto their love lives. Sylvie claims that, despite everything, she’s managed to maintain a long distance relationship with a “postman”, and—an important moment for Loki fans—when she asks Loki if there have been any princesses, or even another prince, Loki replies “a bit of both. I suspect you’re the same.” We’ve already seen his gender listed as “fluid” on his TVA rap-sheet, but now we have Loki’s bisexuality confirmed! (But, as they both lament, nothing “real”, which is doubly sad—they’re both lonely and don’t want to admit it.) Sylvie suggests they rest before they arrive and Loki replies “you relax your way and I’ll relax mine.” Her way turns out to be having a nap. His way turns out to be getting absolutely hammered and leading the train in a sing-along (add ‘learning to sing in Norwegian’ as another string to Hiddleston’s bow). He also seems to turn into his brother when drunk, as we get a neat call-back to the first Thor film. (“Another!”) We also get another addition to “Loki’s-rubbish-metaphors” to go along with last week’s “apocalypse salad”: “love is an imaginary dagger”.

Unfortunately, the fun comes to an end when someone works out that Loki and Sylvie aren’t meant to be there and gets security. This leads to—yes, you guessed it—another fight, which ends with Loki being thrown from the train, Sylvie following close behind. To her fury and frustration, the TemPad is smashed as a result of the fall, meaning they’re both stuck. Loki asks about the evacuation ark and Sylvie replies that it never leaves. Loki points out that it never had them on it before, so if they can hijack it, not only will they be able to escape, but doing so will also create a nexus event that the TVA will have no choice but to respond to. As they make their way to the town, Sylvie finally agrees to tell Loki how her enchantment works: she has to make physical contact with someone and then grab hold of their mind. The weaker ones she take hold of with little problem but with the stronger ones it gets tricky, she’s there but so are they, so she has to create an illusion from their memories in order to preserve the connection. She remarks how “messed up” C20’s mind was and that she “had to pull a memory from hundreds of years prior, before she even thought for them.” Yes, Sylvie confirms what some have already suspected: the TVA is made up of Variants, repurposed and mind-wiped (this puts a tragic and slightly disturbing angle on Mobius’s obsession with jet-skis and C20’s shaken “it was real” mantra.)

They arrive at the town to find it in chaos, from both the worsening meteor storm and the people rioting in the streets, and even Loki’s appalled that all these people are essentially being left to die. Then we have an awesome long take (which they’ve done a good job of making it look like one shot) of Loki and Sylvie running and fighting their way through town toward the ark, (in which we see Loki’s telekinesis isn’t limited to Roombas), but it’s all for naught, as the ark is destroyed by a meteor before they can reach it, and, as everyone looks on in horror, the sombre crooning of Bonnie Guitar’s ‘Dark Moon’ takes us into the end credits.

How will our two disaster siblings get out of this? How will Mobius, B15 and the rest react to the knowledge that they’re Variants and have essentially had their lives stolen from them? Will they even find out? Just how ‘in the know’ is Renslayer? Who’s really at the top of the TVA: the Time Keepers or someone else? And how is this show already halfway over? Hiddleston himself has said that episodes 4 & 5 are where the series “really takes off”, expanding into new territory. Don’t know about you but I’m excited!

What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Loki Recap: 1.03 ‘Lamentis’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Marvel announced that three new series will be coming to Disney+. First was Ms. Marvel, who we will meet in the series and then she’ll move on to the films. Next up was Moon Knight, and lastly, She-Hulk, which Kevin Feige teased that “Bruce Banner is no longer the only Hulk in the MCU” and will tie into the larger MCU. Nothing else was revealed except for the logos for the three series.

In other news:

• Avengers Endgame will be released on Disney+ on December 11th.
• A teaser for What If…, which is an animated series, saw Peggy Carter become superenhanced in place of Steve Rogers and instead sports a Union Jack shield and going by the name Captain Carter.
• Loki will be six hours.
• The Falcon and Winter Soldier will dive into their pasts, both past and present post Endgame. Sharon Carter (played by Sharon Van Camp) will be in the series. John Walker (played by Wyatt Russell) will be introduced as supervillain Super-Patriot.
• WandaVision will be “half sitcom, half epic MCU adventure,” according to Kevin Feige. The series will see character Monica Rambeau join (played by Teyonah Parris) who is the daughter of Captain Marvel’s friend Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch). Kat Dennings will reprise her role as Darcy Lewis, along with Randall Park reprising his role from Ant-Man and the Wasp and Kathryn Hahn (Bad Moms).

