The Thanos Connection You May Have Missed In Loki Episode 3
Disney+'s "Loki" has three episodes out now, and as it weaves its story about the god of mischief's time shenanigans, it's making more and more connections to the Marvel comic universe as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe through callbacks, Easter eggs, and other references. And, if you're not familiar with the comics, there's one reference you might have missed from the latest installment in the series, which links Loki to legendary Marvel villain Thanos. Yes, that one, who killed off half of everybody in "Avengers: Infinity War" and caused so much mayhem in the MCU that the superheroes had to invent time travel in order to fix things.
In "Loki" Episode 3, Loki and Sylvie (Lady Loki, using an alias) end up on an alien moon with a purple landscape in 2077. It's on the verge of an apocalyptic event, and the two fail to escape it by the end of the episode. It's this moon that evokes a particular association to Thanos, which, for all we know, may become important later on.
The link comes through the pacifist Priests of Pama
The third episode of the series is called "Lamentis" because it takes Loki and Sylvie to Lamentis-1. Lamentis, also called Lamentis Outworld, appeared in one comic book (via Men's Health): 2007's "Annihilation: Conquest Prologue #1." This moon is on the edge of the Kree Empire (most prominently seen in "Captain Marvel"). It was also the setting for a story involving the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Thanos, you may recall, is from Titan. It was the devastation caused by the overpopulation of his home planet that led him to his drastic actions against the population of the universe. This newly-discovered connection between Thanos and Loki comes through the Kree pacifist sect called the Priests of Pama, who were punished by the warlike Kree for their views (and for saving a race called the Cotati) by being sent to a prison planet. When the alien mutant Star Stalker came to the planet, the Priests fought it off, then warned the Supreme Intelligence (the Kree leader/supercomputer) about the Star Stalker's presence.
The Supreme Intelligence then allowed the Priests to scatter throughout the universe in pairs. According to comic book lore ("Avengers #124" and "Avengers #134"), the planets the Priests were sent to included Lamentis, Earth, and Titan, tying all three worlds together in a loose way. It's unclear, though, when the Priests lived on Lamentis, or if they are on the planet at the time Loki is.
One obvious question here is, of course, if the Priests of Pama will make an appearance in "Loki" or in future Marvel projects in some way. They actually have an additional connection to the MCU, in that the Guardians' Mantis — at least the comic book version — was trained by the Priests before her memory was wiped. Should the upcoming "Guardians" film explore her backstory, who knows what might be revealed?