Every MCU Character Return Loki Has Already Set Up

Warning: SPOILERS for Loki episode 2.

Loki has already set up multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe characters to return during the Disney+ series. From the very beginning of Marvel Studios’ plans to make shows for Disney’s streaming service, Kevin Feige said that they would be heavily connected to the main MCU movies. In several cases, that means including a wide variety of characters previously seen on the big screen, whether that is with leading characters like Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) or supporting ones like Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) and Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp).

When it comes to Loki, the Disney+ show has been more self-contained early on. The series focuses on the Variant Loki from 2012 who escaped the Avengers’ capture using the Tesseract, as seen in Avengers: Endgame. But, Loki otherwise features a cast of new MCU characters. Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson) is a member of the Time Variance Authority hoping to use Loki on a new case. Judge Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is one of the leaders of the TVA, and Sophia Di Martino debuted as Lady Loki in the series. Through her arrival and actions, Loki is in a better position to include familiar MCU characters.

The end of Loki episode 2 saw Lady Loki bombing the Sacred Timeline using the TVA’s own reset charges to create multiple branched timelines and a chaotic multiverse. With Loki expected to now explore the various branched timelines the TVA needs to prune, there are plenty of MCU characters who can now appear during these visits.

Thor, Odin, & More Asgardians

Ever since Loki was announced, fans expected some other characters from the Thor franchise to appear. This only grew after the trailers hinted at how Heimdall (Idris Elba) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) could appear as part of Loki’s D.B. Cooper life. Now that Lady Loki has bombed Asgard in 2004, the show has a path to feature practically anyone related to Asgard and the Thor franchise. The series has reused footage from previous MCU movies to technically allow Odin (Anthony Hopkins), Frigga (Rene Russo), and Thor to appear already. However, if a visit to Asgard in 2004 is in store, then these characters could all be shown again. That would also be true of Heimdall, Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander), and the Warriors Three. Perhaps this will even be how Loki gives the god of mischief and his mother one more moment together, similar to how Thor had a chance to say goodbye in Avengers: Endgame.

Ego

Ego the Living Planet (Kurt Russell) might also be poised to return in Loki after one of Lady Loki’s reset charges bombed targeted him. The Living Planet was attacked in 1832, long before he became the main villain of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 or had the chance to father Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord. Based on how the MCU has presented Ego in the past, he likely won’t take this attack too kindly. Loki now has the opportunity to show Ego in a different light. It is possible that an appearance by Ego could also pave the way for Mantis (Pom Klementieff) to appear, as it is unknown how old she is or how long she’s been with Ego by the start of Guardians, Vol. 2.

Thanos

Loki can potentially also give the god of mischief another encounter with Thanos (Josh Brolin). Thanos’ home planet of Titan was another location Lady Loki attacked in 1982, years before Thanos made a play to wipe out half of the universe and collect all six Infinity Stones. If a 1982 version of Thanos appears in Loki, it would be fascinating to see how Loki reacts to the Mad Titan. He is fresh off failing to obtain the Space Stone for him and witnessing a future where Thanos killed him. Loki could try and get revenge by taking out this other version of Thanos. Depending on what state Thanos’ army is in during 1982, his appearance could even open the door for Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive to appear, and possibly even Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) too.

Red Skull

Red Skull (voiced by Ross Marquand) could return in Loki. The former Captain America villain made a surprise return in Avengers: Infinity War as the guardian of the Soul Stone on the planet Vormir. Loki revealed that Lady Loki attacked Vormir in 2301. This is centuries after the destruction of the Infinity Stones in the Sacred Timeline. It has been teased that Red Skull was free to leave Vormir once Thanos killed Gamora to obtain the Soul Stone in 2018, so there is a chance that he is no longer on the planet. So if Lady Loki and Loki travel to Vormir like the trailers teased, there is a chance that Red Skull would be around, or not. In either case, Loki could provide an answer to his fate.

Grandmaster

A visit to Sakaar could also pave the way for Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) to return in Loki, as Lady Loki sent a reset charge to the planet in 1984. Grandmaster joined the MCU in Thor: Ragnarok as the eccentric ruler of Sakaar and the facilitator of the gladiator-style fights it’s famous for. Since time works differently on Sakaar, an appearance by Grandmaster could feature him as a much younger version of himself or as though barely any time passes between this moment and Thor: Ragnarok. Fans pointed out possible ties to Sakaar and Grandmaster during Loki‘s marketing, which could make a cameo more likely. Depending on how much the Disney+ show wants to reveal about the MCU’s past, this could also be a place for Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) to cameo as she traps new fighters for Grandmaster’s games.

The Collector

The Collector (Benicio Del Toro) is another character who Loki might have already set up to appear. One of Lady Loki’s reset charges hit Knowhere, which could pave the way for Taneleer Tivan to make his MCU return. Knowhere, a giant severed Celestial head floating in space, is the base of operations for The Collector in Guardians of the Galaxy. He could be on Knowhere at the time of this attack or even return to Knowhere once he hears about what went down.

Laufey

Loki might have also paved the way for Laufey, Loki’s Frost Giant father, to make an appearance. The character only appeared in 2011’s Thor but Laufey and Loki didn’t get much time to explore their familial ties or establish any relationship. Since their home planet of Jotunheim was also attacked by Lady Loki, Marvel Studios might finally be giving Loki a chance to explore his Frost Giant heritage. And after doing everything in his power to destroy Jotunheim in Thor, it could be quite a moment for Loki if he now gets a chance to save it.

Doctor Strange

There is also the chance that Doctor Strange can appear in Loki. The Disney+ show is confirmed to have connections to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with head writer Michael Waldron also writing Benedict Cumberbatch’s sequel. An appearance by Doctor Strange in Loki could make sense on several levels. Lady Loki’s attack on the Sacred Timeline will result in madness across the multiverse. While the TVA will do what they can to try and correct the course, the Sorcerer Supreme can intervene as well. This could be a way for Loki to directly set up the events of Doctor Strange 2. Furthermore, the first episode showed a drawer full of Infinity Stones. Promo art for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness teases the return of the Time Stone, so Doctor Strange could appear in Loki to claim the Time Stone at some point during the series.

Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+