Since the beginning of Loki, viewers have been told that the Time-Keepers and the TVA are the heroes of the multiverse, protecting the Sacred Timeline “for all time, always.” However, since learning that the bureaucratic organization's agents are all Variants, kidnaped from their old lives, Loki has shown the TVA in a much more negative light.
After weeks of fan theories and speculation, the newly-released fourth episode of Loki finally revealed the sinister evil behind the Time Variance Authority and the truth about the infamous Time-Keepers (and possibly Kang the Conqueror?).
THE TRUTH BEHIND THE TIME-KEEPERS REVEALED
The series' fourth installment took Loki, Sylvie, Mobius, and Hunter B-15 on a mission to uncover the truth behind the TVA. Tragically, in the climactic scenes of the episode, Mobius became the first victim of the cause, being pruned by Judge Renslayer after finally learning of the life he had before.
With the TVA analyst out the way, the duo of Loki variants was finally taken by Renslayer to the Time-keepers hidden chamber for an audience with the almighty beings. Unfortunately for them, this didn't turn into as much of a dialogue as Loki may have hope as they quickly ordered the Judge to “delete them” from the timeline:
TIME-KEEPER 1: “After all your struggle, at last, you've arrived before us.”
TIME-KEEPER 2: “What do you have to say for yourselves before you meet your end, Variants?”
LOKI: “Is that the only reason you brought us here? To kill us? I've lost track of the number of times I've been killed, so go ahead. Do your worst.”
TIME-KEEPER 3: “You and your bravado are no threat to us, Variant.”
SYLVIE: “Oh no, I don't think you believe that. I think... I think you're scared.”
TIME-KEEPER 1: “No, Variant. You're nothing but a cosmic disappointment. Delete them.”
Luckily for the Asgardian Variants, Hunter B-15 arrived just in time to save them, leading to a grand scale fight between the rebel group, and Renslayer's loyal Minute Men. As the scuffle ensues, the TVA Judge notably orders her men to “protect the Time-Keepers,” who don't move through the entire battle.
Once Loki and Sylvie eventually come out victorious, the female Variant throws her blade straight at the neck of one of the Time-Keepers, decapitating it. However, what falls to the ground certainly came as a shock for many as the sparking wires of an android head became visible.
Even as soon as one was destroyed, the whole group began to bug out and power down, confirming the android trio are unable to function independently. With the immortal Time-Keepers destroyed, this left the duo asking, “who created the TVA?:”
“Fake.Mindless androids.”
“It never stops. Then who created the TVA?”
SO WHO DID CREATE THE TVA?
Many have been theorizing for some time now that the Time-Keepers may not exist, and this climactic reveal finally confirmed this popular prediction. Now fans will be left wondering until next week, and potentially one more after that, asking who created the TVA, and why?
While most of those keeping the bureaucracy of the TVA moving were revealed to be Variants, the origin and agenda of Ravonna Renslayer remain unclear. Within Marvel Comics, Renslayer has been closely associated with Kang the Conqueror, who will be played by Johnathon Majors in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Based on this and Kang's strong connections to time travel, it's a logical assumption that he could be the mastermind behind the organization. However, it's another question altogether why the conqueror of history would want to prevent the creation of the multiverse by condensing the timeline into one single branch.
Although, viewers shouldn't expect this to be the end for Majors' villain as his story will continue into the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel, and possibly even beyond that to become the next Avengers-level threat.
Alternatively, some theorists have speculated another Loki variant could be the one pulling all the strings. This seemed like a reasonable prediction early in the series, but with so many more variants of the God of Mischief now established, the reveal would likely fall somewhat flat.
Now that Renslayer is captured at the mercy of Sylvie, the series needs a new threat for its final two episodes, and there may be no better fit than Kang. So whatever may happen, fans can likely look forward to the long-awaited reveal coming very soon.
The first four episodes of Loki are streaming now, exclusively on Disney+.
