'Loki' theory reveals how the Disney+ show can create Marvel's Phase 5 villain
Could this be how we get to 'Avengers 5'?
The god of mischief may have died in Avengers: Infinity War, but Anthony and Joe Russo found a clever way for Loki to escape that fate in Avengers: Endgame. Now, it’s long been speculated that the Loki series coming in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will involve time travel, and a new theory suggests it could also help introduce a major new enemy for the Avengers to fight in Phase Five.
Warning! Speculative spoilers ahead for the Disney+ series Loki and the future of the MCU.
Beyond a timeline of movie releases, we don’t know that much about Phase Four of the MCU and how it all fits together. Sure, it’s already been announced that Marvel’s upcoming slate of films won’t include a Thanos-level threat, meaning whatever villain shows up in the near future probably won’t be looking to destroy half of the universe or anything. Still, that doesn’t mean that Loki won’t play a key role in setting up the next huge threat when it does arrive.
In September, Tom Hiddleston offered a few tiny crumbs about what fans should expect the Loki series to answer, with the big question being whether Thor’s brother was even still alive. Though we don’t know for sure, it certainly seems like Loki’s disappearance along with the cube in Endgame could mean that series will involve time travel (and the 2012 version of Loki from The Avengers). Some fans have even speculated that alternate dimensions would be involved.
Loki tried to hand over the cube to Thanos in 'Infinity War'.
In that vein, redditor u/KR2814has crafted a far-out theory that the Disney+ series will allow Loki to somehow evolve into a new kind of villain. This theory takes some huge leaps of logic, but it also draws an interesting link that’s worth investigating.
Anyway, here’s the theory:
2012 Loki, still evil and power-hungry, will slowly in his TV show evolve into the time-traveling villain Kang the conqueror.
Interesting, right? Kang the Conqueror has historically been a Fantastic Four villain, and now that Marvel has the rights to 20th Century Fox, he’s finally available to them. It’s also important to note that this isn’t the first time Kang the Conqueror has come up as a potential villain for Phase Four.
A previous theory introduced the idea that the character, a time-traveling warlord, would be the next major antagonist in the MCU. That doesn’t sound too far off, especially since the Avengers broke time in Endgame. Tony Stark even said, “You mess with time, it tends to mess back.” Kang the Conqueror, a time-traveling warlord from the future, ould be time messing back with the Avengers after their Endgame time heist.
Loki always has a plan up his sleeve.
So, Kang’s potential appearance creates two options. Kang, who would be a very worthy successor to Thanos, could come into play because the timeline was disturbed in Endgame. Alternatively, Loki’s own subsequent time-traveling adventures and dimension-hopping could turn the God of Mischief into Kang, or, much more likely, simply be the event that triggers Kang’s arrival in the MCU.
Granted, there’s no indication Loki’s involvement in the MCU will even continue past his limited series. But that doesn’t mean the events that transpire in his Disney+ show won’t reverberate into the rest of the franchise. And considering that Loki is expected to feature a fair amount of time travel, it makes sense that the end result would be the arrival of a time-traveling supervillain so powerful it could finally force the Avengers to assemble once again.
Loki is coming to Disney+ in the spring of 2021.
