Why Latest ‘Loki’ Twist May Confirm ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Theory

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Loki Season 1, Episode 4, “The Nexus Event.”]

Loki has been raising questions since it debuted at the beginning of June, and fans are finally receiving some answers thanks to its fourth installment, “The Nexus Event.”

While Loki (Tom Hiddleston) served as a whistleblower to Mobius (Owen Wilson), revealing that the TVA is run by memory-wiped variants, they both ultimately suffered for their knowledge. Both Loki and Mobius were pruned in Episode 4, and wiped from the TVA, but a mid-credits scene revealed that they don’t necessarily cease to exist.

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Instead, Loki wound up in a desolate post-apocalyptic-looking landscape where he’s met by several other Lokis. Based on the knowledge viewers have about the variants, including Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), it was only a matter of time before we met more.

According to the credits sequence, the Loki variants introduced in the scene include Classic Loki (Richard E. Grant), Kid Loki (Jack Veal), and Boastful Loki (Deobia Oparei), as well as a crocodile Loki. This provides further evidence of the multiverse which is promised in Loki writer Michael Waldron‘s upcoming film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

(Credit: Disney+/Marvel Studios)

WandaVision began setting up a shift when Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) created the Hex around Westview, but now Loki’s experience of deviating from the Sacred Timeline could throw things even further out of whack, making us wonder if all this could confirm a Spider-Man: No Way Home theory.

That movie, slated to arrive December 17 — months ahead of Doctor Strange — is rumored to include several villains from the Spider-Man films prior to Tom Holland‘s MCU version. For months, fans have speculated that this could mean the Peter Parkers that came before Tom Holland’s might also join the fun.

Spider-Man 2 (Credit: Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection)

In an interview with Variety, Alfred Molina essentially confirmed that his return as Spider-Man 2‘s Doc Ock was no reboot, stating that, “it was very interesting going back after 17 years to play the same role.” He also teased that his story would pick up where fans last saw him in the 2004 film directed by Sam Raimi (who is directing Doctor Strange), which means he can’t be from Tom Holland’s Spider-Man universe.

Jamie Foxx, who appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man series as Electro is also strongly teased as returning, providing a web-like pull to bring more characters from the multiverse into the MCU’s next Spider-Man film. What the variations of Loki hint at is the possibility that we could see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield swing back onto screens as variants of the MCU’s Peter Parker.

Spider-Man 2 (Credit: Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection)

While everything remains up in the air at this point, without any official announcement from Sony or Marvel, it’s clear that Loki is bringing MCU viewers further into the multiverse. And even the last Spider-Man film, Far From Home teed it up with the addition of J.K. Simmons‘ J. Jonah Jameson, a character that was introduced in the original Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire.

Whether he’s a variant of the character seen in Maguire’s films or not will remain to be seen, but Marvel has confirmed his return through recently unveiled merchandise tied to No Way Home, promising that an explanation is on the horizon. Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is also confirmed to play a crucial role in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and if that movie leads to the Multiverse of Madness, we can only imagine what will unfold.

Tobey or no Tobey, Andrew or no Andrew, there are some characters from other Spider-Man universes that fans can look forward to seeing, and it feels like Loki is only confirming such theories. Let us know what you think in the comments below, and stay tuned to see how Loki’s run-in with the other Loki variants goes when the show’s fifth episode arrives.

Loki, Streaming Now, New Episodes, Fridays, Disney+

Spider-Man: No Way Home, Premieres Friday, December 17, In Theaters