Any Marvel news you’re excited for? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 3 New Marvel Shows Announced At D23 Expo appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

BLACK WIDOW | May 1st 2020
Starring Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, O-T Fagbenle, and Rachel Weisz. Directed by Cate Shortland.

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER | Fall 2020
An original series with Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, and Daniel Brühl. Streaming exclusively on Disney+.

THE ETERNALS | November 6th 2020
Starring Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, and Don Lee. Directed by Chloé Zhao.

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS | February 12th 2021
Starring Simu Liu, Awkwafina, and Tony Leung, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.

WANDAVISION | Spring 2021
An original series with Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, and Teyonah Parris. Streaming exclusively on Disney+.

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS | May 7th 2021
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen. Scott Derrickson returns as director.

LOKI | Spring 2021
An original series with Tom Hiddleston. Streaming exclusively on Disney+.

WHAT IF…? | Summer 2021
The first animated series in the MCU, with Jeffrey Wright as the voice of The Watcher, and many actors from across the MCU reprising their roles as voice talent. Streaming exclusively on Disney+.

HAWKEYE | Fall 2021
Jeremy Renner, an original series that will also introduce Kate Bishop. Streaming exclusively on Disney+.

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER | November 5th 2021
Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and Natalie Portman. Taika Waititi returns as director.

BLADE | Unknown
BLADE with Mahershala Ali

Which one are you most excited to watch? Tell us in the comments below!

The post SDCC 2019: New Marvel TV Shows & Movies appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

“I love you, 3000” has quickly become an iconic sentence in pop culture history since Avengers: Endgame premiered in April 2019. 11 years and 23 movies later, the MCU as we know it closes its finale chapter of the Infinity Saga. It may be the end of this storyline, but has it been the final curtain call for every Avenger?

THE ORIGINAL 6

Iron Man

The man who started it all, reminded us with his last breath that he will be forever our Iron Man. Tony sacrificed himself to save millions of people not only on earth, but in the entire universe. His legacy is now in the hands of those who he left behind, however, I am certain that Tony’s spirit will be around for quite some time. His inventions and ideas he never finished in his garage could be picked up by someone – Peter, I am looking at you – and this way we do not need to say our farewell for good. Of course, there is always a possibility for a different timeline (I will come to that at a later point) or, considering we are talking about Mr. Anthony Howard Stark, we could even see him becoming the next A.I. Who knows?

Black Widow

I don’t know about you, but my tears have not dried yet. I love Nat and Clint’s friendship since the beginning and to see them going to Volmir together broke my heart. In a way, it does make sense why Nat had to die. She finally had a family, a place where she belonged to, and she wanted to make sure that they would survive and find their happiness. Is it fair? Hell no! She deserved better. I still hope that Kevin Feige will bring her back. After all, in the comics Gamora was freed from the Soul Stone, even if she had to lose a part of her soul in the process, she came back. The Soul Stone which appeared for Gamora was destroyed, that is why this cannot happen with her, but the one Clint got was brought back by Steve, so Nat has to come back, right? Until anything is confirmed, farewell, brave warrior queen.

Hawkeye

Are you one of those, who always where like “Clint, who?”, then shame on you! Clint gradually got a bigger part in every movie he was in and it is important that he has become a valued member of the team. Everyone else has a gadget or some supernatural powers, but all that Clint has is his bow and arrow and an impressive skill set. Yes, you can be a superhero with just so little. Clint definitely found his peace and all he wants is to be with his family and know that they are safe. However, I do hope to see him again, not as an active member, but as a mentor in one or more of the upcoming movies.

It is confirmed that Marvel is planning a web series on their new streaming site, Disney+, which will launch in November 2019. In that series, Clint will train a fellow archer – Kate Bishop – to become the next Hawkeye.

Hulk

In the five years between Infinity War and Endgame, Bruce has combined the best of his two personalities and has become Professor Hulk. Yes, this is awesome! Hulk is so happy; you have been able to see how Mark Ruffalo enjoyed playing that new Hulk. I do not think that we have to worry about him much. I gave up hope on seeing another Hulk movie anytime soon and maybe it is the best for this character. There is nothing known about his future, but I think that he will stick around one way or another, perhaps he’ll work on a new HQ for the Avengers?

