Loki season 2's latest cameo is an incredible deep cut from an 80-year-old Marvel comic

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It could also have surprising ties to Spider-Man

Tom Hiddleston in Loki season 2, episode 3
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Chicago, 1893. With Loki season 2 heading to the 19th Century, we perhaps shouldn’t have expected the creative team to fill out the World’s Fair with any familiar faces from the pages and panels of Marvel’s comics. We thought wrong. Of course, Victor Timely owned Loki season 2, episode 3 – but there’s another character with an incredibly obscure Marvel history waiting in the wings.

Enter Robber Baron (Richard Dixon), the mob-type heavy who pursued Timely after his showcase invention quite literally blew up in his face. His main – and, as far as we can tell, only – appearance arrived way back in Human Torch #16 in 1944. There, he is bank president Mr. Blair who concocts a plot to fake a bank robbery and pocket the money. 

Loki

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Another version of the character, called a “robber barron” by his foes, better fits the version we saw in Loki: he made his fortune in the 19th Century and, get this, he’s Norman Osborn’s great-grandfather, Alton. Might have we just seen a secret Spidey reference?

It’s also the latest in a line of Easter eggs, references, and deep cuts that prove the team behind Loki have been hitting the books to pull out some obscure names. There was Zaniac – AKA Brad Wolfe – in Loki season 2, episode 2, the aforementioned Timely, and even a nod to Eternals’ Kingo as Mobius and Loki head into a theatre. This week’s episode also included a mention of Balder the Brave – even if Loki wasn’t sure why the Asgardian hero deserved his own carving at the fair.

Loki season 2 is currently streaming on Disney Plus. For more, check out our guides on how to watch the Marvel movies in order, plus more show explainers:

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.