Spoiler Warning for Disney+'s Loki
Disney+'s Loki introduced "He Who Remains" as the big bad in the season finale, and many have speculated that this character is actually a variant of Kang The Conqueror, a major supervillain from Marvel Comics. In fact, the entire series is filled with clues to the true identity of the character as well as all of his evil variants in the multiverse.
These clues point in many cases to the rich and complex comic book past of Kang The Conqueror. They draw on his appearances in Avengers and Fantastic Four comics, as well as some of his major storylines from the last 50 years in Marvel Comics, including some of the best Kang The Conqueror comic story arcs.
Ravonna Renslayer
The first clue to Kang's role in the series is the presence of Ravonna Renslayer. Though Judge Renslayer has a completely different backstory in Marvel Comics with no connection to the Time Variance Authority, her significance to Kang tipped off comic fans.
Ravonna Renslayer was a high school teacher in the MCU but in the comics was a princess from the 40th century. She would go on to become the love of Kang's many lives, but also one of his greatest enemies, as their complex affair played out across time and space.
A-23
Another very subtle clue appeared in episode four, with a flashback to Sylvie's abduction by the TVA. Comic fans know that Ravonna Renslayer debuted in Avengers #23 as the love interest of Kang from the 40th century.
Ravonna's designation in the TVA at this point is A-23, a clear nod to that famous comic book from 1965. Ravonna was co-created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck, and the cover of the issue featured art by comic book legend Jack Kirby, who co-created Kang with Lee.
Familiar Faces
Another subtle nod to He Who Remains' ultimate identity was in the Time Keepers. Specifically, the central one, who appeared both in Miss Minutes' animation reel and in statues in the TVA. The central figure shares a physical resemblance with actor Jonathan Majors, who fans knew prior to Loki that Majors had been cast as Kang The Conqueror in Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania.
The central Time Keeper also looms over Ravonna in both the court and in her office, where the physical similarities with Majors are more pronounced.
31st Century Technology
An Easter egg from the end of episode 1 of the series is an early clue to Kang. When the Minute Men arrive in a timeline searching for the evil Loki variant, they discover a weapon made from 31st century technology. This is a clue to Kang as he originally hails from the 31st century.
Kang The Conqueror relies heavily on this advanced technology, as he has no superpowers of his own. Most if not all of Kang's comic book powers derive from technology he invented or co-opted in the 31st and 40th centuries.
Kid Loki
Kid Loki is one of the best Loki variants in the comics, and his presence in the MCU is another indicator of Kang. Kid Loki was actually part of the Young Avengers squad of teenage superheroes. Iron Lad brought that team together to fight Kang, and Iron Lad himself is a younger variant of Kang The Conqueror.
While Kid Loki's MCU future is unknown at the moment, the high number of Young Avengers members in the MCU at the moment (including Sylvie, a version of the Enchantress) suggests there is more to come.
Chronopolis
Chronopolis is a city Kang created in the far future. It's essentially a giant trophy room where he places his conquests from the past, like the Sphinx of ancient Egypt. As fans saw in episode 5, The Void looks a lot like Chronopolis.
Though they play different roles in the MCU and comics, both act as warehouses for the claimed timelines of versions of Kang. It's possible that the bubble city out of time manifests in a different way in the MCU and may have already, thanks to an Easter egg from Ant-Man And The Wasp.
He Who Remains' Costume
Though He Who Remains never comes out and says his name - instead suggesting he goes by many - his costume does reveal some hints about his connection to Kang. He Who Remains' purple and green attire is modeled heavily on the costume of the supervillain Immortus, who comic fans know is one of the most powerful variants of Kang The Conqueror.
His necklace and the golden design work on his tunic also echo those of the Immortus costume from the comic books, without the very ornate hat.
The Sphinx In The Void
The Sphinx from ancient Egypt, at least a version of it, is present among the ruins in The Void. This is another major reference to Kang The Conqueror from the comics as one of Kang's major variants, Rama Tut, traveled through time in a time ship shaped exactly the Sphinx.
Rama Tut went back in time and established himself as Pharaoh in Egypt. He debuted in Fantastic Four #19 and actually hit the newsstands the same month (September 1963) as Avengers #8, Kang's first appearance. The two wouldn't be shown to be variants of each other for many years.
Alioth
Alioth is one of the biggest clues to Kang's role as the big bad in Loki. This temporal creature is actually a major rival of Kang in the comics and his domain is much greater in size and scope than even Kang's. Alioth's time empire borders that of Kang's, leading to frequent clashes.
Kang traps Alioth beyond a barrier in time, similar to how He Who Remains impounds the creature in The Void in MCU. Alioth first appeared in 1993 in Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective #1.
Qeng Tower
One of the best clues to Kang in Loki is one of the most clever Easter eggs in the series. Stark Tower appears in The Void, except it isn't Stark Tower. It's Qeng Tower, a reference to All-New, All-Different Avengers #1 from 2015.
In the comic, which assembles one of the best Avengers rosters ever including Sam Wilson's Captain America and Jane Foster's Thor, Qeng buys the tower from Stark. The company is owned by Mr. Gryphon, who is later revealed to be a variant of Kang The Conqueror.