Captain America

During the time heist, Hulk and the Ancient One had an intense discussion about whether they would change the future by borrowing the infinity stones from the past or if they create a different, new parallel timeline to the one we know.

So, we know that when Steve stayed in the past to get his well-deserved happy ending with Peggy, he did not change the timeline we know. All that we saw still happened and was not erased, but he created an anomaly by staying in the past with another Peggy. So, there is a different timeline, which could be of importance in the future. Steve has moved on from being the perfect soldier, even though I do think that he will wield his shield from time to time because that is the Steve we know. He will always help those in need.

At the end of Endgame, a well-aged Steve is back in our timeline which means that he had to do a time jump once more. Was he unhappy? Did new battles occur? How is everyone in the other timeline? Chris Evans announced that he will not return to the MCU anytime soon, but if the fans will ask for it, he gladly would tell us this part of his life.

It has been announced that Marvel is in pre-production of a “What if…” series which will premiere on Disney+. The first episode will be focusing on what if Peggy took the super soldier serum, instead of Steve.

Thor

Thor had a lot to deal with. Losing almost all of the Asgardians, losing Heimdall, and Loki and still thinking why he did not go for the head. At least, he got his second chance. I think, even if he was not in shape – physically and mentally – he was by far the best version of himself. He understands loss; he understands what it means to feel human. I think it is important to see that sometimes even the god of thunder has to face his mistakes and deal with human problems. His journey did not end in Endgame, it only took a new direction. Will he become a member of the Guardians? Will he find a new purpose somewhere else in the galaxy? Thor could also join Captain Marvel on her quest. For Thor, the possibilities are endless.

It is confirmed that Chris Hemsworth has signed a new contract with Marvel so he will definitely stick around for some more years and take us with him on his journey.

THE NEW AVENGERS

We have lost some of the Original 6, but that does not mean that the Avengers will not be around anymore. There are some guys who will not stop to protect earth from anyone who will do them harm and some “new” faces could join them.

Falcon

… or should I say, Captain America? After all the speculations who would get Steve’s shield if he ever would step aside from the battling, we know that it will be Sam. Honestly, I do think that this is a great choice. Steve and Sam are very similar when it comes to empathy, putting others first, and leadership. Sam deserves it and I think he will make Steve very proud. He is already a valued member and knows how everything works. He knows most of the others already and combined with his humour, he is able to build a new team who will follow his lead

Bucky

I am sorry if you are one of those who hoped to see Bucky as the new Captain America, but do not be sad, it is better that way for him. Bucky has lost his memories and his identity more than once. To put on another one would have been too much as Bucky is still recovering. Living in Wakanda by himself was the beginning of his journey to find inner peace and becoming whole again. In my opinion, part of his recovery will be to make his wrongs right and fight for those who cannot fight on their own. It is sad to know that we will not see Bucky and Steve’s friendship on-screen anymore, but I am sure that Bucky has found a new friend already in Sam, who will help him find his place and purpose.

Disney and Marvel have announced that there is a series in pre-production called “Falcon and Winter Soldier”. Nothing more is known so far, so it will be interesting to see when this show will take place.

War Machine

Tony’s best friend, Rhodey, is still very much alive and now has his chance to become the new Iron Man. I do not think that he will retire and live a quiet live in the woods as Tony did, but instead he will stay an Avenger. Unfortunately, they made Rhodey such a side character that there is currently nothing that could be a potential story line for him so Marvel better make some up ASAP.

Scarlet Witch (and Vision)

Wanda is alive and well and besides Clint, who seems to be a father figure for her, she doesn’t really have anyone left who she trusts. Her brother is dead, Vision is dead, and Steve is gone. However, the Avengers have become her family, so I do think that she will help with building a new team. I really hope so because we need every bad ass woman we can get. Maybe she will hop in and out of the Avengers HQ and will go see Clint and his family.

What we do know is that we have not seen the last of her and Vision together. “Vision and Scarlet Witch” are currently in pre-production and the show will premiere on Disney+ in the near future. Not much is known at this current point in time, but maybe we will see what happened between Civil War and Infinity War or we will see both of them in an alternative timeline.

The new team does not end with the ones mention above. There are also others, who could join them. You can read more of them below when we will discuss Phase 4.

OTHER CHARACTERS

Pepper and Morgan

We know that we will not see Pepper appear in a movie again because Gwyneth Paltrow announced that Endgame is the last one for her. Well, thinking about how many times she has said that and has always returned because RDJ has asked her to, I would not bet on it, especially because there is a new character in the game, who would need her mother for quite some time.

