It’s good to have you back for another analysis of the easter eggs inLokiseason 2, episode 5. There are plenty in this episode, where we finally got to see Mobius (Owen Wilson) on top of his iconic jet ski. But everyone had something to hide when we saw all the TVA employees on their own timelines.
Lokiis almost over, and the stakes just keep getting higher as the temporal loom threatens to destroy the entire MCU timeline. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) keeps trying to find a way to save everything in existence, and in this episode, we find out why. But when Loki finds out how, he realizes it’s really about who. OB (Ke Huy Quan), or A.D. Doug in this episode, makes sure he’s asking the right questions.
There are some deep cuts in Marvel Comics history hidden in this episode. Fans will have a lot to work on if they want to create more fan theories. But even if you don’t know muchabout Marvel Comics, there’s a lot to uncover in episode 5. It references famous historical events like the escape from Alcatraz and includes cast appearances from the directors and other crew. Also, the mysterious key lime pie has vanished from the automat. Here are all the easter eggs inLokiseason 2, episode 5.
Everyone Returns to Their Timelines
At the start of the episode, we discover Loki has escaped the doom of the TVA. But he’s also started time-slipping again. That curse becomes a blessing later. But as Loki walks around an empty TVA, it’s not just the people that are missing but all of those oddly picturesque key lime pies. Some fans believe the pies are the TVA’s form of Soylent Green, a reference to the 1973 Science Fiction movie where humans are tricked into eating the dead to sustain the living. With no people left in the TVA, it’s odd the pies are gone as well.
As all reality begins to spaghettify, we see the TVA has entered “Fail Safe Mode,” which may be the reason all the employees have been returned to their individual timelines. When Loki time-slips again, he shows up on theshores of an islandat night. Three people hurry around him to prepare a boat. One of those people is Casey (Eugene Cordero), the nerdy desk jockey from the TVA. But in this reality, he’s actually Frank Morris, and this island is Alcatraz.
In June 1962, Frank Morris escaped the prison island along with his fellow inmates Clarence and John Anglin. They left paper matchet heads in their bunks to trick the guards into thinking they were still sleeping and escaped the island on an inflatable raft. They were believed to have drowned, but they were never caught. The Anglin brothers were actually played by Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, two directors from the series.
After that, Loki slips to New York in the year 2012 – the same year asthe first Avengers movie. However, he appears in a quiet hospital where B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) works as a doctor. It confirms a deep Marvel Comics reference that B-15 is actually Verity Willis. Willis is a character from the comicAgents of Asgard, where she worked with Loki for a time. She has the mystical power to see through all lies and illusions after she ingested a magical ring as a child. In Marvel Comics canon, she met Loki while speed dating.
Mobius and OB’s Original Timelines
When Loki time-slips again, we finally see Mobius (Owen Wilson) riding his beloved jet ski, or at least a model of it, in his Ohio dealership. He’s trying to sell one to a customer, and we find out he is really just there for the free donuts. That customer is actually Isaac Bauman, a cinematographer on the series.
When Loki sees Mobius later, we find out his real name is Don, and the number on his house is 1049. It’s a bit of a reach, but some fans believe this address is a reference to Earth-1049. It’s a reality constructed by Franklin Richards, the son of Reed and Susan Richardsfrom the Fantastic Four. If so, this branched timeline Mobius is in could be created by one of the most powerful characters in Marvel Comics.
We finally meet OB’s real self when we find him trying to buy his own book in a bookstore. He’s a failed fiction author named A.D. Doug. Many fans believe it’s a reference to Douglas Adams, author ofThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxyand prophet, who said that 42 is the answer to the great question of the universe.
In OB’s workshop, we can see for a moment an old New York Giants baseball cap – the same one worn by Ke Huy Quanwhen he played Short RoundinIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve all been waiting for a reference to Ke Huy Quan’s 12-year-old character from the legendary film.
Secret Post-Credits Scene
In the bar, where Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) takes Loki to talk about saving the TVA, there’s a Zaniac video game referencing the movie premiere we saw in episode 2. But it yells at you in an aggressive tone. That’s the voice of Brad Wolfe/Hunter X-5 (Rafael Casal), whose variant became the famous actor.
If you wait until after all the credits have rolled, you’ll hear his voice again, yelling in beautiful 64-bit quality sound, “You died! Insert your coin, loser!” It’s the first time Marvel has ever used a vocal track for an after-credits stinger. And it’s a secret scene with fans thinking it might hint at Loki’s death. If you want to learn more about it, you can read our article onthe post-credits scenefrom this episode.
