Marvel’s Loki Show Could Explain A Doctor Strange Easter Egg

A forgotten Easter egg from Doctor Strange could finally be explained in Loki, as the trailer for the upcoming Disney+ series indicates that the Living Tribunal could be introduced. The Living Tribunal is a major cosmic entity in the Marvel Universe that occasionally interacts with characters like Doctor Strange and Silver Surfer.

The first full trailer for Disney+’s Loki gave a taste of what comes next for the God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston). The main version of Loki died in Avengers: Infinity War, but an alternate timeline where Loki escaped from SHIELD custody in 2012 was created in Avengers: Endgame. It’s this Loki that the new series will follow. Apparently, he’ll be getting himself mixed up with the Time Variance Authority (TVA), an organization of time cops whose job is to keep people from interfering with the timestream. Based on the trailer, it would appear that the show will be exploring different corners and time periods in the MCU.

The trailer suggests that through the TVA, Marvel may introduce the Living Tribunal. Including in one shot was three faces on a wall. These faces were seen again on the statues of three robed figures. It could be that these statues are a depiction of the MCU’s take on the Living Tribunal. That does seem like a real possibility, considering that the Living Tribunal in Marvel Comics is a three-faced entity. Also, it’s important to note that some version of the Living Tribunal either does exist or has existed in the MCU. Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) showed off the Staff of the Living Tribunal to Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in Doctor Strange, but didn’t reveal any details about its original owner.

In Marvel Comics, the Living Tribunal is one of the highest cosmic beings in the universe and at one point in time, was believed to be the most powerful force in existence. What sets him apart from Marvel’s other cosmic entities is that while most have their own dimension to observe, the Living Tribunal oversees every reality in the multiverse. He has made it his duty to guard the balance of the multiverse and judge those who interfere with that. In the comics, he could have stopped Thanos from using the power of the Infinity Gauntlet, but chose to do nothing. Interestingly, he was almost adapted into the MCU version of the story in Endgame as a being who would have judged Thanos for what he did, but this scene didn’t make it in the final film.

It may be that in the Loki show, the time will be right for the Living Tribunal to be properly introduced (even if he’s never actually seen in the flesh). His inclusion would seem fitting, given what the TVA is and the fact that the three faces appear to be associated with them in some way. The Living Tribunal could be used to make sense of how the TVA is able to keep an eye on different timelines. Since he too concerns himself with more than just one world in the multiverse, he’d have good reason for providing them with this capability. A conversation with the TVA in Loki that explains his existence and his purpose would build onto the concept of the multiverse and create a link to a Doctor Strange Easter egg.