Loki truly has proven itself to be unlike anything Marvel Studios has done before, and with just one episode left, all eyes are on the Disney+ series to stick the landing with an epic, satisfying finale.
Time will tell on that front (no pun intended), but we're now taking a closer look at all the biggest reveals in this episode, with an eye on how things are likely to wrap up one week from today. With the God of Mischief and Sylvie quite literally heading to the end of time itself to confront whoever is pulling the TVA's strings, Kang the Conqueror speculation has gone into overdrive.
As well as exploring the clues that point to him showing up, you'll find more details on the biggest reveals in "Journey Into Mystery," along with some thoughts and theories on what happens next.
To take a look through this breakdown, all you guys need to do is click the "Next" button down below.
8. Judge Renslayer's Mission
Renslayer may be a close ally of Kang in the comic books, but this episode makes it clear that she's as in the dark as the rest of us when it comes to who is really in charge of the TVA.
She appears intent on finding the answer and warning that mystery character they're in danger, so if it is Kang, this could quite easily be the start of their alliance (with Ravonna returning in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania). Either way, it's clear the villain will be a pivotal part of the finale, and a clash with Mobius seems inevitable after he managed to survive.
It would be a real shame to end Renslayer's story here as she has a lot of potential, and the fact that she's been well aware that her agents are Variants points to a much darker side to the character we've only really just started to explore. That certainly something Kang could help bring out of her!
7. Alioth
The debut of Alioth, a relatively obscure villain from the comic books, may not seem like a big deal, but the character - first introduced in Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective #1 - has close ties to Kang.
While this version is more of a pawn than anything else (he's described as a "guard dog" and doesn't appear to have any motivations beyond destroying whatever ends up in The Void), it's worth noting that his counterpart on the page was able to conquer many timelines, but not Chronopolis.
That was Kang's kingdom, and it lies on the outside of limbo, a location that could quite easily be The Void in the MCU. The villain is able to access all the different timelines he's conquered from there, and forming the TVA to ensure there's just one "sacred" timeline could be a new approach for him that's ultimately foiled by Loki and Sylvie.
6. Loki And Sylvie's Romance
It looked like Loki was going to confess his feelings for Sylvie before he was pruned at the end of last week's episode, but when they catch up in The Void, both seem to be struggling with their emotions.
We're obviously hoping this will lead to them locking lips and forming the ultimate power couple in the finale, because a tragic ending for this relationship might just leave us wondering what the point was. After all, Loki has shown real growth throughout the course of this series, and falling in love would be a fresh new direction to take him in.
Sylvie just so happens to be a great character, too, so whatever happens, we're keen to see what her future in the MCU will be and if she factors into stories moving forward.
5. Loki Variants
Classic Loki, who it's fair to say we've all fallen in love with, dies a hero's death in "Journey Into Mystery," and that's sadly where we believe his story is going to end.
However, Kid Loki remains alive and well (Boastful Loki and President Loki both survive that battle as far as we're currently aware), and it appears a lot of other Variant versions of the God of Mischief could be calling The Void home given his tendency to escape danger. With that in mind, we can't help but wonder what sort of future they may all have in the MCU.
While we're certainly not anticipating them all leaving The Void, Kid Loki is definitely a character Marvel Studios can do more with, especially as the groundwork for the Young Avengers is quite clearly being laid before our eyes. Something tells us we haven't seen the last of these Variants...
4. A Sinister Side To Miss Minutes?
Miss Minutes is an undeniably intriguing character, and one who has grabbed the attention of fans from the start. However, the theory that she's this show's big bad might be a step too far.
Fans already feel "trolled" by the lack of Mephisto in WandaVision and the decision to reveal Sharon Carter as the Power Broker in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier; so dropping all these seeds pointing to Kang only to have Loki and Sylvie come face-to-face with a cartoon clock in the finale...well, to call that a potentially very divisive choice feels like an understatement.
It would be a very Rick & Morty-esque move, that's for sure, but we're just hoping Miss Minutes has a different sort of role to play in the finale, even if it's just as an antagonist to Mobius and B-15.
3. Trip Into The Quantum Realm
It's hard to say for sure, but the castle Loki and Sylvie approach at the end of "Journey Into Mystery" certainly looks like it could belong in the Quantum Realm, don't you think?
If nothing else, it bears a passing resemblance to the "city" many fans are convinced they've seen in the Ant-Man movies, and we wouldn't be surprised if Kang is trapped there. Perhaps it was his plan all along to bring all these Lokis to the void as he knew they'd have the wits about them to get past Alioth, less his guard dog and more a being placed there to keep him imprisoned!
This could also tie into whatever The Wasp was getting up to when she was trapped there, and given the importance of the Quantum Realm to time-travel, it would certainly make sense to use Loki to tie all these different ideas together. One thing we do know for sure, though, is that this castle is at the end of time itself, and that has to mean someone powerful resides within.
2. The Castle
So, what's the deal with that castle? If we were going to get really crazy here, we'd suggest that's actually Doctor Doom's castle, especially as he's a villain who has frequently travelled through time and even rewrote the reality in the pages of Marvel's latest Secret Wars event series.
It's probably a little too soon for that, though, so it instead seems far more likely that this is Castle Limbo, the home of Kang the Conqueror that's appeared in both Avengers and Thor comic books.
All the signs are pointing to that villain making his presence felt, though we could still be in store for a twist that sees another Variant God of Mischief revealed as the master of the TVA. If this series has made anything clear, it's that Loki is more formidable than we imagined, and with so much talk of him always losing, perhaps this was the Loki that finally won?
1. A Possible Time Loop
We're going to end this feature with a good 'ol fashioned theory, and go out on a limb to try and predict how the God of Mischief's story ends. What if "Classic Loki" is, in fact, this Loki?
Having told his younger self how he managed to survive being killed by Thanos, perhaps the God of Mischief will have to return to his timeline and experience everything that happened post-The Avengers, ultimately waiting to leave his life of isolation so he's captured by the TVA, pruned, and in the right place at the right time to give Loki and Sylvie the chance to confront the show's big bad.
This would create a time loop, and while it's certainly not the ending we'd like to see for the villain turned anti-hero, it could work. There are holes that can be picked in this, though, so here's hoping Marvel Studios has a really strong finale in store for us just one week from when we write this...