Marvel Had No Limitations On Loki Easter Eggs In The Void

WARNING: Spoilers for Loki episode 5

Loki head writer Michael Waldron says Marvel didn’t limit the amount of Easter Eggs in episode 5’s “The Void.” Following Loki and Sylvie’s successfully unveiling of the Time Variance Authority’s (TVA) Time-Keepers as nothing but mindless androids in episode 4, Loki was pruned by Ravonna Renslayer. However, instead of being erased from existence, he’s sent to the Void at the end of time, which serves as a wasteland for everything/everyone the TVA prunes to maintain the Sacred Timeline.

In episode 5, “Journey Into Mystery,” Tom Hiddleston’s Loki meets a host of back-stabbing tricksters pruned from wildly different timelines in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He navigates the TVA tray-riddled Void, which subtly (and not so subtly) reveals a plethora of Easter Eggs. From structures, objects, writings, jokes, and characters related to the MCU and Marvel comic lore, “Journey Into Mystery” (which in itself is a reference to a comic title from the 50s’) is a staggeringly detailed episode of television.

In Screen Rant’s interview with Michael Waldron, Loki’s head writer discussed crafting the show’s penultimate episode. When asked if the studio placed any limitations on Easter Eggs in the Void, Waldron offered some insight into that process. Read what Waldron said below:

“No. I mean, there was very little ‘no’ in this whole process. I think you can tell. It was just the exchange of ideas: ‘What about this?’ ‘This might be cool.’ Anything that I [couldn’t get in], I might get in elsewhere down the line. So, I’m hesitant to go into too much detail.”

In line with the TVA and the show’s overall take a precarious past, present, and future, the Void teases alternative events in the MCU timeline while foreshadowing the future. Some of episode 5 most notable Easter Eggs include the head of the Ant-Man villain Yellow Jacket, the Thanos-Copter, a jarred Throg buried with a full-sized Mjolnir, Ronan the Accuser’s ship, and the USS Eldridge, a real-world naval vessel that was supposedly turned invisible as part of the “Philadelphia Experiment,” appearing in front of a hungry Alioth. The destructive cloud monster that serves as the TVA’s garbage disposal first appeared in the comics as a rival to Kang the Conqueror, who many have theorized Loki and Sylvie will find beyond the now-enchanted Alioth hanging out in what appears to be the villain’s comic-book citadel.

Alioth isn’t the only Kang Easter Egg in episode 5. The Void appears to contain the ruins of Stark Tower; however, instead of the Stark or Avengers logo, the tower read “Qeng,” a nod to Qeng Enterprises, the company Tony Stark sold the tower to in a comic run. The Qeng CEO was a mysterious Mr. Gryphon, an alter ego of Kang the Conqueror. Kang will appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, so all of this could be foreshadowing that or simply misdirection. Loki appears more aware of lore and fan theories than anything seen on Disney+ so far. For example, Classic Loki’s back story and how he survived Thanos stems from a fan theory where Loki turns himself into debris. Could Richard E. Grant’s character have faked his death again in episode 5? Nothing is off the table as Waldron hasn’t been limited in any way, shape, or form.

About The Author

Josh Plainse
(979 Articles Published)

Josh Plainse is a writer, movie, and television fanatic based out of Wisconsin. Josh works for Screen Rant covering the latest in entertainment while simultaneously pursuing the never-ending dream of becoming an established novelist, screenwriter, and/or decent human being. Josh would accredit characters such as Goku, Han Solo, Simba, and Maximus Decimus Meridius for instilling within him an affinity for storytelling. It is this incessant obsession which has propelled him to seek opportunities that inform, entertain, and inspire others.

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