How the original Marvel comics could shape Loki season two
Wondering what happens next after the Loki finale? The comics hint at Kang, Doctor Strange and Renslayer storylines.
It’s not time to put down your horns and sceptre yet, as the Loki post-credits tease confirmed the God of Mischief will be back for more time travel trickery in Loki season two. The finale was a whistle-stop tour of the Sacred Timeline, and while it wasn’t quite Agatha all along, the theories were (sort of) on the money that Kang the Conqueror was the man behind the curtain.
Readers of Marvel comics might know there’s more to the appearance of "He Who Remains” - who was a clever twist on the wizened comic book character of the same name. Loki played fast and loose with the source material to make him a Kang the Conqueror variant.
He Who Remains warned a vengeful Sylvie that killing him would open the door to villainous Variants of himself, while the cracking timeline finally teased the potential of the Multiverse. All bets are off, and whether it’s Deadpool in the MCU, the arrival of the X-Men, or Tobey Maguire reprising his role as Spider-Man, the Multiverse can do it all.
So what can we expect going forward? We can look to the source material for a few clues...
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Where Loki season 2 goes next
Loki's finale welcomed Lovecraft Country’s Jonathan Majors to the MCU fold – however, with confirmation he’ll be suiting up as Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, no one was really buying his death at the end of the episode.
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This neatly sets up Majors’ return in season two, but just like Loki came across Variants that were alike in name alone, he might not be the only Kang out there. Away from all the hype about where the Multiverse will take the Marvel Cinematic Universe next, Marvel Comics hints at a potential arc for Loki season two.
At least one Kang has been hard at work, with Loki’s final scene showing “our” Loki in a branch of the Multiverse. This was solidified as the camera panned out and replaced a statue of the Time-Keepers with Majors’ likeness.
For those wondering how Loki will move forward, the comic book creation known as the Council of Kangs can keep the TVA ticking along and our Loki(s) busy in season two.
The Council of Kangs
The history of Kang the Conqueror is a complicated one that lends itself perfectly to Loki season two. Introduced in 1963’s Fantastic Four #19, the megalomaniac Pharaoh Rama-Tut was later revealed as Nathaniel Richards - a scholar from the 31st Century trapped in Ancient Egypt.
Just like Loki’s Kang explained, he’s met different forms of himself over the years. In the comics, we’ve seen Rama-Tut, Scarlet Centurion, Immortus, Victor Timely, and many more time-hopping Kangs. Returning to the Council of Kangs, they were ruled by Prime Kang, who was tricked by a future Immortus into eliminating all variants. This sealed Prime Kang's fate and evolved him into becoming Immortus.
It’s possible that season two will introduce the limbo-trapped Immortus as the malevolent that Kang He Who Remains was petrified of - though some fans have theorised that He Who Remains was essentially Immortus, and that the Kang Prime is the villain we should be worried about.
The more the merrier
Delving deeper into the pages of the comics, fans can expect Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Ravonna Renslayer to be by Kang’s side. The comics have portrayed her as the on-again, off-again, lover of Kang - which was highlighted by her TVA number being A-23 as a nod to her first appearance in 1965’s Avengers #23.
It’s unclear how much Ravonna already knows about Kang, but with the TVA judge heading off on her own mission, she’s sure to cross paths with her potential beau and possibly take on the form of the assassin known as Terminatrix.
There’s also the chance the next run of episodes will recruit adolescent Kang as Nate Richards, aka Iron Lad. This chaotic chap is a member of the Young Avengers, which doubles down on the fact Disney’s slate of MCU shows is cleverly recruiting for a possible spin-off.
Finally, bringing the Council of Kangs into play allows for season two’s very own rebrand of Alligator Loki with the equally out-there Kangaroo the Conqueror. (Yep, he really exists in the comics).
The Multiverse has gone mad
All of the above ties nearly into the upcoming release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The WandaVision post-credits poised Elizabeth Olsen’s return as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, and while the end Loki wasn’t as clear, it’s given writers a clever segue into Sam Raimi’s superhero horror.
Sylvie inadvertently releasing the Multiverse will almost certainly set up Doc’s next chapter. Although fans questioned how a Chaos Magic-infused Wanda could hear the voices of her fictional sons at the end of WandaVision, theories point toward Billy and Tommy’s return as Multiverse variants. This would be its own twist on the acclaimed House of M arc and its aftermath.
Further proving that WandaVision and Loki form their own Mobius Strip with Multiverse of Madness, Hiddleston is tipped to sit out Thor: Love and Thunder but return for Doctor Strange 2. Some thought Hiddleston’s absence in Thor 4 would lead to a shock death in the Loki finale, but given that the show has just been renewed for season two, it looks like the OG Loki will be sticking around a little longer.
We just want to see Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Loki team up like the pages of 2018’s Doctor Strange #387. And further ahead, who knows? Even if Loki's debut season didn’t have the happy ending of Mobius and Hiddleston’s Loki riding off into the sunset on a jet ski, there’s always season two.
Find out everything you need to know about the Loki cast and how to watch Marvel movies in order with our comprehensive coverage.
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