Marvel's Loki Series Introduces Multiverse as Franchise Expansion Strategy

The Disney+ series Loki (2021) marks the introduction of the multiverse into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, enabling the inclusion of any Marvel character. The storyline centers on a variant of Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who is apprehended by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and partners with Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) to challenge He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), the creator of the MCU timeline. The season finale culminates in Sylvie unleashing the multiverse, while Loki finds himself in a different timeline. A second season has been approved. This development coincides with the release of Black Widow (2021), starring Scarlett Johansson, which experienced a notable decline at the box office. The multiverse concept facilitates character resurrection and recasting as Marvel gears up for the releases of Shang-Chi and Eternals later in 2021. An analysis was written by Gerry Canavan.