WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Loki Episode 5, "Journey Into Mystery," now streaming on Disney+.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe loves its Easter eggs, and the stranger the project, the more gleefully it deploys them. Both WandaVision and Loki pushed the boundaries of how the MCU tells its stories. As it turns out, that’s led to an eerily matched pair of Easter eggs -- notable for their delivery method as much as what they contain.
Both MCU shows play on the wilder edges of comic-dom, exploring notions of alternate realities and cosmic beings. That gives them license to make overt nods to some of the crazier threads from the comics, while still fitting in with the somewhat more realistic confines of the MCU. In this case, it’s an old chestnut about unseen secrets hidden from view; dropping the camera down into secret basements or hidden lairs and showing the kinds of fabulous secrets the characters are blithely missing as they walk around above and below. The MCU has used the same technique twice now, both times to hide rather outlandish Easter eggs in their drama.
WandaVision’s "treasure moment" dropped during the animated opening credits from Season 1, Episode 2, "Don’t Touch That Dial." The sequence emulates the likes of Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, depicting Vision and Wanda going about the routines of a '60s suburban couple while still using their various powers. At one point, Vision – having dressed – dematerializes and sinks down to the kitchen for breakfast. As he does so, the camera reveals a winged helmet buried in a secret crawl space in their house.
It belongs to the Grim Reaper, a recurring Marvel villain who first appeared in Avengers #52 in 1968. His real name was Eric Williams, brother of Avengers hero Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man. His powers were largely based around a cybernetic scythe which replaced his right arm. He’s connected to Vision via his brother, whose thought patterns were used in the comics as the template for Vision’s mind. He attacked Vision’s synthetic family in the Vision limited series in 2015, where Vis’ wife Virginia killed him.
Loki attempts a variation on the trick in Season 1, Episode 5, "Journey into Mystery." As the Loki variants arrive at their hideout after fleeing Alioth, the camera drops down into the subterranean lair. Surrounded by a plethora of what appear to be industrial dinner trays sits a buried variant of Mjolnir, with a frog in a jar dressed as Thor nearby trying vainly to reach it.
The label on the side of the jar reads "T-365" -- a nod to Thor #365, which famously saw the God of Thunder transformed into a bullfrog. Though limited to amphibian form, he was still able to wield the Hammer of Thor, and "Throg" eventually became a character in his own right separate from the human hero. It’s no surprise that such a being would be branded a variant by the TVA and tossed into the void for destruction.
The manner in which both Easter eggs appear is intended to evoke a more ridiculous side of the MCU while paying homage to ideas from the comics that might be too outlandish to fit comfortably on the big screen. The shared Easter egg is clever without disrupting the surrounding drama, and in both cases arrives on a show where such oddities are openly accepted. Return calls are unlikely for Throg and Grim Reaper, but the MCU has surprised us before, and the weird plotlines that spawned both moments are likely here to stay as well.
Created by Michael Waldron and directed by Kate Herron, Loki stars Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna Renslayer, Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15, Tara Strong as Miss Minutes, Eugene Cordero as Casey, Sasha Lane as Hunter C-20 and Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie, with Richard E. Grant and Jack Veal. New episodes premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.