Last week, Marvel fans got their first glimpse at the highly anticipated Loki TV spin-off set for release in 2021. There was a lot going on in the trailer, including appearances from the Time Variance Authority, a Loki running for president and an alternate, post-apocalyptic world. But the most exciting glimpse of all took place in an aeroplane and featured significant wads of stolen cash. It’s a moment that has Marvel fans speculating Loki might be taking on the role of the infamous D.B. Cooper in the show.
But who is D.B. Cooper, and why do Marvel fans think it’s Loki?
Who was D.B. Cooper?
Dan Cooper (later known as D.B. Cooper) was a thief who boarded a plane bound for Seattle in 1971 and held it ransom for cash. He had a bomb in his briefcase and demanded the sum of $200,000 (as well as parachutes) to be given to him when the flight landed in exchange for the safety of those onboard. Throughout the flight, he was described as calm, cool and collected. He even paid off his drink tab and offered to demand meals for the staff during the exchange.
The FBI met his demands, with money being sourced from several local banks and placed in a bag to be handed to Cooper.
When the plane landed, Cooper allowed all the passengers to disembark, the plane was refuelled, and he was handed the cash and parachutes he requested.
Once the transaction was complete, the plane once again took to the air with Cooper and four air cabin crew being the only passengers onboard. Mid-way through the flight, D.B. Cooper and his cash disappeared, never to be seen again.
None of the planes trailing his flight saw him leave, but his cabin crew did notice the aft door and airstair device had activated, indicating he’d departed the plane in mid-air.
Very little evidence emerged of how or why Cooper had hijacked the plane, and it remains a mystery to this day. He simply hijacked the plane and vanished.
Why do fans think Loki is D.B. Cooper?
You’ll want to check out the scene at 2:06 in the brand new Loki (2021) trailer to understand how this wild theory emerged.
In the trailer, we see the god of mischief entering the plane in a disguise consisting dark sunglasses, slicked black hair and a black suit. As you can see from the FBI photos, this matches the exact description of D.B. Cooper.
The resemblance really is uncanny, as is the action of the clip. We see Loki entering a plane, winking at an air hostess and jumping out of the plane with a bag of cash before being teleported away by the Bifrost. In the furore, several bills escape and flutter to the ground, much like in the infamous case. (While the majority of the money disappeared without a trace, some bills with the same serial numbers as the D.B. Cooper ransom money did appear later in 1980.)
D.B. Cooper is an icon of the true crime world, and a mystery that’s long fascinated investigators. A supernatural explanation for his mysterious disappearance would absolutely make sense — as would his true identity as Loki.
As for whether the theory will eventuate? At this stage, anything is possible. The D.B. Cooper mystery has entered the realm of myth in the decades since it happened, becoming enshrined across pop culture. It was adapted into the 2005 TV drama Prison Break, and also featured prominently in other shows like Numb3rs and The Blacklist.
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There’s never been a better time for Marvel to get stuck into some true crime conspiracy, and Loki being D.B. Cooper wouldn’t be the strangest thing to happen in the last few years.
We’ll just have to tune in from May 2021 to find out the real truth behind the story.