The first episode of LOKI has released on Disney
Plus and there is much to break down, including the identity of the variant Lokis, the infinity
stones, the ending, easter eggs and much more.
In particular, I'm going to be giving you my breakdown of Loki Episode 1 entitled, "Glorious
Purpose", in the aim to help you guys understand the events and discover things you missed.
This video will also contain spoilers from LOKI Episode 1, so if you do happen to be
someone who hasn't watched the episode, then I would recommend watching this video
after you've seen it.
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But without further ado, let's dive into LOKI episode 1 and all of its time-related events.
So in LOKI Episode 1, we gather the basic plot and elements that are going to be at
play throughout the season, with a previous version of Loki having evaded capture by stealing
the Tesseract.
The last we saw of him was in Endgame when this variant Loki teleported somewhere unknown.
And we see a play on that scene at the beginning of
this first episode to remind us of what LOKI we will be following throughout this series.
Except, we now know that he didn't get very far before the TVA, which we learn is short
for the Time Variance Authority, find Loki in the desert, apprehend him and bring him
back to their headquarters for causing a breach in the timeline,
labelling him as a variant.
While TVA judge Ravonna Lexus Renslayer finds Loki guilty, upbeat TVA agent Mobius, played
by Owen Wilson, takes Loki’s capture as an opportunity to use the Asgardian to the
ancient organisation’s benefit.
We discover that a fugitive variant has been ruthlessly killing TVA agents in the field
and stealing their reset charges, gadgets that they use to reset the timeline when Nexus
events have occurred.
And in fact, Mobius reveals that it's another LOKI who has been terrorising the timeline.
But before we get to who the variant LOKI could be, the episode gives us plenty of details
to break down, including the mysteries of the TVA that intrigue LOKI.
When Loki is first brought to the TVA by Hunter B-15, he learns about the history of the organisation
by watching a cartoon narrated by Miss Minutes, the organisation’s clock-shaped mascot.
It’s said that three Time-Keepers are the ones in charge of the TVA, overseeing the
timeline to ensure that all events occur as they are supposed to.
However, the fact that it is up to three individuals to decide what should and shouldn’t happen
throughout the vast expanse of time confounds Loki – and understandably so.
Loki quickly realises that he’s unable to use his magic within the TVA’s building,
which also means that when he comes across a drawer full of Infinity Stones, they’re
rendered useless.
So could these Infinity Stones come into play further down the line?
Well, we will have to see, but the fact that they've shown the infinity stones this
early on, suggests they will be a bigger part to play.
But having been placed in the custody of an organisation that monitors time from beginning
to end, there was always the possibility that Loki was going to learn what would have happened
to him had his life remained on its proper course.
Mobius decides to show Loki how his story was supposed to play out after the Battle
of New York in 2012, if he hadn’t vanished with the Tesseract.
The TVA agent hits Loki with all the emotion, revealing that in Thor: The Dark World, the
Dark Elves murder his beloved mother after he unintentionally sends them her way.
Loki later fast-forwards through more moments of his life, witnessing his reconciliation
with his father, Odin, the growth of his bond with Thor in Thor: Ragnarok and the moment
that Thanos snapped his neck in Avengers: Infinity War.
Watching your own death play out on screen is enough to leave anyone scared, and we leave
this sequence with the question, will Loki eventually find himself back on a similar
path?
But some of the other details sprinkled in this episode include the previously mentioned
Nexus.
So what is a Nexus event?
Well, the term Nexus cropped up in WandaVision, when a fake commercial advertised an anti-depressant
called Nexus.
In Loki, it’s explained exactly what a Nexus event is and how Loki has inadvertently become
wrapped up in one.
When an event occurs that isn’t supposed to happen as part of the Sacred Timeline safeguarded
by the Time-Keepers, this causes a Nexus event, which branches away from the correct timeline.
TVA agents fix these moments with reset charges, while any variants involved in the incidents
are trialled by the organisation.
I have a feeling that all of these time-related Nexus
events are going to be crucial to the next phase of the MCU and it will be interesting
to see how they link the events in this series to what happens in the films following
it.
Maybe something multiverse related in Doctor Strange 2 could connect some of the missing
dots.
It's also intriguing that fans think the figure on the window in
the scene with Owen Wilson and the young boy could be Mephisto, but honestly, I think anything
is pointed out as being Mephisto at this point.
It's interesting but these smaller details can add up in the long run, and maybe it is
connected to the bigger picture.
