Loki made an H.H. Holmes joke, but no one wanted to stop H.H. Holmes

Loki The second season is in full swing. There’s a new Kang variant, a few intersecting plots that hold the fate of every universe in the balance, a lot of talk of the Sacred Timeline and pruning, and a time loom that controls the multiverse. Frankly, it’s all a little more than the formerly silly show about good pals Loki and Mobius can bear. For just a moment, however. Loki season 2’s third episode, we get a hint of a much more fun and interesting version of this season, thanks to a reference to one of America’s strangest serial killers: H.H. Holmes.

Holmes gets a shoutout in episode 3 because Loki and Mobius visit the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, better known as the Chicago world’s fair. This event is historically significant for a few different reasons — one of the first public recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance occurred, a building-sized refrigerator caught on fire and killed 16 people, and Juicy Fruit gum, Cream of Wheat, Quaker Oats, Pabst Blue Ribbon, peanut butter, and brownies all made their delicious debuts — but for a certain type of person, the most notable thing about that particular fair is Holmes’ activities.

Born Herman Webster Mudgett, Holmes was a serial killer who is most infamous for his “murder castle.” Leading up to and during the fair, Holmes ran a hotel that he designed and had custom-built for killing people in various ways, including secret chambers and airless rooms. The entire hotel was built by different contractors, who were never shown the plans. This kept everyone unaware of his plot.

Or at least, that’s what some of the stories from the time say. In reality, part of what makes Holmes so captivating is that we don’t really know much beyond his own fantastical stories and the probably hyperbolic reports in newspapers of the time. In his trial, Holmes admitted to killing 27 people, yet some were still living when he confessed. Many now dispute whether Holmes actually killed anyone in his murder castle at all — we do know he killed at least nine people, just not necessarily at the hotel. The story is still fascinating and strange despite all of this. This is how the story ends up being mentioned on Loki.

Gareth Gatrell/Marvel Studios

We now come to the crux of our argument: If H.H. Holmes killed all those people in this timeline, why aren’t Loki and Mobius going to stop him? And more importantly, why isn’t LokiWhy not do that instead of trying to track down Kangs, and his evil clock plans?

Imagine the same thing, but with a slight difference. Loki Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson and their team of historians traversed the past to try and prevent or cause a number of ridiculous and/or horrifying things. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is slowly woven into by two charismatic and charming people in new outfits every week. They solve strange historical mysteries. This sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it?

But, sadly, that’s not the show we have. Instead, Loki The plot for Phases Five and Six is built around this central character. Time Variance Authority’s ridiculous shenanigans are some of most important events within the franchise.

The weight of all that story is just too heavy for a quirky, little show. The show gave us, at least briefly, a look at an alternate, lighter timeline. The show may have been too late. Loki This approach should be adopted by season 2, but with so many MCU movies to come, this franchise would do well to remember how to have fun.