Loki turns investigator in first images from episode 2

Loki has worn many hats in his time: trickster, supervillain, Odin and, lest we forget, his usual spiky-horned self as the God of Mischief. According to the first official images from Loki episode 2, he can add another to the list – investigator. We’re all in for Loki: Time Cop.

As reported by ComicBook.com, Marvel have seemingly released a sneak peek at the upcoming episode in the form of a pair of pretty low-key images.

In the first, Loki (in a jacket that could be ripped straight out of a David Fincher crime procedural, no less) is rifling through some folders at the TVA and looking decidedly concerned. Loki, of course, is a show that has already setup its main mystery: that of a “Variant” running amok across several centuries. Could Loki be finding a clue to point him in the right direction?

It’s a direction that could even take him further forward than we’ve ever gone before in the MCU. In the second image, Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief is seen next to Wunmi Mosaku’s Hunter B-15. Focus on the background and you’ll see an obscured logo for Roxxcart, the futuristic retailer that was present in a previous Loki trailer – and it’s a name eerily similar to Roxxcon, Marvel Comics’ mega-corp that has expanded its carbon footprint all the way up to 2099 in the comics.

If we’re going that far (and this is Loki, we can’t always trust what we see), it’s an exciting development for Loki fans. In effect, that would mean pretty much nowhere is off-limits – and we might even catch a glimpse of just how the MCU ends up in Marvel Phase 51.

It’s an idea that mirrors our interview with Loki director Kate Herron. There, she said the show aims to "set up this whole new part of the MCU" with the directive to "go weirder or be very ambitious with the story."

Make the wait for the new episode a little less painful by flicking through our guide to Marvel Phase 4, Loki-style. Plus, discover what time episode 2 drops in your region with our Loki release schedule.