"Nothing matters!"
As Tom Hiddleston professes in Loki's second episode, any and all actions not in tune with the Sacred Timeline are inconsequential ahead of apocalypses. The God of Mischief hypothesizes this theory with Mobius's salad and later proves it on a quick detour to Pompeii. This volcanic sidebar helps lead the Time Variance Authority to the Loki Variant's hiding spot.
Upon tracking her down in a Haven Hills, Alabama Roxxcart during a 2050 hurricane, Loki finds that an apparent female variation of himself had been hopping from apocalypse to apocalypse unnoticed because anything she alters fails to impact the greater narrative. Fans got a couple of brief glimpses of the Loki Variant's run-ins with the TVA, where she took out the Minutemen with ease and stole their mysterious reset charges.
While viewers only saw the Loki Variant take a couple of these reset charges, as evident by the second episode's conclusion, she has collected far more than a handful. This means Sophia Di Martino's villain, who is apparently named Sylvie, has been sneaking around dozens of different apocalyptic events throughout MCU history with ease, eluding the TVA.
The apocalyptic events seen so far have been unfamiliar territory in the MCU, but who's to say all of her hideouts are locations the films have not touched? Without further ado, here are five MCU disasters that could've kept Sylvie hidden.
ASGARD - THOR: RAGNAROK
Beginning with the most obvious.
Loki uses Ragnarok as his initial example when explaining his hypothesis to Mobius. He could push Hulk off the rainbow bridge. He could set fire to the palace. Nothing he does matters because Surtur is going to destroy the planet anyway.
If the Loki Variant is sneaking around time, hopping from apocalypse to apocalypse, there aren't many more well-known disasters than the one that blew up Asgard in Thor: Ragnarok.
That said, there are factors working against it.
For starters, it's too obvious. The TVA knew they were after a Loki Variant before the 2012 God of Mischief came into the fold. With knowledge of their target, why wouldn't they check Loki's home first? This Loki Variant has made clear that she is ten steps ahead of everyone, which makes it hard to believe she wouldn't consider these factors when picking hideouts.
Beyond that, who's know if she wants to be on Asgard, to begin with? The MCU's Loki has always been driven by the desire to rule the Norse realm, but his home planet is also a reminder of his pain. If the Loki Variant has been through anything similar to Tom Hiddleston's trickster, Asgard might be last on the list of vacation spots.
SOKOVIA - AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
It's been over six years since Avengers: Age of Ultron hit theaters, yet the film's climax is still relevant in today's MCU.
The destruction of Sokovia is the most talked about event across the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Big bads like Baron Zemo rose from its aftermath, while future heroes like Wanda Maximoff showed out in the sky-bound battle.
Sokovia's destruction doesn't fit all the parameters of the salad theory, as many made it out alive, but its chaotic nature helps make it a desired hideout for the Loki Variant. With the Avengers fully focused on taking down Ultron and his army, as well as shuttling Sokovians safely off their flying country, the Loki Variant could've snuck around the craziness without impacting anything destined to occur in the Sacred Timeline.
Similar to Ragnarok, however, it's obvious. The Time Variance Authority does not necessarily think like Marvel fans, but they definitely consider all top options. The TVA has all of time and space's history at their disposal, and while there are apocalypses that surely level beyond Sokovia, the Age of Ultron climax has to be on their radar.
XANDAR - AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
"Thanos only has the Power Stone because he stole it last week when he decimated Xandar."
Xandar's destruction was only spoken of by Thor in Avengers: Infinity War, but its description fits the salad theory perfectly. Further details about the Massacre of the Xandarians reveal Thanos doubled down on his trip to the planet, slaughtering half of its inhabitants along with taking the Power Stone.
Unlike other past MCU disasters, a return to Xandar would be completely new for Marvel audiences. Just like how Star Wars took a line from A New Hope's opening crawl and made an entire motion picture out of it (Rogue One), Marvel Studios could take Thor's throwaway dialogue about Xandar and contextualize it with a full scene.
Similar to Sokovia, the decimation of Xandar is likely high up on the TVA's radar of tracked apocalypses. Even if it's an obvious spot, featuring an unseen MCU event might be on Kevin Feige's to-do list with the Loki series.
ESON'S DESTRUCTION - GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
Those Infinity Stones pack quite the punch.
As he gives Peter Quill and friends an oral history of the six elemental crystals, Benecio del Toro's The Collector showcases one particular example of one gem's power. An ancient Celestial named Eson the Searcher once harnessed the Power Stone, and by equipping it in a massive staff, eviscerated an entire planet.
The planet has remained unnamed since 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, but it played host of the most disastrous events in the MCU. The salad theory's criteria is met completely, as the entire spherical plane erupted in an explosion, presumably leaving no survivors.
Considering the obvious nature of Ragnarok, this event is just about the perfect hideout for the Loki Variant.
TITAN - UNKNOWN
It was a paradise.
If the Loki Variant is looking to lay back for the long run, look no further than Titan. Not only is this planet destined for desolation, but its extinction is a slow burn. Thanos detected that there were "too many mouths, not enough to go around" which bred his genocidal mindset moving forward.
His proposed plan likely came at least a couple of years before Titan met its destruction, which would give the Loki Variant plenty of time to kill on the planet. Seeing that the entire population of Titan met its demise, this homeworld of Thanos is a desirable destination for the antagonist.
While those are only five, there are plenty more cataclysmic events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's storied history that could provide refuge for the Loki Variant. What other MCU disasters do you think Sophia Di Martino could be hiding in? Let us know in the comments below!
Loki airs every Wednesday, streaming exclusively on Disney+.
MCU Writer, Editor, Podcaster
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