WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Loki Episode 1, “Glorious Purpose,” streaming now on Disney+.
Disney+’s Loki series has its fair share of callbacks to his past, with the biggest being a glimpse into his future, aka his past appearances in previous Marvel Cinematic Universe films. However, not all callbacks are as obvious as others, making the mind-bending series about the God of Mischief’s adventures in the Time Variance Authority even more interesting. One particular hidden Easter egg ties into his first public appearance in the original Avengers film.
While in an elevator with Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson), the jingle playing is Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor. This piece of music was also heard when he snuck into a party in Stuttgart, Germany, in the Avengers. After taking control of Hawkeye and a handful of agents from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, or S.H.I.E.L.D., Loki (Tom Hiddleston) needed an iridium meteorite to help stabilize an invention. The sample could sustain the Tesseract long enough to bring in his army of Chitauri, securing his plans for world domination. To do this, Hawkeye needed a retinal scan from a German scientist who was attending a party.
As Loki snuck into the event, Schubert’s piece was heard in the distance. In the scene, the music evoked a sense of power in both Loki and his plan as he strutted into the party with confidence. Meanwhile, Steve Rogers prepared for his first mission in the modern-day. Loki’s confidence parallels Steve’s self-doubt as to whether or not the world even needs him. The melodic instrumental was abruptly cut short as Loki took a drill to the scientist’s eye, smiling as the guests fled in terror.
Though the song stops, its tone regarding Loki gaining the upper hand can still be felt as he makes himself known to the public outside, forcing them to kneel. He is drunk off the power and feels entitled to Earth, but Captain America’s arrival mirrors Mobius’ deduction that Loki exists to help others become their best selves. In this case, that means Captain America finding his own self-worth again and quickly dispatching the villain. In the Loki series, rather than Schubert’s piece evoking a sense of dominance in Loki’s favor, it’s more of a satire at his expense.
From the moment Loki steps foot in the TVA, he is quickly reminded that he has no power in the time-traveling organization. However, that doesn’t stop him from continuously trying to gain an edge as he did in Germany, which was only a day or two ago in his timeline. Used to taking what he wants when he wants it, Loki continues to try and gain a tactical advantage with Mobius by asking questions and belittling his position. Unfortunately for Loki, Mobius doesn’t care about what he has to say and downplays the God of Mischief at every turn. All the while, String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor is playing in the elevator, almost mocking Loki by reminding him of the last time he was truly victorious.
With Loki’s latest adventure only beginning, there are sure to be even more surprises that could work for or against him. If there’s one thing that his first encounter with the Avengers proved, it’s that villains don’t stay on top forever. Sometimes their fall is grand like in Germany, and other times it can be signified through some soothing elevator music.
Loki stars Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna Lexus Renslayer, Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15 and Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, Sasha Lane and Eugene Cordero in undisclosed roles. The series premiered June 9 on Disney+.
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