WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Loki Episode 1, "Glorious Purpose," streaming now on Disney+.
In the first episode of the Disney+ series, Loki, the God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston), is apprehended by the Time Variance Authority for taking the Tesseract from the Avengers during their time heist in Avengers: Endgame. Thinking he had escaped, it turns out he actually removed himself from the timeline and was then labeled a variant, someone who deviates from the Sacred Timeline. With nowhere to run, he goes through the TVA's extensive processing procedures, including outrageous steps such as signing off on everything he has ever said. However, one precaution calls back to the worst lie his father, Odin, ever told him.
During his processing, he is told to step through a metal detector. However, defiant till the end, Loki questions why he must do such a thing and what the device is even for. The TVA employee explains that it is designed to detect any foreign or robotic elements and burn them from the inside out. Loki then questions whether or not he would even know if he was a robot. The scene makes for a great joke, but also subtly reminds the viewers of the time he learned of his Frost Giant heritage, a fact he also had no idea about beforehand.
In 2011's Thor, Loki went through an identity crisis after witnessing his arm turn blue rather than freezing during a fight with the Frost Giants. Holding the Casket of Ancient Winters, Loki faced Odin, turning completely blue and demanding to know the truth of his lineage. Odin explained that following a fight with the Frost Giant ruler, Laufey, where he lost his eye, he found an infant boy. In the hopes of finding peace between the two realms, Odin stole the boy and raised him as his own on Asgard.
Beside himself with rage and feelings of immense betrayal, the tragic truth became the catalyst that turned Loki towards villainy. One year later, Loki was taking on the Avengers and attempting to rule over Earth with an army of Chitauri. In his new reality, he almost immediately finds himself in the TVA following his defeat, unable to fully reconcile the news that Odin told him in the past, just as his alternate self had.
Now, in a scene meant to be taken as a joke, Loki faces yet another potential identity crisis in the form of a metal detector. Much like Loki's character, there is a tragedy in his humor. Even in the main timeline, he never fully accepts that he's a Frost Giant, choosing to remain pale-skinned rather than blue. To him, there is a small degree of genuine concern as to whether or not he may be a robot, considering he never even knew who his birth father was for centuries.
While Loki dodges a robotic identity crisis, later events in the episode ensure that he will confront his other truths whether he likes it or not. This includes reconciling with his family and witnessing his own death. Loki's tragedy is that he exists to help others be their best selves. This is even sadder since he still has no idea who he truly is, deep down.
Loki stars Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna Lexus Renslayer, Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15, Tara Strong as Miss Minutes and Eugene Cordero as Casey, with Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant and Sasha Lane in undisclosed roles. New episodes premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.