In the first episode of Disney+’s Loki, we have a surprising cameo by the almighty Infinity Stones, that were being used as… paperweights. You read that right. Loki writer Michael Waldron answers our queries about the Easter egg.
But before we dissect Waldron’s response, we must understand the history of the precious stones.
Our journey starts in 2012, when the Tesseract holding the Space Stone plays a pivotal role in assembling the Avengers for the first time. It is also our first encounter with the Infinity Stones on screen. In the same movie (The Avengers), Thanos gives Loki the Mind Stone hidden inside the iconic Scepter. Of course, at the time, we didn’t know that.
The Power Stone appears in Guardians of the Galaxy, the Reality Stone in Thor: The Dark World, the Time Stone in Doctor Strange and lastly, the Soul Stone in Avengers: Infinity War.
The storyline around the Infinity Stones is collectively known as the Infinity Saga and is made up of the first 23 movies in MCU. This covers Phrase 1 beginning with Iron Man and ends with Spider-Man: Away From Home of Phrase 3.
No one needs a lesson on how powerful the stones are, on their own, as well as when used together (especially in a particular golden glove). As we witness the Avengers scrambling through past timelines to get their hands on the Infinity Stones and defeat Thanos, we know one thing for sure – the stones need to be kept safe.
And surely, not in a clerk’s drawer gathering lint.
Completing the loop in Loki, we are back in 2012 right after the God of Mischief steals the Tesseract and absconds the Sacred Timeline. Not to be outsmarted by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), he is caught promptly and taken to headquarters.
During his hide-and-seek attempt of a getaway from the TVA, Loki discovers the Infinity Stones lying in the drawer of an admin clerk. In fact, he discovers several versions of each stone – which makes sense, as they may have come from different timelines.
The Infinity Stones in the TVA are also quite harmless and don’t work, as Loki finds out that everything, including his own powers are rendered null in this sphere.
But that doesn’t stop the speculation of whether or not the Infinity Stones will make a comeback in the MCU.
Bleeding Cool poses a very carefully crafted question to Michael Waldron, writer and creator of Loki, inquiring about the significance of these “Chekhov’s Infinity Stones” appearing in the first episode.
Playwright Anton Checkov is pegged down for the literary/dramatic device called the “Chekhov’s Gun” that says all elements appearing in a story have a purpose and must be used before the story ends. That is – if a gun appears in Act I, then the gun should go off before curtains close.
Does this apply to the cheeky appearance of the Infinity Stones in Loki?
“That’s a lot of Infinity Stones. That’s true but they are useless there in the TVA, so I don’t know. Is that gun loaded or not? We’ll see…”
Michael Waldron
Waldron is not one to divulge spoilers – especially, if it may concern another upcoming work of his. With the next Doctor Strange movie (also written by Waldron) exploring the multiverse, it is possible for one or all the Infinity Stones to be in it.
While we also have four more episodes of Loki that could take up this opportunity, Episode two points to the direction of MCU focusing of timelines, multiverses and protecting their sanctity from rising threats.
Were the Infinity Stones an Easter egg or foreshadowing? Now that’s the infinite question.
About Loki
Loki is an American TV series created by Michael Waldron for Disney+ and Marvel. It is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with events of the series taking place after Avengers: Endgame.
Tom Hiddleston reprises his role as Loki along side new faces like Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, Sasha Lane, Eugene Cordero and Erika Coleman.
After stealing the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame, Loki is apprehended by the mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA) and their Time-Keepers. Loki is given a choice between fixing all the timelines he broke with the Tesseract and death at the hands of the TVA.
Source: Bleeding Cool
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