[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers through the Season 1 finale of Loki, "For All Time. Always."]
Following a penultimate episode that amounted to a wasteland of background Easter Eggs, the Season 1 finale of Loki, "For All Time. Always." was far less heavy on the references, winks, and nods, and more focused on laying the multiversal foundation that will carry the Marvel Cinematic Universe into its future.
Still, as always is the case with anything MCU-related, "For All Time. Always." still had its fair share of Easter Eggs, many of which had to do with Jonathan Majors' He Who Remains, a.k.a. Immortus, a.k.a Kang the Conqueror, a.k.a Nathaniel Richards. Yeah, it's complicated. Good luck, Ant-Man!
The Intro
"For All Time. Always." opens with a journey through time and space that effectively serves as a journey through the life and death of a universe. As our perspectives races through the cosmos, we hear the overlayed voices of both Marvel Cinematic Universe characters and real-world political figures, including but not limited to: Anthony Mackie's Falcon (then Falcon, now Captain America), Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff, Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa, Paul Rudd's Scott Lang, Chris Pratt's Peter Quill, Chris Hemsworth's Thor, Chris Evans' Steve Rodgers telling himself "he can do this all day", Michael Douglas' Hank Pym, Brie Larson's Carol Davers, Tom Hiddleston's Loki, Taika Waititi's Korg, Paul Bettany's Vision, Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man, and Steve and Peggy Carter's love song "It's Been A Long, Long Time", which appeared in films such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame.
As for the real-world figures, Neil Armstrong, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, and potentially Carl Sagan can be heard.
Ravonna Renslayer's Real Name
In an effort to make the rest of her fellow TVA Hunters aware of the organ, Wunmi Mosaku's Hunter B-15 brings her squad to a quiet suburban school in 2018 Freemont, Ohio, where she introduces them to Ravonna Renslayer's variant: an Ohio State University graduate who goes by the name of Rebecca Tourminet. Rebecca Tourminet is an alias Renslayer had used in the comics to escape and hide from Kang, with whom she famously has a romantic relationship.
An Apple and Its Connection to Time
Following the events of both WandaVision and Loki, Marvel fans have hilariously pointed out just how much is now on the plate of Doctor Strange, the man tasked with fixing all this multiversal mess. And while the Sorcerer Supreme has yet to formally enter the timeline fray, homages to the good doctor have remained present, as He Who Remains, the ruler of time, is first seen eating an apple. This is, of course, not the first time someone with a mastery of time has been connected to the beloved fruit, as Stephen Strange himself is seen using an apple to test the Time Stone in 2016's Doctor Strange.
The Fourth Time-Keeper
As Loki and Sylvie enter the Citadel, statues of the Time Keepers can be seen along the way, only this time, there’s a fourth member amongst them, except its statue lies broken on the floor. This is most likely a reference to the Oracle of Siwa, a banished Time Keeper who appeared in Fantastic 4 #16, eventually helping Marvel’s first family defeat Kang’s son Ramades.
He Who Remains
The Wizard of Oz behind the curtain, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans got their first look at Johnathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror, who was already confirmed to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Except, they didn’t really meet Kang, but rather, an alternate version of him known as “He Who Remains."
He Who Remains has a basis in the comic books, having first appeared in 1976's Thor #245. The character is essentially the last remaining member of the Time Variance Authority, alone in the Citadel at the end of time, who created the Time Keepers.
Kang The Conqueror
As He Who Remains warns, killing him will only unleash further, far worse variants, one of which will certainly be the actual Kang the Conqueror. Real name Nathaniel Richards, Kang the Conqueror is a 31st century descendant of Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic. A genius scientist and explorer, Richards gained access to time travel and therefore the knowledge and technology that such access to the timeline provides. This power eventually leads him to discover various alternate versions of himself in the future who are all armed with the same knowledge, such as Kang the Conqueror, Immortus, Rama-Tut, etc.
This is, more or less, what Majors' He Who Remains explains to Loki and Sylvie, warning them that these variants, such as Kang, are far more malevolent than he is and that unleashing them will plunge the multiverse into all-out war. It certainly appears as though He Who Remains was telling the truth, as by the episode's end, Loki finds himself in an alternate version of the Time Variance Authority ruled by one sole figure instead of the ruse of the Time Keepers.
The Council of Kangs
During his episode-defining soliloquy, He Who Remains explains that he wasn't the only version of himself that discovered the true nature of the multiverse, as other Kang variants made the same discovery at similar times, leading them to all come together in an effort to better each other's universes by sharing resources and technologies. This council was able to temporarily maintain peace between the realities before the aforementioned malevolent Kangs unleashed multiversal war, therefore forcing He Who Remains to rise up and implement the Time Variance Authority.
This peacetime council, for however (relatively) short-lived it may have been, is a concept borrowed from the comic books, as the Council of Kangs — and also the Council of Cross-Time Kangs — are entities that attempt to monitor/contain/destroy hostile variant Kangs and bring order to the timeline they've helped devolve into chaos.
That Planet of the Apes Final Shot
In the season finale's stunning final shot, both Loki and the audience realize they're no longer in the world they thought they knew, as not only does Mobius and Hunter B-15 not recognize him, but a singular statue of what appears to be Kang the Conqueror watching over the TVA. This shot, according to writer Eric Martin, was inspired by iconic sci-fi of the past, specifically name-checking Planet of the Apes and The Twilight Zone as inspiration on Twitter.
Loki Season 1 is streaming now on Disney+.