Loki Theory: Ant-Man 3's Kang the Conqueror Is Secretly In Charge of the TVA

By Pierre Chanliau Posted:
Loki Kang Ant Man

In the premiere for Loki, Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief questioned the logic of the TVA and how they dictated what is "supposed" to happen. Since the series debuted fans have questioned other aspects of the TVA too.

Such as this temporal governing body apparently having no issue with Steve Rogers living out the rest of his life in another timeline or the heroes literally using a time machine to steal Infinity Stones. Either the Time-Keepers aren't as strict as depicted by the TVA's Miss Minutes or that someone else could be hiding behind the curtain.

Curiously, several months ago, Jonathan Majors was cast as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with rumors swirling of him appearing in Loki. So, the multiversal war mentioned could have ended with him as the victor, instead of the Time-Keepers, and with him establishing the TVA himself.

THE TIME-KEEPERS

Loki Kang
Marvel Studios

As noted by many fans, the Miss Minutes video felt a lot like propaganda meant to tell the “true” history of the TVA and the Time-Keepers’ victory in the multiversal war. Kang could have gone through the effort to keep his anonymity, considering his long ancestry, while still maintaining rule over all of time and the TVA.

In the comics, Kang actually did manage to kill the Time-Keepers in “Avengers Forever,” despite a future version of himself being their ally. So, perhaps Kang just did that far earlier than expected in the MCU and during this multiversal war.

THE SACRED TIMELINE

Loki Time Keepers
Marvel Studios

The almost religious mention of this “sacred” timeline, whatever it is, feels too good to be true. Theoretically, the multiverse is nearly infinite, so it’s odd that the Time-Keepers dictated that the sacred timeline results in the death of Iron Man and Black Widow, along with the retirement of Steve Rogers.

This proved detrimental to Thanos, resulting in his own death, twice, but removed three of Earth’s greatest heroes from further opposition. That would definitely be strategically beneficial to someone like Kang while keeping his potential ancestry intact.

Owen Wilson’s Mobius does tell Loki that they know his future, but only a future as it pertains to this sacred timeline. Remember, it has been established that the “Time-Keepers” dictate the sacred timeline, which could be according to Kang’s own machinations.

JUDGE RENSLAYER

Judge Renslayer Loki
Marvel Studios

When Loki appeared before Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Judge Renslayer to plead his case, he asked to see the Time-Keepers himself, only to be denied. The excuse given by Renslayer was that they’re “quite busy,” dictating the proper flow of time.

When asked what Renslayer actually does herself, she pointedly said that she “dictate[s] the proper flow of time according to [the TIme-Keepers] dictations.” Who's to say she isn’t actually dictating the will of Kang and not the Time-Keepers?

In the MCU, Mbatha-Raw said that Renslayer has a military background, which would be even more fitting for the current, or future, love-interest of Kang the Conqueror. Regardless of her current relationship with Kang in Loki, her position at the TVA is incredibly suspicious.

KANG'S MANY SECRET WARS

Secret Wars Loki
Marvel Studios

One popular theory online from fans is that the multiversal war mentioned by Miss Minutes is actually the result of a time loop and that the inevitable “Secret Wars” adaptation in the MCU will depict that same war.

The way this time loop could be accomplished is that at the end of this multiversal war, reality always ends up essentially being rebooted, but what if it has always been Kang doing the rebooting? Ruling over time for eons only to have the satisfaction of participating in the war to end all wars, over and over again.

This would be a war that he can manipulate to his advantage using the TVA, a war that he has already fought, a war that he knows he can win. Literally participating in an untold amount of “secret” wars only known to him.

Loki himself acknowledged the power of the TVA and how it supersedes the Infinity Stones, which were regarded as the most powerful objects in the universe. At the TVA, they were turned into glorified paperweights.

Kang being the true leader of the TVA would certainly make him instantly more threatening than any villain The Avengers have faced especially if Kang did indeed manipulate the timeline to inadvertently cause the death of two founding Avengers before even showing himself.

Fans could even see Loki attempt to pull away the curtain, only to be face to face with none other than Kang the Conqueror before his villainous role in Ant-Man and the Quantumania.

- In This Article: Loki Season 2
Release Date
October 05, 2023
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- About The Author: Pierre Chanliau
Pierre Chanliau began as a news & feature writer for The Direct at the site's launch in 2020. As a longtime reader of superhero comic books, Pierre's knowledge of Marvel and DC is extensive, informing his reporting and editorial pieces regarding the MCU and DCU.