Classic Loki’s Final Stand Subtly Connects To Asgard’s Valkyries

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Loki episode 5.

Loki episode 5, “Journey Into Mystery,” uses music to make a connection to Asgard’s Valkyrie’s during the final stand between Alioth and Richard E. Grant’s Classic Loki. The scene is one of the most dramatic visual climaxes of Loki so far, rivaling Sylvie and Loki’s attempt to flee Lamentis-1 in episode 3. However, there is a musical secret for fans of classical music and opera that might give a hint as to where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is heading.

As Sylvie and Loki work together in an effort to enchant Alioth, “a living tempest that consumes matter and energy,” Classic Loki returns to help them in the nick of time. Using his well-practiced magic he distracts the monster by conjuring an illusion of the complete city of Asgard and buys the pair just enough time to take control of Alioth before he is defeated. His heroic final stand is backed by a full orchestra as he takes Mobius’ words (“it’s never too late to change”) to heart and proves that Lokis can alter their destiny.

The piece of music that begins at the moment that Classic Loki is raising his illusion is an arrangement of Richard Wagner’s “The Ride Of The Valkyries” from the third act of his opera Die Walküre (translates to The Valkyrie). Natalie Holt, the composer for Loki, cheekily teased the use of this song in an interview with Syfy Wire after episode 4 aired. Talking about the music in the show she said: “I would say those flourishes over the top of the Loki theme are very much Wagner […] They’re like ‘Ride of the Valkyries.’” The piece is a particularly fitting choice for Classic Loki’s final moments as it’s not only dramatic, but in the original opera, the piece covers the Valkyrie’s preparation of their fallen comrades for their journey to Valhalla.

While an Asgardian connection to the Valkyries is innate, another choice in the series makes this choice of music feel particularly intentional. While Sylvie’s original nexus event has still not been revealed, Loki has shown her capture by the TVA. Immediately preceding being taken by Ravonna, Sylvie is playing with a toy Valkyrie. The use of “The Ride Of The Valkyries” from an opera called “The Valkyrie” during a scene where Sylvie is also demonstrating the strength of her power further supports the theory that Sylvie’s nexus event was becoming a Valkyrie.

The other possible storyline being signaled by the use of this piece could have less to do with the events of Loki, and instead be setting up a storyline for Thor: Love and Thunder. Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie (also known as Brunnhilde) is set to play a major role as Thor granted her the throne of Asgard at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Thompson has teased that the film will feature an LGBTQ+ storyline as she searches for a queen, but it could also include her working to rebuild the Valkyries to reestablish Asgard’s legendary warrior force.

Finally – and perhaps more contentiously – while the relationship between Sylvie and Loki is contentious among audiences, this could be a signal for how their relationship will end. Holt said in her interview that Wagner was a major influence on the music for the series, and if “The Ride Of The Valkyries” is Wagner’s most famous work, his close second is the “Bridal Chorus.” If Holt keeps following this musical trajectory, Loki episode 6 could draw to a close on wedding bells.

Loki releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.

About The Author

Faefyx Collington
(497 Articles Published)

Faefyx Collington (They/Them) is a senior features writer for Screen Rant. They’re a British writer of both fiction and non-fiction, focussing on science fiction, fantasy, and mystery for the former and on culture, gender, and current affairs for the latter.
Never content to settle to one thing, Faefyx is also a co-host and producer of the podcast and video series “Unramblings,” and can occasionally be found making music around the internet as well.
Having acquired degrees on both sides of the Atlantic, Fyx has settled (for the moment) in the southern United States where they live with their spouse and an entirely appropriate number of cats.

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