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Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Loki season 2, episode 4
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Summary
“Protocol 42” in Loki season 2, episode 4 references a major Marvel number with connections to Miles Morales’ Spider-Man and Mister Fantastic.
Ravonna’s secret history in the MCU mirrors her role as a critical ally of Kang the Conqueror in the original Marvel Comics.
Sylvie fears that sparing the TVA may result in the rise of Kang the Conqueror or someone worse, teasing the future of the MCU’s new big bad.
Loki season 2, episode 4 features a great collection of fun MCU references and Easter eggs. As the titular God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston) and his allies at the TVA work to prevent the entire institution from imploding, there are several connection points to other chapters of the MCU as well as some references to the original Marvel Comics. Likewise, there may even be teases for the rest of the show as well as the future of the MCU’s new big bad Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
As seen in Loki season 2, episode 4, Loki and his allies create a plan to stabilize the TVA’s Temporal Loom which is in danger of overloading and destroying them all. This is thanks to Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) who killed He Who Remains in Loki season 1, the secret founder of the TVA and creator of the Sacred Timeline. Although things go horribly wrong by the end of Loki season 2, episode 4, there a several exciting Easter eggs and references along the way.
8 “Protocol 42” (A Major Marvel Number)
When viewing her secret history, Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) learns that she once fought at He Who Remains’ side during the first Multiversal War. However, He Who Remains then instructed Miss Minute to enact “Protocol 42” where the new agents of the TVA had all their minds wiped, including Renslayer. 42 is a major number in the Marvel Universe, connecting to both Miles Morales’ Spider-Man and Mister Fantastic. The number is also a potential reference to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
7 Ravonna’s Secret History Mirrors The Comics
Learning that she was a commander of armies during the first Multiversal War and a key ally of He Who Remains, Ravonna’s secret history in the MCU mirrors how critical she was to Kang the Conqueror in the original Marvel Comics. As such, it will be interesting to see if she’ll ever serve another Kang variant in the future.
6 Ouroboros’ Name And Time Paradox
While O.B. (Ke Huy Quan) claims in Loki season 2, episode 4 that he learned everything he knows from Victor Timely, Timely reveals he learned everything from O.B.’s TVA guidebook, creating a massive paradox where they both learned from each other. As such, O.B. says it’s like a snake eating its own tail, the classic symbol known as Ouroboros, his namesake.
5 Victor Timely’s Temporal Device
Having a critical piece needed for O.B. and Casey’s Throughput Multiplier, Victor Timely’s prototype device and the “culmination of his work” looks rather familiar. As such, it may very well be the Multiversal Engine Core seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which was used to power Kang’s Time Sphere.
4 Loki References The MCU’s First Thor Movie
During Loki’s intense debate with Sylive about the merits of the TVA, he references the events of 2011’s Thor and his brother’s banishment to Earth. Once Thor came back changed with greater compassion, Loki believed that it was a weakness. However, he’s since learned that compassion and sparing the life of an enemy isn’t a weakness, something he tries to convince Sylvie of in this new episode of Loki season 2.
3 “I’m Going To Burn This Place To The Ground”
At one point in Loki season 2, episode 4, Sylvie asks Loki if it wouldn’t be easier to burn the entire TVA to the ground and start over. This is likely a reference to Loki season 1 when Loki himself was first put in the TVA’s custody where he promised to do the same, seeing as how he’d yet to evolve from the villain he once was.
2 “Someone Worse” Sylvie Teases Kang the Conqueror
Sylvie also fears in this new episode of Loki season 2 that sparing Victor Timely and the TVA will mean that she and Loki will simply have to hope that he doesn’t become “He Who Remains or someone worse”. That someone worse would likely be Kang the Conqueror or a variant of the Conqueror as seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Perhaps he could even become a Prime Kang ahead of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty which will release in 2026.
1 Miss Minutes’ Lockdown Mirrors Jurassic Park
Working with Ravonna to forge their own path without Timely, Miss Minutes locks down several networks within the TVA before O.B. reboots the entire system to force her out. However, a locked screen and message initially appeared with Miss Minutes wagging her finger: “Ah ah ah! Access denied!”. This certainly resembles Dennis Nedry in Jurassic Park when he similarly blocked access to the park’s systems: “Ah ah ah! You didn’t say the magic word!”.
New episodes of Loki release every Thursday at 6pm PT / 9pm ET on Disney+.
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