Loki Episode 4 Post-Credits Scene Explained

Contains spoilers for "Loki" Episode 4

Much like the God of Mischief himself, "Loki" Episode 4, entitled "The Nexus Event," had a few surprises up its sleeve for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From the confirmation that every single Time Variance Authority agent is a variant to the Time Keepers being unveiled as android puppets, "The Nexus Event" kept the revelations coming. But fans were understandably shocked Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) seemingly killed both Mobius (Owen Wilson) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston). The lead character of the series — dead? Surely not!

How many times has Loki "died" in the MCU now? Surely he'll come back from this too. But creator Michael Waldron and director Kate Herron just couldn't resist blowing the audience's mind one last time with Episode 4, introducing in a post-credits scene a number of other Loki variants who offer their help to the main variant of the Asgardian trickster. 

Needless to say, this moment will probably have some major ramifications for the series going forward. Here's what the post-credits scene in "Loki" Episode 4 means.

When Loki first wakes up after being hit with Ravonna's TVA baton, he asks a pretty understandable question: "Is this Hel? Am I dead?" But make no mistake, this isn't Hell — that's a completely different plane of reality in the Marvel Universe. Hel is its own region within the Nine Realms of the cosmos. Hel itself has a few different areas for souls, depending on how they lived their lives in Midgard (aka Earth), Asgard, and beyond. Some heroes get to rest in the paradisiacal places of Elysium and Valhalla, while other souls are punished or tested (via Fandom).

If the name also didn't give it away, Hel is ruled by none other than Hela in the comics — although, since she was seemingly killed at the end of "Thor: Ragnarok," that might've changed in the MCU by now. After everything Loki has seen at the TVA, it's understandable why he would think he's wound up in Hel after Ravonna hits him with that cosmic baton of justice. He knows he's committed plenty of villainous acts over the years, so he's not expecting to go to Elysium or Valhalla. 

That's quite sad if you think about it, especially considering the redemption arc the original Loki had in the Sacred Timeline up until his death at the hands of Thanos (Josh Brolin) in "Avengers: Infinity War." Maybe his cooperation with the TVA and his attempts to help Mobius will balance the scales whenever he dies? One can hope. 

Things really get interesting when Loki looks up and sees the variants who are also in this new plane of existence. When Loki asks if he's dead or not, a mysterious voice — belonging to the incomparable Richard E. Grant — replies, "Not yet, but you will be unless you come with us." 

It's here that we get a shot of four different Loki variants, and Marvel fans have been going wild about it online ever since. As the credits for Episode 4 reveal, Deobia Oparei is playing Boastful Loki, who holds an intimidating version of Mjolnir; Jack Veal is Kid Loki, seen with a crocodile version of Loki in his lap; and Richard E. Grant is suited up as Classic Loki.

There's a bit to unpack here. Boastful Loki seems to be a combination of both Thor and Loki. Whether this is from an alternate reality wherein the brothers' roles in the universe are swapped, or whether he's simply taken over ownership of that Mjolnir, remains to be seen. Loki previously wielded the hammer in the comics back in 2014's "Agent of Asgard," but it didn't last long. 

Kid Loki has been around since "Thor" #617 in 2010, when the trickster is reborn following the "Siege" event in which Norman Osborn takes aim at Asgard. Richard E. Grant's vibrant Classic Loki variant is dressed in Loki's typical costume from when he first debuted in 1962's "Journey into Mystery" #85 — and quite frankly, it's astounding that Marvel has managed to throw that look into live-action. 

And then there's, uh, a crocodile with its own Loki crown. Croki, anybody? The Asgardian often transforms into other creatures, so maybe he got stuck as a crocodile in one reality. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing in the show so far. In any case, it'll be fascinating to see how Loki deals with these other Variants in Episode 5.