Loki, fourth episode: all references and quotes
Loki, fourth episode
If it is true that the Sacred Timeline can be drastically upset by a Nexus event, the fact that Loki's fourth episode is called The Nexus event can only be a sign of how the adventure of the two variants of the God of Deception is gaining a very promising momentum in anticipation of the last two episodes, with the last episode scheduled for July 14, again on Disney +. The Nexus event therefore represents a central moment for the series, but given what we have seen, we can begin to see in Loki the real launch of the multiverse of the MCU, much more than previously assumed in WandaVision. A sensation that longtime Marvel fans have distinctly perceived in this episode, which through some references to the comic world of the House of Ideas lets leak what could be the next moves of the MCU writers.ATTENTION: the following contains a series of important spoilers on the fourth episode of Loki
Return to Asgard
In the first moments of the episode, we witness a memory of Sylvie: her kidnapping by Time Variance Authority. At the time little more than a child, Sylvie is taken into custody by a young Ravonna Ranslayer, who captures her baby while she is playing on one of the terraces of the golden Asgardian city. Little Silvye is playing with a Viking ship, a wooden animal that looks like a wolf simulating a battle in which the Valkyrie, represented by a miniature, also participates. The feeling is that the wolf could be Fenris, the canid who accompanies Hela during the conquest of Asgard seen in Thor: Ragnarok.Speaking of Asgard, we cannot forget to mention the presence of Lady Sif, played again by Jaimie Alexander. Appearing for the first time in Thor, Sif is one of Thor's most faithful companions, and had again appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. In The Nexus Event, Sif is featured as a punishing reminder for Loki, recreating a situation in which the Asgardian beat up the God of Deception in retaliation for cutting her hair while she slept, a hoax that comes directly from Norse mythology, where Loki cut Sif's blond hair, where the woman was none other than Thor's wife. Obviously, such a funny episode could not be missing in the comics, and in fact it appeared in Thor Annual # 11 (1983)
Who is Ravonna Renslayer?
At this point, it seems obvious that the truth about the Time Variance Authority is different from what we are led to believe. In the last episode we discovered that the agents are actually all variables whose memory has been erased, but apparently someone has a different fate: Ravonna Renslayer. Her presence so far had not been deepened, except for her relationship with Mobius, but in The Nexus Event we discover that it is because of her that Silvye managed to escape when she was captured. Note that Renslayer's identification number at the time was A-23, which could indicate Avengers # 23 (1965), the number in which Ravonna Renslayer made her appearance in the Marvel Universe as a 40th century Earth princess.The feeling is that Renslayer actually knows more than we think about the Time Variance Authority. When Mobius reveals that he knows her secret about the TVA agents, Renslayer does not break down, remaining impassive even when Loki and Silvye seemingly manage to kill the three Time Keepers, who actually turn out to be androids. It is difficult not to notice that one of the robots has features that are reminiscent of Kang the Conqueror, who in Marvel comics has often had to do with the Time Variance Authority, but above all he developed an intense love interest for Ravonna Renslayer, which was reciprocated.
What if Kang was behind the TVA, and Ravonna was his ally?
One, none… five!
In the fourth episode of Loki, the God of Deception lives one of the most intense moments of his existence. The evolution of the character continues to amaze, considering that after initially associating him with the role of villain in the time of Loki, his life within the Marvel Cinematic Universe has evolved showing a human side that has developed further in the Disney + series, almost reaching a moment of poetic end: Loki is killed, shot from behind by Renslayer. Just like the Asgardian god did with Phil Coulson in Avengers, finally giving the Avengers the boost they needed to be a united group.If this might sound like Loki's end, actually The Nexus event surprises everyone with an explosive post-credit scene. In reality, the Asgardian is not dead but ends up in an alternate Earth where I meet four very particular individuals: variants of him. The black Loki who appears to be holding a Mjolnir, could be a reference to Marvel What if .... # 47 from 1984, in which Loki was imagined to be able to wield his stepbrother's weapon. Among other things, 47 is also the number of the Time Theater where she is held Silvye, as if this reference to 'what if ...? The question that characterizes the actions of Mobius and B-15 is poetically marvelous: what if the variants were right?
The other three Loki, on the other hand, have a more curious aspect. The alligator could be an ironic reference to Walter Simonson's Throg, while the infant and adult versions of the God of Deception have a certain relevance to comics. In the credits, in fact, we see the presence of Matt Fraction and Pasqual Ferry who introduced him in Journey into Mystery, where the child version of Loki represented an opportunity for the Asgardian to live differently. A figure that also returns in Loki: Agent of Asgard, where Al Ewing introduces the elder Loki of the future, who may be the Old Loki seen in this scene. Scene, among other things, which in the background sees a destroyed version of the Avengers Tower.
Aliens, sorcerers and androids
When in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier Sam Wilson theorizes that in the end all the problems are traced back to aliens, sorcerers and androids it seems like a joke, but on closer inspection the new Cap is not entirely wrong. The presence of the androids simulating the three Keepers of Time seems to confirm the Wilson Theorem, considering that one of the members of the trinity of villains makes a beautiful appearance in Loki.Wanting to go further, in The Nexus Event they come cited examples of these three threats cited by Sam Wilson, when during a dialogue between B-15 and Mobius it is recalled that the Titans, Kree and vampires have passed on TVA. The first two are aliens, known in Avengers (see Thanos) and in Captain Marvel, but speaking of bloodsucker one wonders if one of the characters who will soon enter the MCU: Blade has not been given an assist. Played by Mahershala Ali, the vampire hunter who first appeared in The Tomb of Dracula will officially make his MCU debut after invading 90s movie screens with the face of Weasly Snipes.
Loki: The Nexus Event
With The Nexus Event, Loki's plot decides to surprise us with a series of twists that hit the minds of the spectators. The death of Mobius and the apparent passing of Loki are certainly intense moments, which, however, fail to hide some fragility of the narrative line of the series. The Season 2 finale, in which we witnessed the creation of what appeared to be the Multiverse, was never clarified, leaving the question of how the Sacred Timeline was realigned. We can only hope that the two missing episodes can also explain this detail.What is certain is that after the fourth episode of Loki we can expect some surprising revelations, which will not only have an impact on the life of the Asgardian , but which could have direct repercussions for the life of a certain Sorcerer Supreme, ready to return to the cinema.
