Episode 4 of Loki was the most revealing and game-changing installment yet.
The episode also had some treats in store for Marvel Comics fans and MCU diehards.
Here are a few Easter eggs you may have missed in Loki Episode 4.
One of the biggest surprises to come in Episode 4 is the return of Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif.
We hadn't seen the character in the MCU since 2013's "Thor: The Dark World," and while we
suspected the missing hero might be returning, her appearance was still shocking nonetheless.
Sif's cameo was brief, and those unfamiliar with Norse mythology might have missed a famous story
hiding in plain sight. When she first encounters Loki, Sif is holding a lock of her dark hair.
She charges at Loki, beyond aggravated that he cut off her tresses, and calls him "pathetic"
and "conniving" in addition to other unpleasant words. She aggressively knees and punches him,
and Loki has to relive the event over and over as he's stuck in a time loop.
While it might seem like a storyline the "Loki" writers conjured up,
they actually pulled it directly from the two character's mythologies. In the Norse myths,
unlike the MCU, Sif is known for her long golden hair. In the myths, Loki cuts off Sif's hair,
which puts Thor - her husband - in a fit of rage. After his brother charges him with replacing
her hair, Loki travels to Nidavellir - where Stormbreaker was forged in Infinity War - so
the dwarves can create new hair for Sif out of gold which would grow once placed on her head.
We finally get a look at the Time-Keepers in Episode 4 after their appearances were teased
with TVA sculptures throughout earlier episodes of the series. When Loki and Sylvie are brought
before them to be pruned, the Time-Keepers give them a chance to speak. We don't get
much out of these mysterious beings, although their disdain for the Loki variants is obvious.
With the help of Hunter B-15, who's had her memories of her pre-TVA life restored by Sylvie,
the Lokis are able to battle and defeat their captors, and Sylvie severs the head
of a Time-Keeper - only to discover that they're just androids. Beyond disappointed,
Loki and Sylvie are left wondering who created the TVA. Marvel Comics might have some answers.
The Time-Keepers first appeared in 1979's "Thor" #282 and were created by He Who Remains - someone
unmentioned during Episode 4. Also known as Him Who Remains - or more simply Him - this
mystery being was the last director of the TVA, who put the Time-Keepers in place to oversee the organization.
Originally, Him created the Time-Twisters in 1976's "Thor" #243,
another trio of beings who strayed from their directive and began destroying
Earth every 3000 years. In "Loki," the time-looping devices used by the
TVA are known as "Time-Twisters," in an apparent nod to these characters.
"Sorry, the Time Twister just loops you, not the furniture."
While we don't know who specifically created the TVA in the world of "Loki,"
He Who Remains - or the Time-Twisters - might have some insight.
Different versions of Loki are teased in Episode 2 during a briefing Mobius gives
to a group of Minutemen and other TVA workers before they take off to Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
These variants are displayed on a hologram, which depicts five different versions of the character.
None of these guys, however, match the four new Lokis we meet in the Episode 4 mid-credits scene.
Thanks to the credits, we know these variants are Boastful Loki,
Classic Loki, and Kid Loki. Oh yeah: There's also a crocodile Loki!
Classic Loki sports the traditional garb the character wore when he first appeared in
1962's "Journey Into Mystery" #85. Kid Loki has a much shorter history in the comics,
first appearing in 2010's "Thor" #617. This incarnation came about after the original Loki
died, but he was reborn as a child who eventually joins the Young Avengers.
The backgrounds on our other two variants are vague, but Boastful Loki's possession
of a hammer could be a nod to 2020's "Thor" #4. In this comic, Thor's brother is able to lift
Mjolnir while on Jotunheim. Loki was also able to lift Mjolnir during Marvel's AXIS event, when his
moral alignment was reversed, which made him the God of Heroism. Comic precedents aside, Boastful
Loki's appearance at least hints at some sort of confirmation that a Loki variant is worthy.
As far as the crocodile goes, there seems to be no history of this character in the comics. We've
seen a frog version of Thor before, a.k.a. Throg the Frog of Thunder, in 2009's "Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers" #1.
And Loki turns Thor into a frog in "Thor" #363, so hey, why not a crocodile Loki?
After Loki gets pruned, he winds up in New York City, where he meets his new variant buddies.
Most of the focus in this scene is on the new Lokis, and while your eyes are drawn
to a crocodile wearing gold horns, there's something major you might have missed in the background.
Avengers Tower - previously known as Stark Tower - is looming in the distance,
absolutely destroyed. We've seen the building take a beating before, but nothing like this.
The new Lokis appear to be hiding out in another apocalyptic event,
although this time, it seems to have already happened, as opposed to previous episodes
when the events were imminent. Avengers Tower is decimated in this timeline,
with its top floor balconies obliterated as it rests on a tilt. It looks like the Barn Door
Protocol wasn't installed on this former superhero hangout, like it was for Avengers HQ in Endgame.
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