Marvel’s Phase 4 is finally in the right tone, courtesy of the Disney+ series, Loki. The finale was able to set up one too many MCU Projects, such Spider-Man 3, Ant-Man 3, and Doctor Strange 2. This happened because Sylvie killed He Who Remains, the one controlling the Sacred Timeline, hence resulting in branched realities. Not just a few, almost infinite. This is something that He Who Remains made clear. But before all this, there was a major reference to the Master of Mystic Arts during Jonathan Majors’ He Who Remains. As both are capable of manipulating time, there had to be a reference, right? Therefore, Loki‘s finale references Doctor Strange’s first Time Stone lesson.
Loki Finale Refers To First Time Stone Lesson of Doctor Strange
As Sylvie and Loki enter the Citadel, they are greeted by Miss Minutes who called the real man behind the TVA, “He Who Remains.” In He Who Remains’ original introduction, he is seen carrying an apple. As he dodges Sylvie’s attacks, he is also seen casually eating the apple. During this time, he was explaining to Loki and Sylvie the origins of the TVA. This could very well be a direct reference to Strange’s own experience in Doctor Strange.
After Strange quickly went through the necessary readings in Kamar-Taj, he couldn’t help but succumb to his curiosity. As a result, he decided to try using the Eye of Agamotto with a magic spell from the Book of Cagliostro. He started manipulated time on an apple, taking it backward and forward with him. In the process, he broke the rule of time. But this obviously came with some serious repercussions. He was reprimanded by Baron Mordo because temporal manipulations can create branches in time.
Kang is a time-traveler himself. The inclusion of an apple in his debut just like Strange’s is a clear nod to the concept of time, and that they both have a common denominator between them. There’s also a theory that Kang will appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That’s because one too many variants of him are now loose in the universe. So why not bring one to Doctor Strange?
How Loki Could Connect To Doctor Strange 2
Loki episode 6, “For All Time. Always.” has now properly introduced the concept of the multiverse. Sylvie killed He Who Remains, the one who isolated their timeline and protected it from another multiversal war. As a result, the Sacred Timeline branched out, creating one too many realities. So, it’s safe to say that some of them are bound to overlap with each other. And this is where Doctor Strange comes.
Doctor Stephen Strange’s responsibility as the Sorcerer Supreme is to protect Earth from interdimensional threats like Dormammu. But now that the multiverse is in disarray, their work is now minimal. All this is courtesy of Loki and the events the unfolded in the finale. Even though Kang’s appearance in Doctor Strange 2 is unknown, it would make sense for him to come. Considering that it will follow up with the fallout of what happened at the end of Loki‘s season finale, Kang’s appearance seems really logical.
But as recently reported, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki will appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The Hollywood Reporter wrote about his return. In what capacity or manner would hi return be entertained is unknown. But considering how heavily the show has impacted the MCU, it seems like the characters’ arc is far from over at this moment. Moreover, the movie will also feature Wand as the Scarlet Witch. So having Kang in the movie might just make it a bit too heavy.
Doctor Strange vs. Kang the Conqueror
Both Kang and Doctor Strange have the ability to mess with the flow of time. We have seen Strange’s ability to foresee the future and trap an interdimensional monster in a time loop. So his prowess is not to be taken lightly. But considering the absence of Eye of Agamotto currently, the Sorcerer Supreme might just have a hard time facing the time-traveling maniac if he was to face him.
Sooner or later, Strange will have to go toe-to-toe against Kang. That’s because according to the current flow, Kang is destined to be the next big bad of the MCU. Kang is the master of hopping timelines and considering his caliber as an enemy, he’s a threat. If Thanos could eliminate half of life, then Kang can obliterate entire timelines.
Loki is currently streaming on Disney+.
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