The Marvel Cinematic Universe may have introduced Loki as a villain, but he quickly became a breakout character. Loki the Disney+ series is already enjoying the hype leading to its release, with fans having lots of expectations from the show to portray the trickster in the best way.
Naturally, this has given rise to theories on Reddit as fans have dissected the show’s previews and premise to bring their own scenarios. While there’s always a possibility that these can come true, some are a bit too out there to be believable at present. Others have a great set-up for the series and it would be great if the TV show does adapt these potential theories.
Won't Happen: Loki Has The Time Stone
According to this theory, Loki escaped the events of Avengers: Endgame to ancient times. It also posits that the Time Stone was never destroyed by Thanos and that Loki traveled back to claim the stone.
However, the theory completely overlooks the Time Variance Authority’s role in the TV series. Not only that, but it also ignores the fact that this is a Loki from an alternate time, meaning the Time Stone here was in the hands of the Ancient One, along with the fact that the Tesseract can’t be used for time travel purposes.
Best: Loki Will Save The Avengers At Various Points In Time
A way for the series to turn the alternate timeline Loki into a protagonist could be through this theory. According to it, the mysterious cloaked figure from the trailers is looking to disrupt all the timelines in the multiverse, forcing the Time Variance Authority to task Loki with fixing time itself.
Due to this, Loki would need to revisit important moments in the MCU featuring the Avengers and save them without their knowledge. The idea is that everything that’s happened so far will be undone by the villain unless Loki can stop it, thus making him a reluctant protagonist and the savior of the Avengers.
Won't Happen: The Alternate Loki Replaced The Real Loki On Svartalfheim
Thor is among the characters most want in the Loki series, but it would be a cop-out if it turns out to be through archive footage. This theory believes that the entire show is about closing the time loop. To this end, the Loki seen here will eventually be placed in Svartalfheim during Thor: The Dark World to die.
The movie had shown that Loki faked his death, but the theory claims the Loki series version was placed there instead and genuinely died. The reason why this is a bad scenario is that fans would hate it if Loki is brought back just to be killed off again, along with the fact that Loki Season 2 is already commissioned.
Best: Loki Will Face Alternate Versions Of Himself
According to this theory, the hooded figure is the ultimate twist as it will be revealed as an alternate version of Loki. Moreover, the fan considers the possibility of multiple Lokis showing up. This does sound like a great angle, as Loki encountering different sides of himself would be a sight to see.
It would also lead to his own character development by witnessing the best and worst traits the alternate Loki’s exhibit, and force him to fight himself as the big bad. Not to mention how this would open up the multiverse arc wide open for the MCU going forward.
Won't Happen: Loki Is Looking For The Infinity Stones To Cause Havoc
Here's a theory that considers the possibility by claiming that Loki being a generic villain who will turn on the Time Variance Authority to use the past to collect all the Infinity Stones.
The failing of this theory is that Loki doesn’t have any motivations other than to cause havoc in the timelines. Loki has always had a goal in mind in the MCU, making this move too much out of character. The Infinity Stones arc has also been played-out by this point, so reverting to it would be two steps back for the MCU.
Best: Loki Will Return To The Main Timeline
While this theory doesn’t elaborate on how Loki will do it, it does claim that this alternate Loki will be able to return to the main timeline. It uses Captain America as an example, as he had existed in the branched timeline for decades before jumping back to the main one.
Along the same lines, Loki will exist in multiple timelines in the TV series before figuring out a way to jump into the main one, where the prime Loki was killed by Thanos. This way, the MCU can regain Loki once again while keeping his earlier demise intact and allow him to continue appearing in the series.
Won't Happen: Loki Will Manipulate The Past To Become King Of Asgard
Going by this theory, it suggests that Loki will manipulate the events of the past in such a way that he’ll end up as the king of Asgard. However, the MCU has already shown Loki as Asgard’s king, even if it was him in Odin’s disguise.
This would be a very tame plot that wouldn’t accomplish any new ground and just doesn’t seem interesting. It would also not lead to anything since becoming king would be the end of the story while Loki Season 2 is set to continue his arc.
Best: Doctor Strange And Scarlet Witch Will Team Up With Loki
There have already been many things referenced in WandaVision about the Doctor Strange sequel. This theory suggests that Loki will be added to the mix. There’s a good chance of this coming true since it’s been confirmed that Loki does have tie-ins to the Doctor Strange sequel.
The theory goes further by positing that the villain Nightmare will be the one pulling the strings of the multiverse. Loki can team up with Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange through his jumps in time and the multiverse, thus setting up this mystical team.
Won't Happen: Loki's Main Mission Is To Kill Captain America
Although this theory looks to answer how Captain America time traveled without any consequences, it gives the character too much importance for Loki to be about the titular character. According to it, the Time Variance Authority will force Loki to jump through time to find and kill Captain America.
The reason for this is due to Steve meddling too much with time and would need to be eliminated. The problem is that it essentially makes Loki a secondary character since Captain America would be the one driving the plot. It also downplays Loki’s importance since basically any character can fill this position.
Best: Loki Will Witness Alternate Timelines And Learn To Change
It’s become predictable to see Loki betray those who trust him and be a trickster all the time. This theory thinks that Loki will finally learn to change due to his experiences in the TV series. The way this will happen is by showing Loki see many alternate timelines where terrible things happened because of him.
Severely affected by these possibilities, Loki will realize the error of his ways and strive to become a real hero. It’s a good way to round out all the storylines he’s been a part of and avoid killing off the character again just to redeem him, as was the case in Avengers: Infinity War.