Loki director confirms the multiverse is "open" after the finale

The Loki director has spelled out what we all had hoped for after that ending: the multiverse is open and ready for business.

"It was an ending that we all knew we wanted...that the multiverse would be born and open again," Kate Herron told Marvel’s official site. "And here [Loki] goes." It’s also a moment that "sets the table for future outings" with Kang, according to Herron.

That's confirmation, if we needed any, that Sylvie murdering He Who Remains has had a serious knock-on effect for the rest of the MCU.

As Jonathan Majors' pseudo-villain explained during the Loki ending, he worked tirelessly to create the TVA and isolate what we know as our 'Sacred' timeline to avoid clashes with other universes and, crucially, other power-hungry Kangs.

Sylvie killing Majors' ancient Variant, though, has caused several timelines to branch off and maybe bleed into each other. It's even caused Kang the Conqueror to rule over the TVA after Loki was transported back to another timeline.

Now, everything is fair game – and Loki suddenly becomes ground zero for the next major story arc after the Infinity Saga.

The ramifications of Sylvie's actions are likely to be felt first in Spider-Man 3 (aka Spider-Man: No Way Home). If the reports suggesting Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are returning to the franchise aren't enough, Doctor Octopus actor Alfred Molina has gone one further and confirmed that he's back – potentially via multiversal means.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is – obviously, given the title – another likely candidate for multiverse shenanigans. The Marvel Phase 4 sequel, which is already set to feature Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch returning from WandaVision, is also rumored to include Tom Hiddleston’s Loki.

From there, the possibilities are endless: He Who Remains' demise could not only bring in Kang (who is next set to officially appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), but also pave the way for the likes of the Fantastic Four and the X-Men to enter the MCU fully-formed without requiring a major leap in logic.

Loki season 2 has been confirmed. Find out what else Disney Plus has in store with our guide to new Marvel TV shows.