Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Episode 1 of “Loki.”
Does “Loki” have any connections to the “Doctor Strange” sequel?
What is ‘Loki’ about?
“Loki” is the new Disney+ Marvel show that picks up right after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” In that film, the 2012 version of Loki steals the Tesseract and disappears to parts unknown. We find him in Mongolia at the start of “Loki,” where he is arrested by the Time Variance Authority.
The TVA brings Loki to its headquarters, where the group explains that it helps the Time Keepers protect the Sacred Timeline. This 2012 version of Loki — who has an official name of Loki L1130 — is a variant to the timeline, who has to help the TVA catch other variants, otherwise he’ll be erased.
Are there connections to ‘Doctor Strange 2’?
There’s a direct connection to “Doctor Strange: Into the Multiverse” — the sequel to “Doctor Strange” — in the “Loki” premiere. During the episode, the character Miss Minutes — who is like Mr. DNA from “Jurassic Park” — explains that it’s possible for variants to create so many timelines that will send the universe into madness and lead to a multiversal war.
That’s literally a reference to the upcoming “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” film.
Michael Waldron, the head writer for “Loki,” told The Wrap the show does cause ripples throughout the rest of the MCU — but how it does so is still behind closed doors.
“With ‘Loki,’ we absolutely wanted to make a show that was going to have a huge impact on the MCU moving forward,” Waldron told The Wrap. “The charge was to make the ‘Loki’ show the best it could possibly be and then how does that ripple out into movies to come? I guess everybody will just have to wait to find out.”
‘Loki’ will lead into ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’
Don’t forget this. Back in 2019, Marvel Studios chief creative officer Kevin Feige said in an interview with Bloomberg that “Loki” will lead right into the “Doctor Strange” sequel.
- “I’m not sure we’ve actually acknowledged that before. But it does (connect),” he said.
There has also been speculation that “WandaVision” — which deals with alternate realities — would also connect with “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” As I wrote for the Deseret News, “WandaVision” creator Jac Schaeffer and director Matt Shakman admitted that Doctor Strange almost made a cameo in that show.
- “We definitely thought about that idea, because he is a very important person in this world in terms of magic,” Shakman said.
- Schaffer added: “We knew that our show would feed into ‘Multiverse of Madness,’ but that’s just not where we landed.”