Marvel Studios' Loki had so many hints, easter eggs, and narrative setups to how the next phase of the MCU could be unfolding, and while some of them were paid off in Spider-Man: No Way Home, a good portion of moments directly link to the latest Doctor Strange adventure!
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, which has been released to great acclaim, takes audiences through various terrifying and fantastical realities. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has already set up this journey on Disney+ though before movie-goers had even made their way into the cinema for the magical sequel.
Creating The Multiverse
Without Loki, the multiverse simply wouldn't exist. The events of the series indicated that something major was about to shift in the MCU. Sylvie took it upon herself to rid every reality of He Who Remains, who along with the Time Variance Authority, was keeping the timeline completely intact.
With the Kang Variant's murder, time was allowed to unravel. Loki hinted toward the many sprawling timelines that Doctor Strange would eventually be able to travel through, thanks to the powers of America Chavez. Fans didn't get to see these many realities firsthand, but Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness was the ultimate payoff, as plenty of new universes made their screen debut.
Overseeing The Madness
The idea of He Who Remains and the T.V.A. trying to bring some kind of order to the cosmos was taken straight out of the comics. It's not a new concept though, as some of the best multiverse TV shows boast their own kind of council to try to account for the increasingly bizarre universes that are being created.
The very notion of that control eventually hints toward the Illuminati that appears in the Doctor Strange sequel. There obviously has to be some level of understanding when it comes to this Multiverse of possibilities, and while they are not as powerful, the Illuminati are trying to gather at least some of the information available to the T.V.A.
Creatures Between Realities
Loki demonstrated that there were god-like monsters and beings that traveled across the cosmos, feeding upon the energy and darkness of the multiverse itself. The Disney+ series initially introduce Alioth, a being of such supreme power that it seems it wasn't truly defeated.
This hinted toward the many other creatures across the Multiverse, which multiplied significantly after the death of the Kang Variant. Gargantos is a great example, alongside the Elder God Chthon, whose corruption could be found in plenty of timelines.
Multiple Objects Of Power
Audiences assumed that the Infinity Stones were few and far between in the Multiverse, considering their sheer power. Avengers: Endgame did suggest that other timelines could also hold those powerful objects though. Loki signified that the Stones were truly not one of a kind at all; they were being used as paperweights!
With an Infinity Gauntlet in most realities, what other powerful cosmic items might be found across the Multiverse? In the case of Doctor Strange 2, it was the Darkhold, which had a mighty impact on the wider MCU and existed across so many parallel dimensions. Wanda's destruction of the book supposedly tore it from the Multiverse itself.
Variants
Loki also introduced the concept of Variants; personalities across the multiverse that were similar to those characters fans have come to know and love from Earth-616. In theory, there are countless Variants that audiences have previously seen on screen from past Marvel movies.
With Loki meeting Classic, Boastful, Kid, and Alligator iterations of himself, it paved the way for the trio of Peter Parkers in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Ultimately though, this all hinted towards both What If...? and Multiverse Of Madness, where Strange Variants were aplenty. The film even jumped into the wider Multiverse, showcasing Variants of Peggy Carter, Maria Rambeau, and a few other surprising faces.
Incursions
Incursions appear to be an event that provides trouble to the timeline. The T.V.A. was essentially created to halt any incursions from taking place, usually thanks to traveling Variants. These could create infinite more timelines, opening up the multiverse; an event that came to pass anyway.
This hinted toward the larger problem that the Illuminati would come to face in Multiverse Of Madness. America Chavez opened the door to the possibility of more incursions, as did the Darkhold and Doctor Strange himself. Indeed, it seems that No Way Home's events almost led to a catastrophic incursion and Strange has now created another in the multiverse.
Opening The Bizarre
The Multiverse can be a maddening and bizarre place. Loki first opened up the endless possibilities that could be out there in the cosmos. Alligator Loki is a perfect example of that, as are the other hints and easter eggs, from Throgg to the Thanos-Copter.
The tone was set for what fans could expect from Multiverse Of Madness and it definitely didn't disappoint. From a reality where people turn into paint, to a nod towards the Savage Land and even the Living Tribunal, the strangeness of multiversal travel cannot be underestimated.
Changing The Timeline
Changing the timeline can have huge consequences for the Multiverse as a whole. The shifting of events is what forces a new dimension to be created, with each alternative decision sparking further parallel realities. Loki showcased how that could spiral out of control.
It hinted toward the kinds of realities that might exist, because of the changing decisions that were made. Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness paid that off. What if Strange used the Darkhold to defeat Thanos for instance? What happens if he set up a Defenders instead of the Avengers? How does history shift if Peggy Carter became the Captain?
Unchangeable Moments
Loki suggested that there are some moments within history that have to remain the same no matter what. The death of the God of Mischief is an example of that. But there was a suggestion that this was just to avoid further timelines from being created. It did hint towards how things would be once the multiverse was unleashed.
It seems that even in the most important Marvel multiverse worlds there are still some fixed events. From what fans have seen thus far, from What If...? to Multiverse Of Madness, Thanos appears to invade Earth on most worlds. That has to be a fixed point.
Multiversal Collapse
He Who Remains was convinced that there would be some kind of multiversal collapse. He'd supposedly already stopped a war across realities, with Kang the Conquerer likely behind some of that conflict. His death allowed for more timelines than ever to succeed, but at what cost?
The Illuminati were clearly preparing for some kind of war and Doctor Strange has now created an incursion so great that Clea has had to fetch him seemingly from the Dark Dimension. Perhaps the hints in Loki that something bigger was on the horizon, have begun to take shape in Multiverse Of Madness. Is it all ramping up for Secret Wars?