Loki: Despite What TVA Says, Infinity Stones Still Have Huge Role To Play In Phase 4 & Beyond

In Episode 1 of Loki titled “Glorious Purpose”, we realize how formidable the TVA really is. For more than ten years, the MCU was obsessed with the Infinity Stones. Whoever managed to get all the six stones could turn dreams into reality. Half of an entire universe was wiped out and brought back using the Infinity Stones. In Loki, it is revealed that the Infinity Stones no longer matter. They represent merely a fraction of the power the TVA commands. The object of ultimate power in the MCU, the Infinity Stones have been reduced to mere paperweights.

This begs the question – do the Infinity Stones no longer matter? Was everything the Avengers did till now was for naught? Do the stones no longer play a significant role in the MCU?

It is indeed true that the MCU is moving on to bigger and better stuff. The Infinity Stones are no longer the centerpiece of attraction. They won’t be dictating the plot of the MCU like they did till MCU Phase 3. The MCU would instead start focusing on concepts like the Multiverse, Time Travel, and Alternate Timelines. These are the things Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Spider-Man: No Way Home will definitely touch upon.

But despite what the TVA is preaching, to completely sideline the Infinity Stones as useless would be a foolish take. The stones are still relevant and they will probably remain relevant for many years to come. It is because they are so well-connected to the origin stories of many Marvel superheroes that the MCU. The MCU cannot take them out of the equation even if Marvel Studios wanted to.

The Infinity Stones Are Way Too Connected To The MCU Heroes

Before Loki showed us the true nature of the Infinity Stones, its predecessor show – WandaVision had already given us a glimpse of the Stones’ influence and impact on the universe. It is revealed in WandaVision that Wanda got her chaos magic because of the Mind Stone. The Mind Stone did not just gave her powers, it made her the Scarlet Witch – an element that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will surely explore.

Doctor Strange 2 could also feature the Time Stone. The Eye of Agamotto was crucial to Stephen Strange’s ascension to the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. It’s true that the Stone was destroyed in Endgame, but there’s always the possibility the stone might return in Multiverse of Madness. Even if the Time Stone does not return, it’s absence and how the Sorcerer Supreme protects earth without its indomitable power would also need to be explored.

On the other hand, Gamora will be there in GOTG Volume 3. Her death and connection to the Soul Stone will obviously come into play. The Space Stone is how Captain Marvel got her powers. It is also featured heavily in the first Loki episode. With Jane Foster coming in Thor: Love & Thunder, there’s no way her previous adventures in Thor 2, where she fused with the Reality Stone is going to remain unaddressed.

The Stones Have A Huge Role To Play In MCU’s Future

The TVA exists outside time and space. So the Infinity Stones hold no power there. But within the TVA‘s Sacred Timeline, the aspects of the universe do come into play and the Infinity Stones can mold the cradles of creation as the wish to. The Infinity Stones still hold immense power and influence within the MCU. Just because the Loki series tried undermining them to pave the way for bigger things to come does not mean the Infinity Stones no longer have a part to play.