Does Loki Season 2 Episode 1 Have A Credits Scene?
Spoilers for "Loki" season 2 follow.
The town in which I attended college was annoyingly devoid of a robust selection of hangout and restaurant spots. As such, the local McDonald's became a destination, especially as it was one of the few places in town open late. After one particular night of partying, I ended up at this McD's with a buddy of mine, who excitedly told me about how he and his friends loved to undergo something called "The Gauntlet" when attending a McDonald's on special occasions. When I inquired what this "Gauntlet" was, he explained how it involved ordering every single Extra Value Meal on the menu and consuming them all — in order.
While I was a little repulsed at that proposal, it's entirely possible that "The Gauntlet" is not just a notion relegated to my college chum, nor even the planet Earth, as evidenced by the post-credits scene featured at the close of the second season premiere of Marvel Studios' "Loki."
The episode, which is currently streaming on Disney+, does not disappoint on a number of levels. Not only does it thrillingly reintroduce our titular Asgardian/Frost Giant/ersatz Time Lord, Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) and his buddy cop pal at the Time Variance Authority, Mobius (Owen Wilson), it also introduces some charming new characters, like Ouroboros aka "OB" (Ke Huy Quan) and the dastardly Brad (Rafael Casal).
Most enjoyably, it features a mid-credits scene, continuing the now-time-honored Marvel Studios tradition. While some Marvel Cinematic Universe credits scenes are there for an extra gag or two, this one catches us up with one of Loki's variants, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), showing us the surprising time and place she finds herself in after the events of Season 1.
You deserve a break today, Sylvie
When last we saw Sylvie, she and Loki were at The End of Time confronting the mysterious creator and operator of the TVA, a figure they know only as He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). After He Who Remains explained to the Lokis about how he and the TVA are protecting the so-called Sacred Timeline (AKA our timeline) from his warmongering variants in the Multiverse, Loki and Sylvie had a difference of opinion on whether the man was telling the truth. Believing him to be a liar, Sylvie kicked Loki through a Timedoor (transporting him into his timeslipping adventure back at the TVA, which comprises the bulk of this premiere episode) and killed He Who Remains, seemingly leaving herself stranded at The End of Time.
As the credits scene begins, Sylvie drops through a Timedoor (wonder where she found that...?) into Broxton, Oklahoma on Earth in the year 1982. An on-screen graphic tells us that this is a "Branched Timeline," meaning it's a variant timeline that is not part of the Sacred Timeline. Despite that, things seem pretty much average for the place and time Sylvie finds herself in.
Average to us Earth denizens, that is; Sylvie wanders into a McDonald's in Broxton, and her awed expression is more befitting for Dorothy entering Oz. As she examines the colorful, kid-friendly decor of the restaurant, she sees people happily eating their meals and asks the clerk what he recommends (that isn't some form of rodent, she's quick to stipulate). As the clerk essentially rattles off the basic McD's menu, Sylvie is overcome with Gauntlet fever: "I wanna try everything," she says hungrily.
A childhood redux
After being season 1's Big Bad for a short while (before it was revealed that He Who Remains was the Bigger, Actual Bad), Sylvie started to come into her own as she and Loki teamed up in more ways than one. While Loki's checkered history throughout the MCU is well documented, we've only gotten a few snippets of what Sylvie's life was like while evading the TVA for so long, an existence that turned her into a fugitive.
Going by what we know, there's a distinct possibility that Sylvie feels like she hasn't been able to live her own life yet. After all, she was abducted by Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) as a young girl, literally spirited away during the middle of her playtime. Convicted of being a variant in need of "pruning" by Renslayer (who herself was a particularly strict enforcer working for He Who Remains' false "Time-Keepers" before learning the truth of the TVA at the end of Season 1), Sylvie's whole identity thus far has been of a woman on the run. Whatever happened to that young girl who just wanted to play with her action figures?
It might just be that girl who is being awakened by the sight of McDonaldLand in Broxton. Before the company began aggressively courting an adult demographic, McDonald's was marketed as a family-friendly play-place destination for kids of all ages, almost as if Disneyland were a burger joint. Sylvie's hunger may not just be for Big Macs and McNuggets — she may be craving the innocence that was ripped away from her all those years and dimensions ago.
We know that Lokis can be selfish when neglected, sometimes very problematically so. We also know that Sylvie seems to end up filling out a job application for McD's, as seen in the season's trailer. While the timelines continue to branch and the TVA struggles to find a new purpose after the loss of He Who Remains, let's hope that Sylvie won't get so caught up in Happy Meals that she abandons her allies and the rest of the Multiverse.