Marvel Studios' Loki has gotten off to a stellar start and has already been re-writing everything audiences knew about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Disney+ show has already featured several easter eggs for fans to look out for, but the first episode also teased the potential appearance of another Marvel character.
Agent Peggy Carter has been a mainstay of the MCU ever since her debut in Captain America: The First Avenger. She's appeared in a huge array of films and even boasted a titular TV series of her own. Fans believe they have spotted Carter being arrested by the TVA though. There are perhaps some clues as to why that may be the case and whether that really is Peggy in the background of the Loki scene.
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Loki episode 2.
Brief Appearance
Carter's appearance itself is obviously a major hint as to whether the character will have a larger role to play in the future of Loki. Although it could obviously be someone else, fans have speculated that the woman being escorted by TVA guards through a time door is the famous S.H.I.E.L.D. operative.
It's difficult to fully make out the figure, but the character is wearing period clothing and has the same signature hairstyle that Peggy Carter is largely recognized for. Considering her importance in the MCU timeline it wouldn't be completely impossible for the Time-Keepers to keep an eye on the agent.
Returning The Stones
In Avengers: Endgame the Earth's mightiest heroes put together a plan that saw them take the Infinity Stones from across the timeline. Supposedly this was approved by the Time-Keepers, but it can't be a coincidence that Carter was around for one of those moments.
With Steve returning the Stones to their rightful places, it may be that the TVA is investigating that everything was put back together properly. Carter was working at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base where Tony Stark and Steve Rogers took the Tessaract, so she may be interviewed about its whereabouts; especially since the object has an important part to play in Loki's own story.
Reunion With Steve
Peggy Carter has had two major romances in her life: Agent Daniel Sousa and Captain Steve Rogers. Both are brave and loyal men, but only one traveled back in time to start a life with the British operative. It's unclear whether it was in the Time-Keeper's plans for Steve to break his own timeline.
If this was really against the rules then it wouldn't be surprising to see Carter arrested by the TVA. The clue therefore might be at the end of Avengers: Endgame with this final scene instead setting up a new conflict between the time police and these soulmates.
Secretive S.H.I.E.L.D. Operations
Peggy Carter has been a crucial member of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a huge part of her career. The group has been known to run a number of time traveling missions in both the past and the future and Carter might be involved in some of these operations.
What's more, a small scene in Avengers: Endgame sees Carter talking about Agent Braddock. In the comics, the Braddock's are known to take on the mantle of Captain Britain. Interestingly, there's a Captain Britain in every version of reality in the Multiverse, linking Loki's plot closer to this moment.
Sousa's Escape
Speaking of Daniel Sousa, in the timeline the character was supposed to be killed. However, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from the future rescued him from his fate and took him to their own section of the Multiverse. This is perhaps not what the Time-Keepers had in mind.
Sousa would eventually fall in love with Daisy Johnson instead, which only complicates Carter's own romantic timeline and who she may have been destined to end up with. Needless to say, as a former ally and partner of Sousa, Carter might have been brought in to be questioned on his disappearance and escape from death.
Consistent Variants
It appears to be far easier to break the timeline than audiences may have first thought. The TVA is being called out to new variants all the time and Episode 2 of Loki demonstrated that there's even been a wide range of trickster Gods trying to interfere with the natural flow of reality.
The emphasis on the potential for anyone to turn up could be a clue unto itself. After all, the MCU has expertly linked its branching narratives in the past, so it wouldn't be too shocking to see a variant of Agent Peggy Carter brought into the fold.
Hiding In Moments Of Chaos
The previous episode of Loki also revealed that variants could hide within moments of chaos. An apocalypse where everything is soon to be wiped out provides a blindspot that the TVA can't seem to navigate. Anything that happens there isn't recorded on the timeline.
Some of Carter's major operations are carried out during these periods of history. Indeed, considering part of her career took place in World War II, a period that saw massive destruction and death, there's a clue there that Carter could have gone back on her own timeline to potentially hideout.
What If?
Marvel's What If? will be further investigating other potential timelines in the Multiverse and how these Disney characters might evolve based upon the changing realities. It has already been confirmed that Peggy Carter will be in one of these alternate settings.
In this different timeline, Carter is the one that undergoes the transformation into a super-soldier, becoming a version of Captain Britain. This is potentially a clue that may link into Loki and also the previously mentioned Braddock easter egg.
The Writer's Reaction
While fans can continue to re-watch the first two episodes of Loki in the hope of finding further evidence that Peggy Carter might have a part to play, there is perhaps no better source of information than the head writer of the show, Michael Waldron.
In a recent interview by SUPES, Waldron was asked about the TVA investigating Steve Rogers returning to the past, which of course links into Peggy Carter's potential appearance. His answer was very telling: "That’s a good question, man. I don't think I can answer that. I don't think I can answer that. I think maybe… I think maybe just keep watching." There might be more to this theory than fans were expecting!
Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.