Lamentis-1 sets up an epic Avengers 5 villain way scarier than Thanos

Of all the apocalypses in all the timelines, Loki had to walk into this one.

Episode 3 of Marvel’s latest Disney+ show finds Tom Hiddleston and his female “variant” marooned on a dystopian planet in the middle of a violent apocalypse. But what do we actually know about Lamentis-1?

A closer look at the comics reveals how this little-known Marvel location could be a huge clue about the next big villain coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers 5. Intrigued? Grab your TemPad and let’s dive in.

What is Lamentis-1 in Marvel?

We don’t know much about Lamentis-1. The planet appeared in Annihilation: Conquest Prologue #1 (2007), a comic that kicked off an epic Marvel crossover event. But it doesn’t play a very important role in that story.

In Loki, Lamentis-1 appears to be some sort of mining colony on the outer edge of civilization with vaguely dystopian vibes. There’s a clear upper/lower-class divide, emphasized when Loki and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) board an exclusive train with Snowpiercer-vibes in an attempt to escape the planet. Spoiler alert, it doesn’t go well for our heroes.

Where is Lamentis-1 in Marvel?

In the comics, Lamentis is located on the edge of Kree-controlled space. (You may remember the Kree from Captain Marvel as a militaristic space empire with fascist tendencies.) It’s possible some of the locals that Loki encounters in Episode 3 are Kree, but that’s never made clear.

How Lamentis-1 sets up Avengers 5

Here’s where things get interesting. Annihilation: Conquest Prologue #1 (the only comic where Lamentis appears) is sandwiched in between two major conflicts with alien forces: the Annihilation Wave and the Phalanx. The comic takes place shortly after an epic battle with the Annihilation Wave and features the return of the Phalanx (don’t worry, we’ll get into both of those in a minute).

If Marvel chooses to use either of these storylines in the MCU it could mean a threat far scarier than Thanos. (And yes, we know Kang the Conqueror is likely to play the role of big bad in Marvel for the next few years, but that doesn’t mean Kevin Feige isn’t planning something else too.) Let’s take a closer look at these two potential enemies.

Avengers 5: Annihilation Wave?

Led by Annihilus, the Annihilation Wave is a powerful, inter-dimensional invading army. The full armada includes more than 15,000 ships, weapons capable of destroying entire planets, and a seemingly unlimited army of bug-like soldiers. The Annihilation Wave has destroyed many worlds and even killed cosmic beings like the Celestials and Galactus.

Annihilus has also appeared in various Marvel comics, often fighting the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. After assembling the Annihilation Wave, he attempted to conquer the universe in a 2006 comics arc that ended in a standstill of sorts after he agreed to a treaty with the Kree.

Avengers 5: Phalanx?

Even scarier than the brute force of the Annihilation Wave is the Phalanx, a cybernetic hivemind that travels the universe destroying planets and choosing whether various civilizations are worthy of being assimilated into its collective consciousness.

In the comics, the Phalanx also has a direct connection to the X-Men after a group of mutant-hating humans infected themselves with the alien race’s techno-organic virus in an attempt to become “living Sentinels.” However, after this Phalanx tried to assimilate mutants, it discovered their X-gene made them resistant. Could Loki be setting up an X-Men crossover?

Does Lamentis-1 matter?

It might not. In Loki, this planet is destined to die.

Then again, Episode 3 takes place in the year 2077. Marvel could easily return to Lamentis-1 at an earlier date in the timeline (or another timeline entirely). And if it does, don’t be surprised what that kicks off a major new villain’s introduction to the MCU, whether that’s an army of invading bug-soldiers or a robot-alien hivemind.

Loki is streaming now on Disney+.