There’s a lot to unpack from the latest episode of Loki. We followed up directly where the last left us off, as we learn more about the many Loki Variants that inhabit a strange land known as the Void. We get a lot of creative references to the comics and former Marvel Cinematic Universe films. You get a giant helmet from Ant-Man villain Yellowjacket, the Helicarrier, and even Red Skull’s escape pod from Captain America: The First Avenger.
Yet, they went one step beyond and gave us even more amazing Easter eggs that reference real-world mysteries. Let’s dive in as Marvel Studios may have solved humanities’ biggest mysteries. We even get some comic references like Throg and the amazing Thanos helicopter. That wasn’t all, as Loki has answered some real-life mysteries in the latest episode, and it’s time to take a closer look.
Oak Island Mystery
I’m cheating with this one a bit, as I want to talk about one detail before we even enter the Void. The episode opens on a sweeping shot through the TVA that gives us a glimpse of their timeline monitor. It states the location of Oak Island in Nova Scotia. That location is of historical value as it has been rumored since the 18th century that various treasures and artifacts got buried there. It included the Ark of the Covenant, long lost Shakesperean manuscript, and even the Holy Gail. Yet, to this day, nothing has been found. That didn’t stop people from digging all over to find treasures and the mysterious money pit.
Lighthouse of Alexandria
When we enter the Void, we get introduced to a strange-looking tower before the camera enters the city-like landscape in ruin. Of course, our eyes instantly get drawn to the Stark Tower, and some even noticed the Sanctum Sanctorum in a corner somewhere. Yet, the biggest mystery is the first building we see hidden within the fog. The design hints that it’s the Lighthouse of Alexandria. It was one of the seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the tallest man-made structure of its epoch. Its ruins were uncovered in the Mediterranean Sea in 1916 alongside the rest of the port of Alexandria.
UFO and the Mary Celeste
One of the first images we see is of an old brigantine alongside a stereotypical UFO. The latter is a pretty obvious nod to long-time conspiracies that got linked to Area 51 for some time, but the boat is a rather curious addition. It’s very likely the mysterious Mary Celeste, which got deserted in 1872. What makes it strange is that the ship still had plenty of supplies on board, and personal belongings were left behind undisturbed. To this day, no one knows what happened to the crew of this ship. What goes against this real-world inspiration is the fact that the entire ship is in the Void. So, it could even be the lost shipwreck of Santa Maria. Still, the Celeste might be the most famous mystery due to the strange disappearance of its crew and captain.
Polybius
This urban legend has been teased in the series since the first trailer dropped, but I wanted to mention it here. In the early 2000s, there was a rumor going around about an arcade game that got planted by the government. The experiment supposedly took place in Portland, Oregon back in 1981, where the government was using these gaming devices to hypnotize people. It even goes as far as referencing men in black suits visiting these devices periodically to data-mine them.
Philadelphia Experiment
This little history nugget is an interesting one. The moment the DEE-173 USS Eldridge dropped, it brought up many memories of the strange disappearance of a U.S. Navy destroyer escort. There’s a tale of an entire ship disappearing in 1943 as the result of a military experiment. The theory was that they tested out a new cloaking device. Yet, the ship suddenly vanished. To this day, some people believe it was dimensional or even time travel. The story is widely considered a hoax due to the Navy never confirming any experiment of the kind. Yet, it still has caught people’s attention to this day.
