Throughout Loki Season 2, subtle hints have emerged that the characters are ensnared in an ongoing time-loop, implying that He Who Remains remains in control.
Warning: The following text contains spoilers from Episode 4 of Loki Season 2, now available on Disney+.
In the Season 1 finale of Loki, the variant God of Mischief and Sylvie faced the Kang variant known as He Who Remains. Sylvie aimed to end his life, while Loki intended to assist her. However, during their conversation, He Who Remains appeared remarkably certain that even if Sylvie killed him, he would return. Despite the dramatic events of the fourth episode, Loki Season 2 strongly hints that these characters are caught in a continuous time-loop. This is a classic element of time-travel narratives and helps shed light on why He Who Remains would desire this sequence of events. When Victor Timely encounters O.B., his reaction mirrors that of Casey, as both are admirers of his work on the Time Variance Authority Guidebook.
Nevertheless, O.B. is mesmerized when he meets Victor Timely, whose scientific theories and research greatly influenced his own writing. "It's like a snake eating its own tail!" he exclaims, employing rather on-the-nose dialogue. O.B. is, of course, an abbreviation for Ouroboros, an ancient symbol often depicting a self-destructive cycle. While the Time Keepers didn't "create" the TVA agents, they selected these variants for specific reasons. The name Ouroboros might carry more significance than merely serving as an Easter egg for time-travel enthusiasts. It is the most compelling evidence yet that everything occurring in Loki Season 2 might have already transpired once before. Loki, Mobius, Hunter B-15, and Sylvie may believe they are fighting to liberate the multiverse, but they could be unwittingly setting the stage for its eventual demise.
He Who Remains Informed Loki and Sylvie That They Were Caught in a Time Loop
One of the most prominent instances of a time loop in a time-travel TV series was "12 Monkeys," where the "ouroboros" was a central motif. It's possible that one of the Loki writers was a fan, as when Sylvie does end He Who Remains, he utters to her, "See you soon." This phrase was a recurring mantra in the series, typically spoken to characters who were at an earlier point in the time-loop than the one saying it. One character even said it as he met his demise, signaling to the audience that he would return before the show concluded.
He Who Remains uses it in a similar fashion. The loop reinitiated when Sylvie stabbed him. Although Victor Timely might be a Kang variant, it seems improbable that he is He Who Remains. Victor was transformed into cosmic spaghetti when he attempted to install the Throughput Multiplier at the end of the fourth episode. He Who Remains dispatched Ravonna and Miss Minutes to him for a specific purpose, though not the one everyone assumes. After all, he informed Loki and Sylvie that he hailed from the 31st Century, a future from Loki's perspective.
Kang's Multiverse War Is in Both the Past and Future of the Loki Series
Another prevalent trope in time-travel stories is the occurrence of events out of chronological sequence. The Loki variant at the heart of this series hails from 2012, shortly after the first Avengers film. The multiversal war described by He Who Remains took place in the past, in every conceivable sense. It transpired "before the TVA," which appears to operate on a linear timeline. Nonetheless, the war he delineated has yet to take place, either in the 31st Century within the Marvel Cinematic Universe or, in reality, in "Avengers: Kang Dynasty." It is conceivable that "before the TVA" does not denote a multiverse where the organization does not exist but rather signifies another point in the loop.
In fact, the explosion of the Temporal Loom might represent the precise moment when the TVA technically ceases to exist. Given its existence outside the flow of standard time and space, this implies that it never existed at all. At the start of Season 2, Loki ventured into the TVA's past, but perhaps he was simultaneously traversing a version of his future. Conceivably, he or Kang must painstakingly rebuild the TVA from scratch. If Loki Season 2 unfolds within a time loop, the Ouroboros serves as the linchpin for understanding it.
Mobius and others have had their memories wiped repeatedly. He Who Remains initially erased their original identities from their recollection, followed by their tenure as loyal servants to him. Curiously, Ouroboros seems to have retained his memories throughout this process. While Loki visited the TVA's past at the commencement of Season 2, O.B. remembered their conversation. For some reason, Ouroboros only loses his memories of prior loops. That is, unless, of course, the loop has finally been disrupted.
Loki Season 2 Endeavors to Break Destructive Cycles
Loki Season 2 delves into the realm of how characters aim to transform the TVA, serving as a contemplation of both the constructive and detrimental facets of institutional roles in society. If it were merely a recurrent iteration of events, the narrative would lack justification. There is something inherently distinct about this iteration of Loki, Sylvie, or even TVA personnel like Mobius or Hunter B-15. Ravonna Renslayer seeks to seize control of the TVA, but this could be playing into Kang's hands, similar to how Sylvie's actions ultimately facilitated his plans when she assaulted He Who Remains.
According to He Who Remains, Alioth played a pivotal role in prevailing during the multiversal war and establishing the TVA. Alioth is described as a creature that "consumes time and space," and He Who Remains harnessed its power to employ the creature as a weapon against his adversaries. Nevertheless, his reliability as a narrator remains dubious. Ravonna may have been the one responsible for subduing Alioth all along. Refusing to relinquish control of the beast to He Who Remains alone might be sufficient to shatter the loop.
The true variable in the story appears to be time manipulation, a theme expected to return in Loki Season 2, as revealed in the trailer. The trailer includes a scene where Loki traverses time to what appears to be a dealership for personal watercraft. It also features a sequence in which Loki encounters himself within the TVA. Only a God of Mischief with expertise in time manipulation stands a chance of outwitting He Who Remains.
New episodes of Loki premiere on Disney+ every Thursday at 9 PM Eastern."
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