Loki and its introduction of the Time Variance Authority and Kang completely overhauled the MCU and asked fans to question the very concept of free will. And the show's finale left viewers with many questions, including whether Kang was responsible for the Infinity Saga.
According to Loki's director Kate Herron, the answer to that question is yes. Speaking to The Direct, she explained, "I suppose well, by our show's logic, yes, because he says like, ‘I paved the road, you just walked down it.’ I guess in theory, yeah, he would’ve scripted that because by our show that’s what we’re saying. Everything has been predetermined by this one character, even if up to this point we’ve believed the characters have had free will. Which I think is kind of the fun rug-pull of our show, right?"
Herron elaborated, explaining how the writers and creators behind Loki wanted to push the MCU to a whole new level and make viewers reconsider everything they had previously witnessed. "I remember even when I read the first script, I was like, ‘What?! The Infinity Stones are in a drawer? What the hell?’ I was just like, ‘What?!’ But in a good way, right? Because it shows the TVA is this whole new power, and that’s what you want with storytelling," Herron said."
The Infinity Stones were the ultimate McGuffin throughout the Infinity Saga -- the nexus upon which the story revolved. However, in one short scene earlier in the series, Loki reduced these objects of incredible power to mere paperweights. Does this diminish the Infinity Saga in retrospect? Possibly, but Herron appears to be of the opinion that it was a necessary evil.
With Thanos the Mad Titan and his Black Order utterly destroyed at the end of Avengers: Endgame, the MCU needed to create an even bigger and more dangerous threat. By the end of Season 1 of Loki, Kang does seem to match that description.
However, Herron emphasized that He Who Remains may not be as all-powerful and all-knowing as he claimed. Referencing the events of Episode 4, she pointed out, "When the head’s cut off from the middle Time-Keeper, it does whisper, ‘See you soon,’ which is the very last thing [Kang] says to Sylvie. But, my theory, how I interpret it anyway, is that he says he’s gone through every possible scenario. So he probably has an idea of what would happen if Sylvie won the fight, or if Loki won the fight, but he can’t quite predict it. He can’t write that, because obviously, they’re their own people. In my head, I’m like, ‘Oh, I think he planned to say that to her if that happened.’ That’s how I see it."
Phase 4 of the MCU has so far balanced themes of legacy with big changes to the lore and characters -- Loki arguably introducing the largest, most consequential changes. With Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals releasing into theaters on Sept. 3 and Nov. 5, respectively, and Hawkeye coming to Disney+ this fall, Herron stated, "I hope with the rest of this phase, that it will keep subverting our expectations."
Season 1 of Loki is streaming now on Disney+.
Source: The Direct