The premiere episode of "Loki" impressed Marvel fans, as the latest offering from Disney+
expanded what the Marvel Cinematic Universe looks like and what might be ahead for the
so-called "Sacred Timeline." Here's where the end of Episode 2 leaves us, and what it
all means.
"Loki" Episode 2 kicks off with yet another cruel, elaborate trick from the hooded Loki
variant. This time, he's attacking a hunter and her Minutemen in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in
1985 ... at a renaissance fair, of all places. It's here where Hunter C-20 is brainwashed
and forced to dispatch her own squad before the Loki variant kidnaps her and drags her
through a golden time door.
This is just another example of how relentless this other version of Loki is, something that
the TVA-allied Loki attempts to explain to Mobius and the other hunters when they try
to track down the missing team. Although he might be Team TVA, our God of Mischief hasn't
quite given up on his trickster ways just yet -- evidenced by the fact that he tries
to fool the group into thinking that they'll be murdered by the "lesser Loki" variant if
they step outside the tent, that he's the only one who can approach the variant without
dying, and that the Time Keepers are in grave danger.
This is a big, fat lie, of course. Mobius immediately calls Loki out on it, unraveling
Loki's real plan in front of him: He's just trying to weasel his way in front of the Time
Keepers in an attempt to "seize control" of the TVA, rather than plead for his life and
avoid being erased from the timeline.
"I see a scared little boy, shivering in the cold, and you kinda feel bad for that Ice
Runt."
Wait, you thought "Loki" was a science-fiction adventure series? Well, it is, but it's sneakily
also a procedural show wrapped up in a fantastic, cosmic setting. In Episode 2, Mobius forces
Loki to get his detective hat on and figure out how the variant is hiding themself from
the TVA. But as Loki quickly finds out, detective work isn't always chasing after bad guys -- it's
most often done by trawling through paperwork and searching for inconsistencies.
Loki sees this research as an opportunity to find out more about the TVA, as well as
the beginning and the end of time. It's just a shame that's all classified material that
he's not allowed to access. But it makes sense: Giving the God of Mischief the truth behind
life, the universe, and everything would definitely be a mistake.
Unfortunately for Loki, the mind-numbing paperwork is where he learns about the destruction of
Asgard in "Thor: Ragnarok" at the hands of the fire lord Surtur. It's that callback to
the 2017 movie that sparks the idea that in an apocalypse event, it doesn't matter what
time-travelers do because the end result will always be the same. This leads Loki to theorize
that his villainous variant is hiding in moments of devastating destruction.
After Loki makes his argument by destroying Mobius' lunch, the pair travel to Pompeii,
Italy in 79 AD to test out Loki's theory. It turns out that Loki's theory is accurate:
Time-travelers don't create "variance energy" at apocalypse events, which not only changes
the game for "Loki," the series, but also sets an intriguing precedent for the impending
introduction of the multiverse in the rest of the MCU.
Before we get to the climactic ending of "Loki" Episode 2 and its dramatic reveal, we have
to talk about the Time Keepers. When Loki and Mobius hit a wall with their apocalyptic
research and begin narrowing down places the variant could be, they start discussing the
very nature of the TVA and the Time Keepers.
Though these "three magic lizards," as Loki calls them, haven't appeared in the flesh
in the first two episodes of "Loki," their presence is kept up by huge statues around
the offices, depicting them in their robes. But where are they? Why aren't they at the
forefront of protecting the past, present, and future alongside the rest of the TVA?
Well, according to Mobius, they're "untangling" the Sacred Timeline in their chamber to make
sure that time ends in the right way. So they're dictating the lives of countless beings throughout
the universe, and Marvel doesn't want to show them off? That sounds fishy. But the question
still remains: What happens when time runs out? It would be the end of the TVA, because
there would be no more nexus events or time branches to mop up. As Loki himself puts it,
"Only order? No chaos? That sounds boring." "I'm sure it does, to you."
