We may have all been hoping Kang the Conqueror would appear in some form, but it seems fair to say that Loki ended in a way that none of us saw coming.
Proving that these Disney+ TV shows are essential viewing, the finale, "For All Time. Always," just turned the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it on its head, and nothing will ever be the same again. With several upcoming projects set to revolve around the Multiverse and Loki season 2 confirmed by Marvel Studios, not every question was answered today.
As a result, we've been left with some burning questions that need to be addressed.
We have some theories to share for most of them, but others can only be tackled by Marvel Studios over the next few years. Either way, they've all left us on the edge of our seats and desperate to know more...
7. Who Was The Fourth Statue?
As Loki and Sylvie come closer to confronting "He Who Remains" (we're just going to call him Kang from this point), they enter a room with three statues of the Time-Keepers in it. A fouth statue, however, has been destroyed, leaving us to wonder who once stood there.
Kang makes it clear from the start that he could be lying, and his time ruling over the Sacred Timeline has clearly driven him insane. With that in mind, perhaps the Time-Keepers did once exist?
Working for them, as his comic book counterpart once did, it would be a very Kang thing for him to do to then usurp them so he "conquers" time and ends up ruling in their place.
That was Loki's plan, and it feels like this is something Marvel Studios eventually plans to address...
6. Was "He Who Remains" Immortus?
Immortus is a character with a very long, very complicated history on the page. A little more heroic than his younger, alternate self (Kang the Conqueror), he too made time his plaything and was a version of the villain who grew bored with trying to conquer and instead set out to protect time.
He also had a castle and close ties to the Time-Keepers, while Immortus frequently interfered with history just as the Kang we meet in Loki has as its so-called protector.
Even in the credits, Jonathan Majors' character is only named as "He Who Remains," but was this really the Immortus Variant? We'd say it's a safe bet. There's no need to use the character beyond this series as the focus is clearly going to be on the Conqueror Variants, and between the costume and his comments about being older than he looks, this Kang is most likely a fresh take on Immortus.
It's a clever way to incorporate him, but there may still be more to learn about this Kang, too.
5. How Many Kangs Are Coming?
So, after the 31st Century Kang discovered the existence of the Multiverse, his Variants did the same, and that led to some evil versions setting out to conquer every possible reality.
A war between the Kangs followed, but this version managed to stop them thanks to Alioth and proceeded to police the Sacred Timeline via the TVA in order to stop any of his Variants from ever being unleashed on the universe. His mission may sound noble, but the outcome was that he was the sole ruler of the one and only "Sacred Timeline."
Moving forward, it might be a little odd to have countless versions of Jonathan Majors fighting himself on screen, but Marvel Studios can certainly play into the idea of there being multiple Variants.
Iron Lad could appear in a Young Avengers project, for example, while that scientist could perhaps seek out the help of Hank Pym in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. This is a character with unlimited potential moving forward and almost certainly the MCU's next big bad.
4. What Does Judge Renslayer Have Planned?
Renslayer wants to know who is behind the TVA as much as everyone else, but after Miss Minutes provides her with some files "he" believes would be of greater use, she embarks on a mission to find only what she describes as "free will."
It's certainly possible the former Judge simply wants to break free from the role she was given, but given the romantic history between her and Kang on the page, perhaps that will now be explored (leading to her becoming a villain in her own right and taking on the mantle of Terminatrix).
Kang knew what would happen in the timeline to a point, but perhaps he met Ravonna in his time period and is simply pointing her in the right direction to ensure his past self meets the woman he once loved?
It's a little headache-inducing to think about, but there are big plans for this character and we wouldn't be surprised to see her factor into upcoming projects before Loki's season 2.
3. What Does The TVA Do Next?
The TVA has been left without a Sacred Timeline to protect and countless branching timelines that they either can't or won't prune. Before Loki meets the Mobius he doesn't recognise, we do see the original alongside Hunter B-15, so that timeline hasn't been wiped out.
Remember, the TVA is full of Infinity Stones and other dangerous artefacts that could now find their way back into the MCU (this might also explain how Doctor Strange regains the Eye of Agamotto).
The TVA is bound to play some sort of role in proceedings, whether that's just in the next batch of Loki episodes or beyond the Disney+ series. Whatever the case may be, we don't think the MCU will return to having just one timeline as a Multiverse means Marvel Studios can bring back actors from the past - Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool! - or even recast characters with their Variants.
We could, however, see Loki ruling over a new and improved TVA!
2. Where Is Loki?
It's important to note that the MCU has not been altered in some sort of Flashpoint-inspired twist. Instead, the TVA Loki finds himself in is one of the branching realities created by Kang's death.
In other words, Sylvie sent him to the wrong timeline, and this is one where Kang is openly ruling over the flow of time. It could be a reality where the villain won, making this TVA a far more nefarious group. However, as great as this ending was, we're not banking on Loki spending too much time there before he manages to escape to the right timeline.
Well, if he can find it.
Travelling through all these different realities could be a fun premise for season 2, or explain how Loki appears in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
1. What About The Rest Of The MCU?
There are now countless alternate realities, and that's going to have major ramifications for the MCU.
What If? promises to explore at least some of them, while Spider-Man: No Way Home featuring different versions of Peter Parker and returning villains like Doctor Octopus and Electro now makes much more sense if they're simply Variants from alternate timelines.
Doctor Strange will almost certainly step up to try and deal with the damage this has wrought on reality, while the Scarlet Witch was likely hearing her children when the Multiverse was reborn. As for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, we're anticipating that exploring Kang's connections to the Quantum Realm and how he eventually used that to master time-travel.
We're banking on Kang's story playing out for perhaps even longer than Thanos', and wouldn't be surprised if he ends up the big bad of the next Avengers movie.