Every Loki Season 2 Episode 4 MCU Easter Egg & Reference

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Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Loki season 2, episode 4
Summary

"Protocol 42" in Loki season 2, episode 4 references a major Marvel number with connections to Miles Morales' Spider-Man and Mister Fantastic.
Ravonna's secret history in the MCU mirrors her role as a critical ally of Kang the Conqueror in the original Marvel Comics.
Sylvie fears that sparing the TVA may result in the rise of Kang the Conqueror or someone worse, teasing the future of the MCU's new big bad.

Loki season 2, episode 4 features a great collection of fun MCU references and Easter eggs. As the titular God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston) and his allies at the TVA work to prevent the entire institution from imploding, there are several connection points to other chapters of the MCU as well as some key references to the original Marvel Comics. Likewise, there may even be teases for the rest of the show and the future of the MCU's new big bad Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
As seen in previous episodes of Loki season 2, the God of Mischief and his allies are trying to stabilize the TVA's Temporal Loom which is in danger of overloading and destroying them all. This is thanks to Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) who killed He Who Remains in the finale of Loki season 1, the secret founder of the TVA and creator of the Sacred Timeline. Although things go horribly wrong by the end of Loki season 2, episode 4, there a several exciting Easter eggs and references along the way.
Your browser does not support the video tag. 8 "Protocol 42" (A Major Marvel Number)

When viewing her secret history, Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) learns that she once fought by He Who Remains' side during the first Multiversal War. However, He Who Remains then instructed Miss Minutes to enact "Protocol 42". This directive resulted in the new agents of the TVA having all their minds wiped, including Renslayer herself. This explains why none of the TVA agents remembered their past lives on the Sacred Timeline, and it's been suggested that their minds were routinely wiped to keep them from questioning their purpose. That being said, 42 is a major number in the Marvel Universe, connecting to both Miles Morales' Spider-Man and Mister Fantastic.
42 was the identification number of the spider that bit Miles Morales in the original comics, while also being the designation of the Earth the spider came from, the multiversal reality in which Miles Morales became the Prowler instead as seen in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Likewise, "Prison 42" is the name of the Negative Zone prison created by Mister Fantastic with help from Hank Pym and Tony Stark in the comics. The number 42 is also a potential reference to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as the number was the provided "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything".
7 Ravonna's Secret History Mirrors The Comics She Was Once Like The Original Renslayer

Learning that she was a commander of armies during the first Multiversal War and a key ally of He Who Remains, Ravonna Renslayer's secret history in the MCU mirrors how critical she was to Kang the Conqueror in the original Marvel Comics. On the page, Ravonna gave Kang new motivation for his conquests, and they shared a tumultuous romance across time and space. While Victor Timely rejected her, it will be interesting to see if Ravonna might form a relationship with a different Kang variant in the future.
6 Ouroboros' Name And Time Paradox "Like A Snake Eating Its Own Tail"

While O.B. (Ke Huy Quan) claims in Loki season 2, episode 4 that he learned everything he knows from Victor Timely, Timely reveals he learned everything from the TVA guidebook O.B. subsequently wrote, creating a massive temporal paradox where they both learned from each other with no known point of origin. As such, O.B. says it's like a snake eating its own tail, the classic symbol known as Ouroboros (his namesake). This further points toward O.B.s major significance in the future of Loki season 2.

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5 Victor Timely's Temporal Device Has Victor Made Kang's Engine Core? Close Having a critical piece needed for O.B. and Casey's Throughput Multiplier, Victor Timely's prototype device referred to as the "culmination of his work" looks rather familiar. As such, it may very well be the Multiversal Engine Core seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which was used to power Kang's Time Sphere. Perhaps it has multiple uses with the ability to harness and power temporal technology, while also setting up Victor Timely as a far more intimidating variant of Kang the Conqueror.
4 Loki References The MCU's First Thor Movie When Thor Was Banished From Asgard

During Loki's intense debate with Sylive about the merits of the TVA, he references the events of 2011's Thor and his brother's banishment from Asgard to Earth. Once Thor came back changed with greater compassion, Loki believed Thor had succumbed to sentimental weakness. However, he's since learned that compassion and sparing the life of an enemy isn't weakness, something he tries to convince Sylvie of in this new episode of Loki season 2 when it comes to Victor Timely as well as the whole TVA.
3 "I'm Going To Burn This Place To The Ground" Loki's Come Such A Long Way

During the events of Loki season 2, episode 4, Sylvie asks Loki if it wouldn't be easier to burn the entire TVA to the ground and start over. This is likely a reference to Loki season 1 when Loki himself was first put in the TVA's custody and he promised to do the same, seeing as how he'd yet to evolve from the villain he once was. As such, it's quite remarkable to look and see how far the God of Mischief has come, especially now that he's trying to save it for the sake of the entire multiverse.

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2 "Someone Worse" Sylvie Teases Kang the Conqueror Loki Season 2 May Be Setting Up The Prime Kang

Sylvie also fears in this new episode of Loki season 2 that sparing Victor Timely and the TVA means she and Loki will simply have to hope that he doesn't become "He Who Remains or someone worse". That someone worse is likely a new variant of Kang the Conqueror like the many seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with the Council of Kangs. Perhaps Timely could even become the hinted Prime Kang ahead of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty which will release in 2026.
1 Miss Minutes' Lockdown Mirrors Jurassic Park "Ah Ah Ah!"

Working with Ravonna to forge their own path without Timely, Miss Minutes locks down several networks within the TVA before O.B. reboots the entire system to force her out. However, a locked screen and message initially appeared on the TVA's screens and TemPads featuring Miss Minutes wagging her finger and saying: "Ah ah ah! Access denied!". This is certainly meant to call back to Wayne Knight's Dennis Nedry in Jurassic Park when he similarly blocked access to the park's systems: "Ah ah ah! You didn't say the magic word!".
New episodes of Loki release every Thursday at 6pm PT / 9pm ET on Disney+.
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