Samba TV (via Deadline) reveals that Loki's Disney+ premiere drew a whopping 890,000 U.S. households, a stat the organisation says is "the largest US premiere-day audience for any of Marvel’s Disney+ shows." That's one heck of a feat, and proof that Marvel Studios has struck gold with the idea of putting the spotlight on Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier reportedly premiered with 759,000 views, while WandaVision received 655,000. These aren't "official" viewing figures, but is as close as we're likely to get.
"Clearly, the growing number of household tuning in on day 1 proves that the Marvel Disney+ series are growing in momentum," Samba TV notes. For those of your curious, they generate these streaming figures by measuring viewing data from 3 million Smart TVs with people who watched for at least 5 minutes. With that in mind, it's likely many, many more people tuned in.
For starters, these stats don't include mobile devices or those from outside the U.S.!
In our review of the first two episodes, we concluded with, "Nothing can prepare you for Loki, a mind-bending dive into the Marvel Multiverse that takes everything you thought you knew about the MCU and turns it on its head for one of the most ambitious, craziest stories Marvel Studios has ever told."
Did you watch Loki when it arrived on Disney+ yesterday?
Click on the "Next" button below to check out 8
of the biggest reveals in the series premiere of Loki!
8. Why The Avengers Were Allowed To Travel Back In Time
Loki quite quickly establishes the role of the Time Variance Authority in the MCU, revealing that when someone steps off their designated path on the "sacred timeline," they get reset.
With that in mind, why were the Avengers allowed to travel back in time, take the Infinity Stones out of multiple timelines, and completely change, well, everything? As we learn here, they were meant to do that, seemingly because it's what the Time-Keepers wanted to happen.
You'd think that the timeline Steve Rogers got his happy ending with Peggy Carter in would need to be reset, but if Sam Wilson was always supposed to become Captain America then it makes sense why he was allowed to stay there.
It feels like a lot of information is being kept from us, and there's definitely more to that trio controlling the TVA than meets the eye.
7. The Multiversal War
According to Miss Minutes, the TVA's mascot, there was once a Multiversal War with multiple timelines battling to be the dominant one. It wasn't until the Time-Keepers stepped in to create one "sacred" path that peace was restored, but we're not buying that story.
Either way, it's definitely interesting that promo art for What If? named all those different characters as the Guardians of the Multiverse. Could the fallout of this series (and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) see them established as the new protectors in place of the TVA?
It's way too soon to say, but that piece of artwork now feels more meaningful than ever.
We also can't help but wonder whether this so-called war could be what leads to the "madness" that's set to play out in the Doctor Strange sequel...
6. Nexus Events
We learn that the branching timelines are called Nexus events, and we can't help but think back to that weird commercial in WandaVision.
Here's where things get interesting, though. In the comic books, Nexus Beings are rare beings powerful enough to change reality and mess with the sacred timeline the TVA has created. Weirdly, they're also considered key to keeping the Multiverse stable, so it seems the Time-Keepers understand they have a place in their plans.
The Scarlet Witch is a Nexus being, as is Kang the Conqueror, so it feels like this concept is going to be explored a lot moving forward.
If Wanda Maximoff is about to tear her way through the Multiverse on the hunt for Billy and Tommy, it seems the ramifications for the sacred timeline could be bigger than we ever anticipated.
5. The Infinity Stones
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, the Infinity Stones were returned to their rightful place in history and they continued to no longer exist in the present day after Thanos destroyed them.
However, we learn in the Loki premiere that the TVA has drawers full of the, with some staff members using the glowing, powerless Stones as paperweights. This drives home the power of the TVA, but if a mischievous scamp like Loki were to take them into the world...well, the story of these ancient relics might not be over.
This is likely to hinge on what becomes of the TVA, but regardless of whether Loki manages to place himself in charge or they're somehow destroyed, the Stones could come into play.
Honestly, a finale with the God of Mischief unleashing their power would be pretty badass!
4. Loki's Redemption
After outsmarting the TVA, Loki manages to get a glimpse into his future. Witnessing the death of his mother, the moment he made amends with Thor, and his demise at the hands of Thanos, the God of Mischief was left with a lot to process.
This is important because it doesn't mean that the last nine years of storytelling hasn't been wiped away. This is still a very different Loki, but one who isn't the same, seemingly irredeemable bad guy who tried to conquer the Earth in The Avengers.
From here, the door is open for Marvel Studios to do pretty much anything with this God of Mischief, and that's very exciting.
Now, we don't know if Loki is going to be a hero or villain, but the answer could be something in between. Either way, this was the perfect way to handle this reintroduction of the character.
3. Loki Is D.B. Cooper
Look, this is by no means a game-changer for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it's certainly interesting.
The fact that the God of Mischief came to Earth on a bet in the early 1970s, decades before the events of Thor, means the Asgardians may have been playing a role in history long before the God of Thunder was banished. We know that Odin fought on Midgard thousands of years ago, but this points to them potentially playing a key role in other historic events.
It's possible we'll see more moments like this across the course of Loki, but what other moments in recent memory could the Asgardians have played a role in?
In the case of Loki, it's possible he's so much more than just D.B. Cooper...
2. A Mephisto Tease (Probably Not)
There's no way this wasn't going to generate a tonne of speculation online, especially after WandaVision.
Early in Loki's premiere, Mobius learns that someone who looks like the devil killed those Time Variance Authority agents, and that surely means the show's big bad will be Mephisto, right? Nope. It's been confirmed that the tease wasn't related to this villain, while that big reveal at the end of the premiere is a strong hint the child was just referring to Loki.
Remember, the God of Mischief wears horns on his head, and to a kid from that period, it's likely the variant looked an awful lot like the devil!
It is weird Marvel Studios keeps dropping these Mephisto hints, only to not pay them off, though...
1. The Show's Villain Is Loki
This was huge, and a fascinating glimpse into where this series could go next. Loki having to hunt himself down promises to make for enjoyable viewing, especially as it will serve as our first glimpse into what it means to have multiple versions of the same character in the Multiverse.
Where things go from here remain to be seen, but this God of Mischief is clearly up to something sinister and appears to need the TVA to do it.
Why is this Loki so much more knowledgeable? What is their endgame? That all remains to be seen.
A Loki vs. Loki battle promises to be a must-see, though, and we can't help but wonder whether this "Variant" will find common ground with the other one or if he'll remain loyal to the TVA...