Marvel’s version of the Justice League could be introduced on Disney+ in the Loki show. Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding to the small screen as part of Disney’s journey into the world of streaming. There are multiple shows in development, starting with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and each will add new elements and characters to the MCU - even if they focus on known characters like Tom Hiddleston’s Loki.

Thanks to the events of Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has found another way to use Loki. The Disney+ series will star a version of the trickster from an alternate MCU timeline, one where he managed to escape the grasp of the Avengers by using the Tesseract. While fans are already familiar with Loki, his series is shaping up to include many surprising elements. The footage for Loki showed him captured by the Time Variance Authority, which highlights the time travel nature of the series. But, there have also been rumors of Kang the Conquerer having a role and that it will introduce Marvel’s first transgender character in Sera.

Now, there are also rumors that another part of Marvel comics could be introduced in Loki. These reports claim that Marvel’s version of the Justice League - known as the Squadron Supreme - might debut in the MCU soon. Although there hasn’t been much set up for the team, what we know about Loki gives it an easy path to make the Squadron Supreme part of the MCU in Phase 4 - and for beyond.

Who Are The Squadron Supreme?

The Squadron Supreme - not to be confused with the evil Squadron Sinister - were introduced in 1971 as the creation of Roy Thomas and later received their own 12-issue mini-series by Mark Gruenwald. The superpowered team exists on Earth-712, an alternate earth to the main Earth-616 continuity in the comics, and they aim to make their Earth a utopia by enforcing new laws and global changes. Their ranks include Hyperion, Nighthawk, Power Princess, Doctor Spectrum, Whizzer, Amphibian, and many others. Although not widely known to the general public, the group has earned a reputation as Marvel’s version of the Justice League thanks to the way the origins of the main heroes resemble DC’s most prominent characters.

The similarities between the Squadron Supreme and Justice League members run deep. Hyperion is a superpowered alien who crashes on Earth as a child and is then raised by human parents to be good, just like Superman. Nighthawk is a wealthy businessman who turns to a life of fighting crime after his parents were murdered in front of him, just like Batman. Power Princess comes from an island of only women, just like Wonder Woman. Doctor Spectrum gains powers after trying to save a dying Skrull in space and receiving the Power Prism, which resembles Green Lantern’s origin. Whizzer is the team’s speedster and has drawn similarities to Flash, while Amphibian is an underwater king who can talk to sea creatures a la Aquaman.

With their own dimension, the Squadron Supreme has had years worth of stories as they attempted to turn Earth-712 into a utopia and battle various villains. However, there is also comic precedence for the team to travel to other dimensions, as well as different versions of the team to form. After the events of the more recent Secret Wars storyline, members of the Squadron Supreme from other realities banded together on Earth-616.

How Loki Can Introduce Marvel’s Justice League

The comic history for the Squadron Supreme helps paint a clear picture of how Loki could be used to introduce them. The MCU is going to start exploring the multiverse in Phase 4 with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but the universe Loki is set in is the only alternate reality that has already been established. The very presence of an alternate reality can be used as a stepping stone for the Squadron Supreme to be introduced. If this new 2012 reality exists, then so to can one where the Squadron Supreme are trying to make their world a utopia.

But, we also know Loki escaping the Avengers in 2012 has somehow got him tied up with the TVA. Not only does this give Loki the ability to travel across the MCU timeline, but the multiverse time cop organization also provides the show with an avenue to visit other realities. This could be how Loki introduces the Squadron Supreme, as the god of mischief or TVA agents may travel to the MCU’s version of Earth-712. If the series does visit the Squadron Supreme’s reality, then it is possible the team could be friends or enemies of Loki’s depending on if they want him around or not.

There is another possibility in play that would allow the MCU to bring the more recent version of the Squadron Supreme in the comics to the universe, although it would require some changes to them and the TVA. One aspect of the TVA in the comics is that their organization mostly uses clones as employees who are solely created to work for them forever. There are instances, though, where people outside of their dimension are recruited to be TVA agents. For the MCU, the TVA could more regularly recruit superpowered people to their ranks in an effort to protect the multiverse. If that does happen, it is possible members of the Squadron Supreme from different realities could be recruited to the TVA and work for them, before eventually splitting off and becoming a team of their own.

What The Squadron Supreme Mean For The MCU’s Future

If the Squadron Supreme is introduced in Loki, or any other point in Phase 4, it could give the MCU several new avenues to explore, depending on how they’re added. Making the Squadron Supreme a group of superheroes in another reality ultimately provides the MCU with a nearly virtual blank canvas for future stories. They’d be able to make solo films for the more popular characters like Hyperion or Nighthawk that would then be completely free from the main MCU continuity. This would give Marvel Studios a new starting point for fans to join and give directors the type of freedom that may be somewhat limited by the shared universe model. It’d even be possible for that reality to then feature alternate versions of MCU characters that have already been introduced.

But, this separate universe wouldn’t need to be permanent either, as the multiverse’s growing importance could lead to a crossover that brings the Squadron Supreme to the main timeline. With that said, the Squadron Supreme could also be beneficial in growing the multiverse in more ways. The more Marvel Studios deals with alternate realities, the easier it could be to make Sony’s Marvel films tangentially related to the MCU by having them take place in other realities. That may not be the current plan based on how Morbius appears to build off of Spider-Man: Far From Home’s ending, but it’d give Sony and Marvel an out if they can’t agree to another deal to share Spider-Man down the road.

This could even lead to the MCU finding a way to make previous Marvel movies MCU “canon.” Films like Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, Fox’s X-Men franchise, or Wesley Snipes’ Blade could retroactively be said to be set in different realities. All of that would be similar to what the Arrowverse recently did with Crisis on Infinite Earths, but Marvel’s done their own multiverse level crossovers in the comics too. Such a revelation could take years to build, but the Squadron Supreme’s multiverse ties could allow Loki to set all of this into motion - if Marvel Studios is interested in such a crossover.

MORE: Marvel Phase 4 Timeline: When The New MCU Movies & TV Shows Take Place

  • Black Widow Release Date: 2021-07-09 The Eternals Release Date: 2021-11-05 Shang Chi Release Date: 2021-09-03 Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness Release Date: 2022-05-06 Thor: Love and Thunder Release Date: 2022-07-08 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Release Date: 2022-11-11