After all, Kevin Feige did say that LOKI is more connected to MCU
than the previous two shows, so we'll have to see how they go forward with that.
But what throws LOKI into all of this multiverse of madness, relates to time, and in particular,
the mention of different LOKI variants.
The big reveal of there being an evil LOKI causing trouble to the TVA, get's us wondering
over who this version of LOKI could actually be.
In the final scene of episode 1, set in Oklahoma 1858, we witness someone
hidden in a cloak and hood burning alive TVA guards, known as Minute Men, before stealing
their technology.
Presumably, this is the Loki variant that Owen Wilson's character was referring to,
but why are they hiding their face?
Is there more to this Loki than meets the eye?
Well, let's get into who this might be.
Marvel fans have long suspected that Lady Loki might show up in the new series, thanks
in no small part to some leaked set photos which revealed Sophia Di Martino sporting
some familiar clothing to the god of mischief.
If that's true, and it does turn out that Lady Loki is the true villain, what does it
mean?
While more info on her character's comic book history can be easily researched, Lady Loki
was essentially Loki in female form, as you might have already guessed.
But this wasn't just a one-off change.
LOKI used his shape-shifting powers to stay in this body for a number of years.
So maybe the hooded LOKI needed to keep a cover or it's something to do
with the identity shift.
Moving on, while he doesn't pop up in the first episode, the trailers have already confirmed
that President Loki will be stopping by the TVA at some point.
But is this our Loki or an alternate version who might be hiding under that shadowy cloak
at the end of the first episode?
President Loki is inspired by a short but well-received
run of comics from 2016 where everyone's favourite Asgardian plotted to take over the White House.
Whether the MCU version of this is to be trusted or not, expect Tom
Hiddleston to give us a charming take on President Loki, as we've seen in footage already.
But like Lady Loki, we can't decipher whether it's the LOKI we are following
or a variant LOKI that Mobius referred to.
But it's interesting to keep in mind as we progress through the next few episodes.
Also, back in 2010, comic book Loki cheated death, only to wind up reborn as Kid Loki,
a child version who had no memories of his evil past.
Sure, he was just as mischievous as you might expect, but he was still a pretty decent kid
until a ghost of his former self turned him bad.
Given that this cloaked variant in the show looks to be of adult size, this probably isn't
Kid Loki.
Although perhaps this idea shouldn't be dismissed completely, because as we all know, Loki is
a master of illusion, and it wouldn't take much for Kid Loki to size up, as it were.
After Kid Loki came Teen Loki, a slightly manipulative version who tried his best to
be good.
At one point, he even joined the Young Avengers, and now that characters such as Wiccan and
Speed are in the MCU, I wouldn't be surprised if Teen Loki joined them following a potential
debut in this series first.
But if Teen Loki is indeed destined to appear on this show, would he hide behind a cowl
like this?
And would he start off so despicably evil?
It's entirely possible, and as we've seen so far, Marvel could be setting up a good
redemption story, but other contenders on this list seem more likely.
And speaking of contenders, the final contender is one that Marvel could later move to.
King Loki was first introduced in 2014's Loki: Agent of Asgard, and out of everyone mentioned,
he certainly is the most villainous.
This is the version of Loki who succeeded in pulling off all of his darkest plans.
Consumed with rage and hate, King Loki is not to be messed with and Marvel
does love to play around with pre-existing stories, and given how much King Loki's saga
revolved around time travel, this could very well be the version that fans are introduced
to at the end of episode 1.
And don't forget that there was a lot of discussion in this episode between Loki and
Mobius about Loki wanting rule and the darkest impulses that he tends to focus on.
We'll have to see, but I do think they will take elements from these Variant Loki's
and eventually adapt them in the series.
But that was my brief breakdown video on the first episode of LOKI, along with who some
of the variants might be.
Overall, it was a great first outing for the show and personally, I enjoyed this much more
than the opening of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
I know they are two completely different shows, but LOKI as a series, seems to know what it
is, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and in turn, it has presented a wonderfully
enjoyable canvas.
There was comedy, intrigue, great production and even emotion in this first episode, that
it gets me excited enough to see where the show could be going from here.
I'm giving episode 1 of LOKI an 8.5 out of 10.
I hope you guys enjoyed my breakdown, and overall, I'm looking forward to seeing what
happens next week in the new Marvel show, which I will be covering on the channel.
I'm also intrigued to hear all of your thoughts on episode 1, so let me know down below in
the comments section as well as listing your predictions for Episode 2.
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