Loki"s Massive Power Upgrade Makes A Controversial Avengers Plan Possible

:0:1

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Loki season 2, episode 5, "Science/Fiction."Marvel Studios gifted Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief a huge power upgrade during Loki season 2, which could change the shape of the MCU forever, and make one controversial plan even more possible. Marvel Studios' Loki on Disney+ has explored a massive evolution for Tom Hiddleston's Asgardian former villain, transforming him from the Avengers' original adversary into a significant and powerful hero in the MCU's Phase 5. While Loki and his friends at the Time Variance Authority (TVA) battle to protect the universe, an upgrade for the God of Mischief in Loki season 2, episode 5, "Science/Fiction," means that Marvel Studios can revisit previous MCU storylines and characters with ease.
Loki season 1's finale saw Sophia Di Martino's Sylvie kill He Who Remains, the first variant of Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror introduced to the MCU, and unleash the full force of the multiverse by unraveling the Sacred Timeline. This led to the intense events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but Loki season 2 presented the titular God of Mischief and his TVA family with new, reality-threatening conundrums. In learning how to overcome these problems, however, Loki has unlocked a brilliant new superpower that could allow him to make recent MCU theories come to fruition.
Loki Controlled His Time-Slipping Power In Loki Season 2 Close In the wake of Loki season 1's finale, Hiddleston's God of Mischief found himself stuck with an infliction known as "time-slipping", which violently pulled him between the past, present, and future. Loki season 2's premiere, "Ouroboros," saw Loki team up with Owen Wilson's Mobius and Ke Huy Quan's eponymous Ouroboros, a.k.a. OB, to cure his time-slipping condition, though it reemerged in Loki season 2, episode 5, following the explosion of the TVA's Temporal Loom. Loki's time-slipping brought him face-to-face with the original variants of his TVA friends, with Quan's A. D. Doug and Sylvie helping him to understand and control his powerful new ability.
Loki used his time-slipping to reverse the spaghettification of his friends, before using it to travel back to the TVA.
During the ending of Loki season 2, episode 5, Loki used his time-slipping to reverse the spaghettification of his friends, before using it to travel back to the TVA prior to the destruction of the Temporal Loom. The fact that Loki was able to travel to several different branching timelines and many different time periods, including 1962's Alcatraz, 1994's Pasadena, 2012's New York, and 2022's Cleveland, means that there may be no limit to how far Loki can travel using his time-slipping. This not only makes him a powerful new hero in the Multiverse Saga, but also adds weight to one MCU theory that has recently gained even more traction.
Loki Can Collect Past MCU Heroes From Throughout History For Avengers 6

As the MCU's Multiverse Saga continues to develop, there are suspicions that past MCU heroes could return to play a part in Marvel Studios' upcoming crossover events, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Secret Wars in particular is expected to feature previous MCU heroes as well as characters from non-MCU Marvel film franchises, and Loki's new time-slipping ability could provide the perfect vehicle to bring these heroes into the MCU's current continuity. Time-slipping could allow Loki to collect heroes from throughout history prior to their deaths or retirements, including Tony Stark's Iron Man, Natasha Romanoff's Black Widow, and Steve Rogers' Captain America.
Iron Man and Black Widow sacrificed themselves in Avengers: Endgame, while Captain America retired in the past.
If Loki journeys back through time to collect past MCU heroes, or travels across different realities to acquire heroes from other Marvel superhero franchises, his storyline in the MCU's Phase 6 could perfectly mirror the Avengers' previous adventure. After the events of 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, the surviving Avengers embarked on the Time Heist in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. This saw them travel throughout the MCU's history to collect the six Infinity Stones and reverse the devastation caused by the Mad Titan Thanos. Loki can embark on a similar mission by collecting prominent and powerful past superheroes to aid in the battle against Kang the Conqueror.
Why The Original MCU Avengers' Return Is Possible

While the potential returns of heroes such as Iron Man, Black Widow, and Captain America had been rumored for some time, bringing them back in a cameo capacity for Avengers: Secret Wars, a recent report by Variety suggests that Marvel Studios may have bigger plans for the original Avengers team. Although the report states that Marvel Studios hasn't yet committed to the idea, the prospect of the original line-up of Avengers returning to helm a new crossover project in the MCU's future has been a controversial announcement. This would, however, bring back Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Chris Evans, reuniting with their Avengers family for a new adventure.

Sources say there have been talks to bring back the original gang for an “Avengers” movie. This would include reviving Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, both of whom were killed off in “Endgame.” (That shouldn’t be a stumbling block — in comic books, beloved characters are often killed off, only to be resurrected thanks to the power of things like the multiverse.) But the studio hasn’t yet committed to the idea — if it were able to bring those actors back, it wouldn’t come cheap.

Variety's report has since been disputed, including by Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige, yet it's very possible that these characters could still be returning, particularly after a lengthy period of criticism being aimed at Marvel Studios. The idea of bringing back the original Avengers team was posed as a big-swing-move that could help solve issues happening behind-the-scenes at Marvel Studios, and even though the report has been controversial among audiences, Loki season 2 may have introduced the perfect opportunity for these past heroes to return. This could raise hopes for Avengers: Secret Wars' line-up, making Loki season 2 perhaps the most pivotal project in the Multiverse Saga.
New episodes of Loki release every Thursday at 6pm PT/9pm ET on Disney+
Key Release Dates