MCU Phase 4 Retrospective Part 1: Loki Episodes 1-3

Hey everyone, today I'm kicking off a new series of Patreon-exclusive posts that will include my thoughts and analysis of Phase 4 with the intention to highlight some details you may have overlooked and to theorize about what certain things mean for the future in context of the Multiverse Saga as a whole. I'm doing things in chronological order, so we begin with a look back at the first half of Loki Season 1.

Upon rewatch, the first thing that struck me was the title of episode 1, "Glorious Purpose." Of course this is taken from Loki's oft-used proclamation that he's "burdened with glorious purpose," but I think it hints at another character and the larger story at play here. While I'll get more into He Who Remains in the next part of this retrospective, clearly there are similarities between him and Loki in two isolated, powerful beings who believe they should take matters into their own hands to maintain order by eliminating choice and free will from the rest of humanity.

Now there are a number of reasons why this series is the perfect place for Phase 4 and the Multiverse Saga as a whole to begin. First, chronologically it picks up during and immediately after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Of course the series takes place during multiple points throughout both the past and future, and time itself works differently where the TVA is concerned. But still, for our main character, the Loki variant introduced in Avengers: Endgame, this is what happens immediately after. Additionally, this series is a great encapsulation of the themes of loss and grief that are so prevalent throughout Phase 4 as a whole. In the first episode Loki must cope with the loss of his mother, father, Asgard, and even his own mortality at the hand's of Thanos.

Most importantly, this is the perfect starting point for the saga because it kicks off the entire multiverse storyline, but again, we'll get more into that next time. What these first few episodes do brilliantly is slowly elevate the stakes by diminishing previous threats. In the TVA, the infinity stones are nothing more than paperweights. And Loki? The first big bad who assembled the Avengers? He's a powerless prisoner, and just one in a sea of variants who have been causing trouble for the TVA. Of course this particular Loki, with the help of Sylvie, may just turn out to be a cut above the rest. But still, the series takes steps to show us that this new phase and saga is a whole new ball game in terms of the types of threats our heroes will eventually have to contend with.

By comparing the way this saga starts to the beginnings of the Infinity Saga, could we glean some details about the way things will end? The first saga of the MCU began and ended with Iron Man. His introduction fueled the modern emergence of superheroes and villains in the world, putting a target on the planet's back for beings like Thanos, and ultimately he had to sacrifice himself to save the world. With Loki and Sylvie's actions leading to the emergence of the multiverse, could one or both of them be instrumental in stopping the incursions and Kang himself? But I'm getting ahead of myself. See you soon for the next part of my look back at the MCU Phase 4!