Marvel’s What If? Episode 3 May Reveal Major Loki Series Connection

Marvel’s What If…? Episode 3 may have just set up a major connection with Marvel’s Loki series. (Warning: Spoilers Follow!) The third episode of What If? is titled “What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?”, and true to its ominous title, the episode examines a plot against SHIELD and that leaves the members of the Avengers initiative getting killed off, one by one. Doesn’t take a scientist to realize just how many events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be affected by The Avengers never getting to live long enough to unite. Well, one of those events may end up echoing across the Multiverse:

The anointment of King Loki!

In What If? Episode 3 it’s revealed that the various prospective members of the Avengers Initiative were all killed off by none other than Hank Pym/Ant-Man. To take out Thor, Pym struck down the Asgardian prince before he could reclaim his hammer Mjolnir and his power. In doing that, Pym causes Asgard to declare war against Midgard (Earth), with Loki as their lead general. Nick Fury ultimately manages to capture Pym and give him up to the Asgardians for punishment, but that restitution isn’t enough for Loki: he decides he’s going to stay on Earth permanently, as its ruler.

“King Loki” is one of the more famous versions of Loki out there in the Marvel lore. King Loki came from a future where Loki went from antihero back to full villain, killing Thor and destroying Earth. King Loki fought his brother King Thor, at one point using undead Avengers risen by his magic to attack.

Right now, it seems like What If…? may indeed be setting up some kind of King Loki storyline for the MCU – and its a storyline that Marvel’s Loki series already established, in trailer footage which showed that a “King Loki” variant was indeed part of the show at one point. Director Kate Herron and other members of the show’s crew already revealed that the King Loki sequence would’ve been part of memories of Loki’s life, which were played in a reel by the Time Variance Authority during the first episode.

The ending of What If? Episode 3 makes it seem as though Loki’s conquer of Earth may be a recurring storyline in this series, and the outcome of that storyline has the potential to ripple into the events of Loki season 2 thereafter. So maybe King Loki is finally here – even if it’s not the way we expected. Because seeing the Loki who conquered Earth interacting with the Loki who failed to, would be priceless

Marvel’s What If….? streams new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.