Interestingly, "Loki" writer Michael Waldron confirmed that "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse
of Madness" will clean up the mess left by the Disney+ series. When talking about how
to set up complicated storylines, Waldron told Vanity Fair,
"Yeah, we'll leave that for the next writer. But then you do that on 'Loki' and you find
yourself writing 'Doctor Strange [2]' and you have to clean up your own mess."
Our guess? The Sacred Timeline — along with the TVA — will be left in tatters by the
end of "Loki."
After Loki and Mobius pore over various apocalyptic events looking for the specific brand of candy
given to the kid in 1549 France in "Loki" Episode 1, the time-traveling twosome track
it down to a hurricane in Haven Hills, Alabama in 2050.
It's a corporate town run by RoxxCart, an offshoot of the sinister Roxxon Corporation
that occasionally pops up in the MCU and is a recurring force in the Marvel comics. When
Loki and Mobius arrive in Haven Hills, they find the town's citizens sheltering inside
RoxxCart. Some of them are being controlled by the Loki variant, much like C-20 was at
the renaissance fair in 1985.
Though Loki says that he's plotting to overthrow the TVA and wants the villainous variant at
his side, it's not clear if he's playing up to the well-known fact that he's a trickster.
He does seem to genuinely be interested in turning over a new leaf, so it could be a
double-bluff, and that's what we're betting is happening here. As it turns out, this is
the moment when the hooded Loki variant's identity is revealed, likely sooner than anyone
expected: She's Lady Loki, complete with her own gold-horned crown.
In the comics, a female version of Loki is first introduced in 2008's "Thor Vol. 3" #5,
when Thor's hammer damages the Destroyer and the Asgardian Balder "The Brave" Odinson pops
out. After his initial death post-Ragnarok, Balder spent time in the Destroyer gathering
up other Asgardians and waiting until the day that Thor set him free.
Thor is confused as to why Balder is out of the Destroyer but the other Asgardians aren't.
It turns out that most of them left, but one stuck around: a dark-haired woman who knows
Thor. It's not Lady Sif, as Thor believes, but a female version of Loki who's a creation
of the Frost Giants
Since then, Lady Loki has appeared in various Marvel comics and books, most notably playing
a large part in the "Dark Reign" storyline from 2008 to 2009. That grapples with the
fallout from the "Secret Invasion" event, which Marvel is already adapting into a Disney+
series.
But hang on — is this Lady Loki? If you happened to watch this episode in Spanish,
you probably know the answer already. In the English credits, actress Sophia Di Martino
is listed as playing “The Variant”. However, if you look at the Spanish credits, Elisa
Beuter is credited as playing Sylvie. Does that name ring a bell? Well, of course it
does if you’re an old school Marvel fan. First appearing in Journey Into Mystery issue
103, Sylvie is better known as Enchantress.
Is this Sylvie the Enchantress for sure? Well, probably. They both do have blonde hair, whereas
Lady Loki sports darker locks. Lady Loki’s probably going to show up eventually in the
series, but for now it seems that The Variant is actually Enchantress.
That's not the only mystery that the end of "Loki" Episode 2 solves. It's revealed that
Enchantress, er… “The Variant” has been stealing technology from TVA Hunters so she
can bomb the Sacred Timeline using a horde of reset devices. As for the reason she kidnapped
C-20? She's trying to find the Time Keepers' location, presumably to reshape the timeline
in her favor -- or to kill them.
Unsurprisingly, Loki chooses to chase Enchantress, um… “The Variant” through one of the
golden time-doors used by the TVA, making it seem to Mobius like he's genuinely siding
with the variant. This will undoubtedly cause additional tension between Loki and Mobius
and the rest of the TVA going forward, and might even prevent Loki from committing to
a new good-guy lifestyle for some time to come. It's early days, though, so anything
can happen.
If nothing else, Episode 3 will likely unravel The Variant’s story whenever -- and wherever
-- she and Loki end up. And that will clear up exactly who this enchanting new character
is.
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