Top 10 Things to Remember Before Loki

There’s a reason why Loki looks nothing like his blonder, more muscular brother. In the first “Thor” movie, he learns that he isn’t the biological son of Odin, but of Frost Giant King Laufey. This technically makes Loki the rightful heir of Jotunheim. Unfortunately, his father abandoned him as a baby for appearing weak. Loki was thus adopted by Frigga and Odin. The latter made sure he looked like an average Asgardian. After discovering the truth of his origins, Loki betrayed his adopted family, assumed the throne and tried to wipe out his homeworld. Loki was thwarted by Thor and seemingly fell to his demise. However, the Frost Giant still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Following the Battle for New York, Loki was brought back to Asgard where he received an eternal prison sentence. And that’s especially painful for a god. His imprisonment ended when Thor recruited him to help stop the Dark Elves. Despite being less than trustworthy, Loki bested Algrim the Strong in battle and avenged his adopted mother. Although Loki seemingly paid with his life, this was all part of another ruse. Thor eventually realized that his brother was parading as Odin. But the god of thunder ignored his brother’s crime when Asgard faced an even greater enemy in Hela. While Asgard was ultimately destroyed, Loki still reconciled with Thor. The brothers joined forces to preserve what remained of their home in a glorious last stand.

The Tesseract was a cube containing the Space Stone that changed many hands throughout the MCU’s first three phases. It went all the way from Odin’s Vault into the clutches of Red Skull during World War II. When Captain America defeated the villain, the Tesseract was lost until Howard Stark recovered it. It moved from Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. to S.H.I.E.L.D. before being stolen by Loki and used to bring a Chitauri army to earth. Thor returned the Tesseract to Asgard after the battle and used it to fix the Rainbow Bridge. And after Loki stole it again, Thanos took it from him to get the Space Stone. The Tesseract's last major use made this series possible.

The Time Heist suffered a hiccup when the Avengers dropped the Tesseract in 2012 right after the Battle of New York. During the commotion, Loki swiped it and made a quiet getaway. Although the Avengers were still able to get the Tesseract in 1970, a version of Loki created another timeline when he used it in 2012. This will cause a branch reality that deviates from the original MCU timeline in various ways. Since the tesseract never reached Asgard in that 2012, the Rainbow Bridge probably wasn’t repaired. Loki also wouldn’t have aided or deceived Thor in “The Dark World” and “Ragnarok.” On the plus side, Thanos might not have been able to complete his gauntlet and traumatize us with the consequences of his snap.

Loki earned his title as the God of Mischief by deceiving others on a regular basis. He even played tricks when working with good people. That said, Loki evolved from a villain to an antihero between the first “Thor” and “Ragnarok.” But the Disney+ series focuses on the alternate timeline Loki who escaped in “Endgame.” This version of the character hasn’t undergone the crucial development we saw in “The Dark World” and beyond. Loki will likely still be obsessed with pursuing power and his place in the universe. But if Loki was capable of redemption in another reality, perhaps he can reform here too.

Loki died doing what he did best: deceiving someone. Instead of doing it for his own personal gain, his final deception was done in the name of family. Loki pretended to swear allegiance to Thanos after surrendering the Tesseract. In a last-ditch effort to save his brother, he tried taking out the Mad Titan with a dagger. Thanos proceeded to take Loki’s life in front of a helpless Thor. Although Loki cheated death multiple times, Thanos clearly said, “No resurrections this time.” Well, that’s sort of the case. The original timeline Loki perished at Thanos’ hand and it’s highly unlikely he’ll stage another comeback. But thanks to this new altered reality, the character isn’t gone for good. We can happily spend more time with him in a TV series.

As the series will follow Loki traveling through time and reality, we could see several dearly departed characters resurface. In the trailer, Loki mentions his brother and Heimdall. The latter Asgardian died after transporting Hulk back to Earth using the Bifrost. If Loki returns to Asgard, he could stir up more family drama with his father and mother and see Heimdall again. Aside from deceased characters, Loki could cross paths with Steve Rogers living a happy ending with Peggy Carter. Or he could really create conundrums by seeing someone like Valkyrie before they were originally supposed to meet. There may be no limits on who Loki can crossover with.

As Bruce Banner explained in “Endgame,” The Avengers can’t change events that already took place in their timeline. But they can create branch realities if something new happens while they’re traveling in the past. This is where the Time Variance Authority comes in. The organization seems to be responsible for holding time together. Since they blame Loki for altering reality by escaping with the Tesseract, the TVA is now making him help fix time itself. The trailers make it look like the villain will be at odds with the organization. But knowing Loki has potential for growth, could he learn to love working at the TVA after enough time has passed?

After surviving the events of the first “Thor,” Loki brokered a deal with Thanos and the Other. Loki was granted an army and a Scepter holding the mind stone to invade Earth in exchange for acquiring the Tesseract for Thanos. The next time he confronted his old boss, he preferred to betray the Mad Titan instead of serving him again. But the alternate timeline Loki might not be as defiant. Since he hasn’t reconciled with his brother and other Asgardians, he may feel alone and more open to siding with Thanos. And seeing as Loki was the last person with the Tesseract, the mad titan may seek him out. What would happen if this god of mischief met his old boss? Only time will tell.

Like “WandaVision,” “Loki” is another series that will tie into a future movie. “Loki” showrunner Michael Waldron was even brought in for rewrites on “Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness.”. The sorcerer supreme has a history with the Time Stone and the Ancient One had a detailed conversation with Banner about the flow of time. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw one of them pop up in “Loki.” As for how the series will set up the film, Loki might be at least partially responsible for creating the multiverse of madness itself. Or maybe it will be the other way around. Imagine if Loki ended up aiding Strange, Scarlet Witch or both during a multiverse adventure.