One of the many highlights of Loki is the introduction of the God of Mischief's Variants.
Set within the confines of the MCU, the series follows Tom Hiddleston's titular trickster as he deals with themes of identity and heroism, ultimately leading to the discovery that there are other versions of himself that were caught by the Time Variance Authority.
Loki first introduced Sophia Di Martino's Sylvie, who served as the initial target of the TVA, but she ended up as a close ally of the prime Variant throughout the first season's narrative. The series didn't stop there as it showcased a plethora of trickster Variants in the fourth and fifth episodes respectively.
To recap, after being pruned by Ravonna Renslayer in the final minutes of "The Nexus Event," Hiddleston's Variant ended up in The Void where he was met by four more versions of himself, namely Classic Loki, Boastful Loki, Kid Loki, and Alligator Loki. The fifth episode, "Journey Into Mystery," took it up a notch by revealing more Variants such as President Loki and his army of Lokis.
Now, it seems that another bonkers idea revolving around the aforementioned Loki Variants didn't make the cut in the penultimate episode of the series.
A SECOND "TVA" IN THE VOID
Loki head writer and executive producer Michael Waldron sat down with CinemaBlend to talk about the Easter-egg-filled fifth episode of the series titled "The Void."
Waldron openly shared that there was an idea that was in the original script that didn't make the final cut, revealing that there was a "Loki Variance Authority" filled with different Lokis in The Void:
"Tom Kaufman wrote Episode 5 of the show. Tom's a Rick and Morty writer; he was there from the first season Rick and Morty. He's one of my great friends, and one of the funniest people alive. And his first draft of that script had so much amazing stuff. I think there was, at one point, a Loki Variance Authority, like an LVA with all the different Lokis who were down there."
Waldron, who also wrote Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, then shared more details about the first draft of the script of "Journey Into Mystery," saying that there was a moment where Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief confronted Alioth and then "all of the other Loki starts standing up trying to do the same thing:"
"He'd written a great thing, like an 'I am Spartacus' sort of thing, where Loki goes to talk to Alioth. It's like Loki is going to do the heroic thing, and then all of the other Loki starts standing up trying to do the same thing, and it's just narcissists. Everybody's trying to be the hero, and it just ends up being a disaster. His first draft is one for the ages."
LOKI VARIANCE AUTHORITY
Many would agree that one of the strongest aspects of Loki is the inclusion of the different Variants of the MCU's trickster, and seeing a full-blown Loki Variance Authority would've been a visual treat for fans.
On a plot level, mocking the TVA with a Loki-filled organization is a fitting trait of the God of Mischief, considering the fact that they all ended up in The Void due to being pruned by the time-based institution in the first place.
It is unknown who would've led the LVA in The Void if it ever came into fruition, but there's a strong chance that every Variant that was featured in "Journey Into Mystery" could've been part of this makeshift organization.
Meanwhile, Michael Waldron's reveal about a different Loki/Alioth confrontation further cements the idea that the God of Mischief was on a heroic path from the get-go. While this is a scrapped idea, the fact that he was able to influence all the other Lokis in his heroic turn goes to show that the prime Loki is the superior version.
Given that Loki has been confirmed to receive a second season on Disney+, it will be interesting to find out if this concept will be revisited in the future, especially now that the multiverse already exists in the MCU canon.
Tom Hiddleston did promise that there will be more surprises in the show's sophomore run, so it's possible that one of them could revolve around a TVA where Loki is the new leader.
The first full season of Loki is now streaming on Disney+.
