‘Loki’ features a neat detail involving Infinity Stones being used as paper-weights, and it has a hidden meaning

• WARNING: Spoilers ahead for "Loki."
• In "Loki," the God of Mischief tries to retrieve the tesseract that the TVA confiscated from him.
• He finds it in a desk drawer, along with a bunch of Infinity Stones, showing the power of the TVA.
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"Loki" released its first episode today and introduced the Time Variance Authority, who are the all-powerful protectors of the timeline.

Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD.

The 2012 version of Loki is taken to the TVA when he is arrested for "crimes against the sacred timeline" immediately after he escapes in "Avengers: Endgame."

In episode one, Tom Hiddlestone's Loki escapes from Owen Wilson's Agent Mobius, agent of the TVA, and tries to retrieve the tesseract that he used to escape New York with, which was confiscated from him by the TVA upon his arrest.

Loki finds the tesseract in the desk drawer of an ordinary, low-level office worker, but that's not all he finds.

Instead of staplers, post-it notes, and pencils, the drawer is full of strange artefacts and a number of particular knick-knacks that have a very rich and dangerous history in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Stones.

Loki, recognizing the all-powerful Infinity Stones, asks the worker how he came to possess such objects.

"We actually got a lot of those," the worker casually replies. "Some of the guys use them as paperweights."

While this may seem like just a neat detail to include, it actually has a big impact on Loki's character and intent going forward in the show.

The TVA exists outside of time and space, so they aren't bound to the confines and rules of the rest of the Marvel universe, rendering forces like the Stones useless,.

Having recognized how powerful the TVA are, Loki no longer wants to escape them. Instead, he wants to join them and be granted an audience with the Time-Keepers, who are in charge of the TVA and create and protect the sacred timeline.

"Is this the greatest power in the universe?" Loki says.

Ultimately, he wants to be one to wield the power of the Time-Keepers himself, having figured out how powerful this strange organization is.

All five Infinity Stones can be seen in the drawer: space, time, reality, power, and soul. Other items in the desk drawer include a military medal, a photo of a soldier, a crucifix, and a casino chip. There are plenty more neat details where that came from in "Loki."