Loki's Time-Bending Twist Exposes Endgame's Heartbreaking Tragedy

Article Overview

In Loki season 2 episode 5, viewers are given a peek into the "normal" life experienced during the 5-year Blip following Thanos' snap, shedding light on the tragic truth confronted by those who were left behind.

The depicted scenes in 2022 portray the survivors of the Snap enduring painfully ordinary lives, grappling with everyday concerns and challenges that persistently remain.

Avengers: Endgame was retconned in this episode of Loki season 2, which depicted the aftermath of Scott Lang's return.

After completely altering the Marvel Cinematic Universe, four years had passed since Avengers: Endgame, and in episode 5 of Loki season 2, we finally get a glimpse of what life was like during the five-year Blip that occurred after Thanos' snap. Furthermore, the latest episode of Tom Hiddleston's Disney+ MCU show provides a haunting depiction of the heartbreaking consequences faced by those who were left behind in the aftermath of Infinity War.

So far, the MCU has shown very little of the events that took place during the 5-year Blip in Endgame. Hawkeye's Ronin flashbacks, which revealed the murder of Echo's father, William Lopez, are the only notable example. Besides that, The Falcon & The Winter Soldier indirectly depicted the state of the world during the Blip through the origin story of the idealistic Flagsmashers. Their displacement and dissatisfaction with the restored order of the world after Hulk's Snap implied that some of Earth's population were actually better off, ironically aligning with Thanos' perspective. Thanks to Loki, the missing portion of Endgame's time-jump during the Blip has now been uncovered.

Loki Finally Reveals Real Life During The Blip

In an effort to reverse the damage caused to the Temporal Loom and protect the Multiverse, Hiddleston's God Of Mischief embarks on a mission to gather his allies. However, during his journey, he unintentionally travels through time and finds himself in the year 2022, where he reunites with Mobius, played by Owen Wilson. Initially residing in Cleveland, Ohio, as a salesman of jet skis, he is a single parent named "Don" with a spacious house and his own pair of jet skis. This background sheds light on his enduring fascination with these water vehicles, even after he becomes a member of the TVA and has his memories wiped by He Who Remains.

More intriguing than the details of Mobius' life is the fact that the scene set in 2022 provides the initial authentic glimpse into the lives of those who survived the Thanos Snap at the conclusion of Avengers: Infinity War. Significantly, the most defining aspect is the painfully ordinary nature of everything. Children still neglect to clean up after themselves, and single parents continue to worry about the possibility of their homes going up in flames. This represents a first for the MCU (as Hawkeye's flashbacks did not offer a glimpse into normal existence during the same timeframe) and it revises a highly significant element of Avengers: Endgame.

How Loki Retcons Endgame & Reveals Its Harshest Reality

In Avengers: Endgame, Paul Rudd's Scott Lang is released from the Quantum Realm after 5 years thanks to the heroic actions of a rat. Upon his return, he discovers a vastly changed world compared to the glimpses shown in Loki's 2022 scenes. The once idyllic imagery presented by the Flagsmasher's manifesto or Mobius' Cleveland suburban normalcy is replaced by a devastated San Francisco. Streets are cluttered with trash, houses are boarded up, and abandoned cars deteriorate, remnants of their snapped owners. An overwhelming sense of sorrow permeates the air. The world Ant-Man encounters is shattered, but Loki season 2 hints at a contrasting possibility.

The true tragedy of Loki's 2022 timeline lies in the mundane reversion to normality.

The depiction of Loki's 2022 timeline reveals a tragic aspect - the idea of returning to a sense of normalcy. It is implied that life is going back to how it was before Thanos' invasion, so much so that Mobius casually mentions his wife being "long gone," implying that she may have been a victim of the Snap. Mobius' world shows that life has found a way to endure even through the most difficult of tragedies.

This harsh reality is reminiscent of the comments made by Marvel Studios producer Trihn Tran in 2021, before the release of Hawkeye. She discussed how New York City was moving on from the Blip, further emphasizing the theme of resilience in the face of adversity.

The city has successfully recovered and continued to thrive in various aspects. However, not all of its residents have experienced the same level of improvement.

In the face of unimaginably difficult circumstances, humanity always manages to pick itself up, dust off, and carry on living. This is precisely why the Flagsmashers and the displaced individuals affected by the Blip supported the belief that Thanos was right. For them, life did improve. In Loki season 2, Mobius had to resume his normal routine, going back to work and doing his best to raise his children without his wife. He persevered despite these challenges. The true tragedy of Endgame's 5-year Blip, as revealed by Loki's missing puzzle pieces, becomes evident.

New episodes of Loki season 2 release every Thursday on Disney+

Editor's P/S

As a hard fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I was thrilled to see the untold truth of the Blip finally revealed in Loki season 2 episode 5. The episode sheds light on the devastating repercussions of Thanos' genocide, showing how the survivors of the Snap were forced to endure painfully ordinary lives, grappling with everyday concerns and challenges that persistently remained.

The episode also retcons Avengers: Endgame, showing that the world was not as idyllic as it seemed when Scott Lang returned from the Quantum Realm. Instead, it was a shattered place, with streets cluttered with trash, houses boarded up, and abandoned cars deteriorating. This revelation adds a new layer of tragedy to the events of Endgame, showing that the heroes' victory came at a great cost. Overall, I think this episode was a great way to explore the aftermath of the Blip and its impact on the MCU.