Warning - This article contains spoilers through Episode 2, "The Variant," of Loki.
The MCU is two weeks into its run with Loki, and, as expected, the story continues to develop new levels of insanity at nearly every turn. From Loki’s tentative partnership with the Time Variance Authority to his eventual confrontation with Sophia Di Martino’s supposed Lady Loki, the future is wildly unpredictable through the first third of the story.
"The Variant" did more than its fair share to help develop the relationship between Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Owen Wilson’s Mobius after the two formed a partnership in pursuit of the Loki Variant. This duo also gave fans more insight into who the TVA is and what they do while teasing how some major decisions relating to time-and-space shenanigans are made.
This all went down a path leading to a discussion about the ever-elusive Time-Keepers, who were the central topic of some interesting dialogue between Loki and Mobius…
THE ENDGAME IN MARVEL’S LOKI
In Episode 2 of Marvel Studios’ Loki entitled “The Variant,” Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Owen Wilson’s Mobius find themselves in a conversation about the mysterious Time-Keepers watching over the TVA and all existence.
Mobius began discussing his duties at the TVA to “protect what came before” everything in the present. He also touched on how the Time-Keepers are “toiling away in their chambers” and working toward “untangling the epilogue” to multiple branches of the story.
According to Mobius, the entire scenario ends with “no more Nexus events” as the world sees “just order,” with everyone meeting “in peace at the end of time:”
Loki: "Oh, those lazy timekeepers, what are they waiting for?"
Mobius: "Au contraire. No, because while we protect what came before, they’re toiling away in their chamber untangling the epilogue to these infinite branches."
Loki: "Ah, I see. So, when they’ve finished, what happens then?"
Mobius: "So are we. No more Nexus events. Just order, and we meet in peace at the end of time. Nice, right?"
This conversation ended with Loki potentially teasing the TVA's dark side, commenting on how "no one good is ever truly good:"
"You see, I know something that children don’t. That no one bad is ever truly bad, and no one good is ever truly good.”
HOW WILL THIS MCU ADVENTURE END?
Loki is centered on a character who’s been in the MCU for a decade with a fairly clear beginning after Avengers: Endgame. However, the plot of his solo series has been possibly the most unpredictable of all three Phase 4 Disney+ series thus far with a nearly blank slate in front of him.
Cue the introduction of the mystical Time Variance Authority, and with it, the three Time-Keepers said to be overseeing everything in the past, present, and future. The existence of all of this brings to light a question with potentially huge ramifications: Is there truly free will within the MCU?
Loki's insight into this matter could potentially spell out some dark times ahead with the TVA, whether Mobius wants to admit it or not. Considering that this is an organization said to have the power to literally weave the fabric of reality as we know it, there is most likely no universe in which they're truly doing the right and pure thing at every turn.
Mobius could very well be explaining the situation to Loki the way he sees it to be true, which is certainly how those above him have explained the scenario. Even for as simple as Loki's remark was at the end of this conversation, it could give the longtime TVA Agent some major reason to stop and think about what he's involved with.
The Time Keepers (or whoever else may be in charge of the TVA) could very well be misleading their time-focused workers; such a revelation would be far from shocking given this series' twist-heavy narrative and mystery. The question becomes why these time-keeping leaders are spending so much time keeping their curtains closed. Power and control could very well be the answers, but many fans will be expecting a more complex reason that won't paint these Time Keepers as "truly bad," as Loki puts it.
Could Mobius defect from the TVA upon learning the truth? Could he team-up with Loki to help pull apart the roots of his entire known existence? With only four episodes of the series remaining, there's little doubt that Episode 3 won't further explore the relationship between Mobius and Judge Renslayer and their higher-ups to help lead to more answers (and surely even more questions).
Loki has been primed to be a major game-changer for Marvel Studios' Phase 4 slate. On multiple occasions, head writer Michael Waldron has indicated that the series will have wide-reaching ramifications for upcoming time-focused MCU titles.
As Loki continues to broaden its horizons, fans will have to keep a sharp eye on trends and teases the show lays out toward what could happen in future films like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and more. Mobius also becomes that much more of a factor in the plot as he tries to find his true place in this madness through the next four episodes.
No matter what comes, "Episode 2" proved that Marvel Studios is holding nothing back with the God of Mischief’s solo adventure.
The first two episodes of Loki are now available to stream on Disney+.