Squirrel, as Happy has called her by the end of the movie, could be a relevant character in the future of the MCU. Maybe not in Phase 4 or 5, but when the little girl will be old enough, she could follow into her fathers’ footprints. Her father, Iron Man. Her mother, Rescue. Morgan, Ironheart? Which path Marvel will choose for Morgan we will see in the years to come, but we definitely have to see more of her.

Happy

From chauffeur to bodyguard, then head of security to babysitting Spider-Man, followed by Uncle Happy to little Morgan, and then back to babysitting Spider-Man agin. Or so it seems.

Happy Hogan was not a big part of the movies since Iron Man 3. This may have to do with Jon Faverau being busy with his other projects, but, we know that we will not lose him just because Tony is not around anymore. The man, who truly founded the MCU and fought to bring Iron Man on the big screen, when not many believed in the success of the movie, will come back and be there for Peter Parker. The second trailer of Spider-Man Far From Home shows us that Happy will look after our friendly neighbourhood Spidey. For me, it seems that Happy could even work with Nick Fury, because what could be the reason that he is more around Peter as working at Stark Industries? I need answers!

S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Spider-Man trailer also confirmed that Nick Fury and Maria Hill are back and hunting the bad guys together, now those from the Multiverse. If they do that under the name S.H.I.E.L.D., it has not been confirmed yet, but we do not need to wait long to get some answers.

New Asgard and Valkyrie

Thor leaving with the Guardians at the end of Endgame means that New Asgard is now in the capable hands of their queen, Valkyrie. I cannot imagine that this will be enough for her as she certainly will pick up her sword again and fight some battle. We really need more of her and Marvel should explore this character and give her a bigger part in their upcoming movies.

Loki

Our favourite trickster is dead. Period. However, time-heist Loki has stolen the Tesseract and disappeared. Marvel confirmed that this way he created an alternative timeline and that is why Loki is able to get his own Disney+ series, which will explore his new mischief in a new created timeline.

Phase 3 is now closed, but this does not mean that we will never see or hear of our beloved superheroes ever again. Phase 4 is right behind the corner. Marvel Studios is the most secretive place right after the Vatican, but we do know already of some movies that are confirmed.

Phase 4

The second solo Spider-Man will be the last movie of Phase 3. In Spider-Man Far From Home we will follow Peter and his friends in Europe where he still has to find his place in a post-snap world and work for Nick Fury. As far as it is possible to tell, all of Peter’s friends have been gone for five years as he was, and they now have to finish high school. We also know that this movie will introduce us to the Multiverse, which brings new possibilities for interesting characters and new worlds.

Before Endgame, Marvel announced that a Black Widow solo movie is finally in pre-production. Scarlett Johansson will become once more Natasha and she will be the first actor of the MCU who will co-produce a movie. Now we also know, that this movie will be a prequel and maybe we will finally see how she became the Black Widow. The question I want an answer to is, what the hell has happened in Budapest? How did she and Clint became friends?

Another movie we know is in pre-production, but was delayed because of James Gunn being fired and then rehired, is Guardians of the Galaxy 3, in which Thor will be a part of. Starlord and his friends are looking for Gamora from 2014 and are up for another crazy adventure. Being a part of Endgame, I was hoping for them to stay longer on Earth, especially because Peter is human, but maybe another time.

Every actor who joins the MCU signs a contract for three solo movies. So, we wait for Doctor Strange to drag us back into his world in the sequel while Captain Marvel will also come back for a sequel. We will also all scream “Wakanda Forever” in Black Panther 2. Maybe Bucky has returned to Wakanda and will help Okoye, Shuri, and T’Challa with their upcoming problem. We also can look forward to see Scott and Hope back in action in Ant-Man 3.

To the already established heroes we get introduced to some new as well. Shang-Chi and The Eternals are already announced and will be the first to take us with them into the multiverse.

Now that FOX is part of Disney it means that the rights for some characters are back with Marvel. There are rumours that the Fantastic Four and the X-Men could be rebooted once more to become part of the MCU. Fans do hope to see an A-Force movie, after that short but important scene in which all female heroes are seen fighting together.

The possibilities are endless, and the comics have so many stories which can be adapted for the big screen.Then, there is always the possibility of exploring a different timeline, because we actually have two now!

What are you excited to see the MCU? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Future of The MCU appeared first on The Nerd Daily.