What Cologne Does Tony Stark Use & Why Is It So Intense?

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Loki episode 1.

The debut of Loki introduced plenty of new Marvel mysteries, but perhaps the most unexpected question was about Tony Stark’s cologne in Avengers: Endgame. After escaping from the Avengers with the Tesseract in Endgame, Loki was quickly apprehended by the Time Variance Authority, getting put before Judge Ravonna Renslayer, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, to go on trial for crimes against the Sacred Timeline. An interesting revelation was made during the trial: Loki knew about the Avengers’ time travel plans.

Loki’s trial completely reframes the Avengers’ time heist. Previously, it seemed that the God of Mischief had no idea about the Avengers' time traveling, but when talking to Judge Renslayer, Loki reveals he knew about it all along. He tells the judge that he wouldn’t have had the Tesseract and veered off the Sacred Timeline if the Avengers hadn’t already been messing with time. When Judge Renslayer says, that’s “quite an accusation,” Loki reveals his proof: Tony Stark’s cologne. “Oh, believe me, you can smell the cologne of two Tony Starks,” Loki says. Loki's argument is all for naught, as the judge explains the Avengers were meant to time travel, but fans loved that Tony Stark's cologne tipped off the God of Mischief to the Avengers' plans.

Following the Loki scene, viewers questioned what kind of cologne Tony Stark was actually wearing, and it seems the MCU has already given an answer. During the time heist, the Avengers have a plan for Ant-Man to mess with 2012 Tony Stark’s arc reactor, giving him a cardiac event as a distraction so 2023 Tony Stark can steal the Tesseract. However, while Ant-Man is inside the younger Stark’s shirt, something catches his attention. “Is that Axe Body Spray?” Ant-Man asks. The 2023 Tony Stark confirms, “Yeah, I had a can in the desk for emergencies. Relax.” Though Loki, who's a prisoner at this point, doesn't appear to hear the exchange, it seems he could sense the two Starks the whole time.

The answer passes the smell test. When Loki says, “You can smell the cologne of two Tony Starks,” it’s because Stark is wearing Axe Body Spray. It makes sense. Could any other scent be intense enough to tip someone off to time travel? It’s almost sweet that Loki, being from Asgard and Jotunheim, refers to Axe Body Spray as “cologne,” obviously not aware of it as a staple aroma of high school gyms. Notably, the God of Mischief also doesn’t indicate that the two different Starks are wearing different colognes. It’s possible that both Starks loaded themselves up with Axe Body Spray, which makes it clearer why Loki knew something was amiss.

In the Endgame time heist scene, Stark tells Ant-Man the Axe Body Spray was from an emergency can, so it seems that’s not the only scent Iron Man likes to wear. After all, Stark appreciates the finer things in life. It’d make sense for him to have an extensive cologne collection. Within the world of Marvel, Iron Man also has his own cologne. Miles Morales: Spider-Man #10 shows Stark on a poster hawking his own unique scent, with packaging based on his arc reactor. Taking advantage of his celebrity is a very Tony Stark thing to do, and he’s just narcissistic enough to wear his own brand.

The events of Avengers: Endgame needed to play out exactly as they did. If they hadn't, the Avengers wouldn't have defeated Thanos. That means Loki needed to steal the Tesseract and break off of the Sacred Timeline, the Avengers needed to make an alternative plan after that happened, and Tony Stark needed to wear Axe Body Spray—lots and lots of Axe Body Spray. It’s a good thing he had a can for “emergencies.”

Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

More: Loki’s Opening Scene Debunks Fun Iron Man Theory