WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Loki, Episode 2, "The Variant," streaming now on Disney+.
Loki hit the ground running when it came to introducing the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a new world of possibilities. Exploring time travel like never before, the series immersed itself in the mind-dizzying forwards and backward logic of the Time Variance Authority's efforts to maintain the Sacred Timeline. And at the end of Episode 2, "The Variant," those possibilities only exploded into countless more. In fact, one small detail in Loki even notes a familiar location in the MCU that ties back to Thanos and could well be setting up his return.
The series' titular villain-turned-begrudging-protagonist began work for the TVA in hunting down an alternate version of himself known as Lady Loki, only to find himself several steps behind. Though her plan initially consisted of ambushing TVA agents to steal their technology, it turned out she planned on amassing the armaments for a massive explosion that would blast the Sacred Timeline wide open. As the TVA looked over the new divergent timelines, a list of MCU-relevant locations scrolls across the screen, and one sticks out more than most.
The where is Titan, and the when is October 13, 1982. Little is known about the former home of Thanos other than the backstory he provides in Avengers: Infinity War, detailing how the planet's overabundant population threatened its existence. When Thanos proposed culling that population so they would not overexert themselves into extinction, he became known as the Mad Titan, and after his warning came to fruition, the tragedy motivated him to wipe out half of all life. The Infinity Saga detailed his quest for the Infinity Stones to do just that, but with Loki's new divergent timelines fans could see more of the Mad Titan soon.
The dates attached to Thanos' backstory remain a mystery, but if Lady Loki targeted major flashpoints in history then Titan's destruction that left Thanos the last of his species would be the only major point from the planet's history fans are aware of. A Thanos from 1982 would be vastly different from the villain more familiar to fans from 40 years later in his life. He could be in the depths of his madness or unaware of the Infinity Stones' existence altogether.
Avengers: Endgame ended Thanos' life, only to bring back the 2014 version of the Mad Titan later on in the film. These two different versions of the villain shed different lights on just what his fascinating psyche is like, and plunging even further back into his biography would only be a further revelation. For how massive such a story would be it's hard to believe there would be space in the Loki series proper, but the MCU already has the perfect spot to feature such a story: What If?
What If? is meant to tell the alternate reality tales of what could have happened in different MCU timelines if things progressed differently, and Loki opens up a way to legitimize those alternate realities as part of the multiverse it builds. Getting a chance to see Thanos become a hero, or at least not a life-wiping maniac, could be exactly what sits ahead with the shout out to his timeline. As one of the best villains in the MCU, it was only a matter of time before he came back in one form or another.
Loki stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, Sasha Lane, and Eugene Cordero. New episodes air Wednesdays on Disney+.
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