If there's one thing fans have learned about Loki in the first five episodes, it is that the word "trust" is incredibly fluid.
This has come to light in a number of ways throughout the series. Can Loki trust the TVA? Can the TVA trust Loki? Despite their friendship, can Loki and Mobius trust each other? Along with identity and self-worth, trust is a common theme in the Disney+ series of mischief.
While many of those plot points have come in suspenseful and tension-filled moments, Episode 5 saw trust play a factor in a much more lighthearted way.
While in the bunker hideout within The Void, the Variant Lokis all shared war stories of their past and how they ended up where they are. Boastful Loki, played by DeObia Oparei, shared one of the most outrageous of stories of the bunch, claiming he took down both Captain America and Iron Man on his way to collecting all six Infinity Stones.
THE BOASTFUL STORY OF LOKI LAUFEYSON
Despite being called a liar by Alligator Loki, The Direct sat down with DeObia Oparei to get to the bottom of that story.
When asked if Boastful Loki was telling the truth about his encounter with Steve Rogers' Captain America, Tony Stark's Iron Man, and the Infinity Stones, Oparei said, "he was telling the truth" as far as he is concerned.
Truth or not, this is a great representation of Loki in the sense that there is no way to know if he can be trusted or not. For Oparei, he was just excited to be inserting himself so deep into the cannon of the MCU.
"It was really exciting for me because I'd watched all the big movies and suddenly here I am inserting myself into the canon... It was really exciting to sit back with Richard, and Tom, and Jack... But I think I just seized it. Whenever you play a character you also have to believe it even if some of it is fabrication or as the name suggest, "boastful""
Every actor that gets a chance to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe looks to seize their opportunity. For Oparei and Boastful Loki, it's hard not to believe that their Loki was able to accomplish an Avengers-level victory.
OH THE PLACES A LOKI WILL GO
The name "Boastful Loki" implies the character may have been stretching the facts of the story, but the ambiguity allows for Oparei to hang his head high with the claims of his Variant.
Ambiguity is one of the biggest looming presences remaining in Loki as the show moves toward its season finale.
Through the events of Episodes 4 and 5, it's as hard as it's ever been to know what and who to trust. Even more importantly, viewers are not sure what rules are true or false. That is incredibly important considering how embedded the rules have been throughout the show.
Miss Minutes explained that even being late for work is enough to cause a Nexus event for the TVA to track down and eventually prune. Classic Loki explained that away by explaining he was on the right path until the moment he was able to cast an illusion that allowed him to escape. Kid Loki seemed to have been pruned as soon as he successfully took down his brother, The God of Thunder.
What is the case with a Loki who is able to not only stop two Avengers but also do what took Thanos 23 movies to do, collecting the Infinity Stones?
It all can be explained away by saying this Loki was just being boastful, but if Oparei is correct in him telling the truth, why didn't the TVA step in sooner? This is something the MCU faithful are looking to have explained in detail throughout the season finale.
No one is sure who to trust or which truths were in fact lies throughout the series. But one thing is for sure: if Oparei is right, his Variant of Loki achieved the most glorious of purposes a Loki could ask for.
