Let's Break Down That Big TVA Twist in Episode 3 of 'Loki'

While the writing was already on the wall for who the real big bad of Loki is, June 23's 'Lamentis' brought fans one step closer to revealing the man/men behind the curtain. Alongside questions about what's going on with the mysterious Time Keepers and whether there's more to Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Ravonna Renslayer, the latest episode just blew the theories wide open with a massive Time Variance Authority Twist.

Although Sophia Di Martino's Sylvie was originally pitched as a villain, it looks like the show is going down the whole antihero route just like Tom Hiddleston's titular God of Mischief. Why Sylvie is out to topple the TVA still remains a mystery, however, the shady organisation's motives were called into question with the reveal that its workers are actually mind-fogged variants themselves.

A highlight of the series has been Owen Wilson's Agent Mobius, and although 'Lamentis' was missing the jet ski-loving Josta drinker, his own dark backstory has been teased. During the episode, Sylvie confirmed she'd struggled to break into the mind of Sasha Lane's Hunter C-20. Leaving Loki's jaw on the floor, Sylvie explained the TVA's employees are in fact all variants themselves.

Tracing the reveal back to episode two, there were a few raised eyebrows when Renslayer asked Mobius to use a coaster. A bewildered Mobius questioned why it mattered if there were already watermarks on the table, and a stern Renslayer snapped that he was the one who put them there.

There are two schools of thought on what the latest variant twist means. Mobius referred to himself as Renslayer's "favourite agent", which didn't prompt much of a response from the TVA's head judge. Is our version of Mobius just one of multiple Mobii that are on active duty or have been over the years?

The other idea is that Wilson's Mobius is a variant who has been captured and imprisoned at the TVA. Effectively being a mindless office drone, Mobius, the hunters, and the rest of the TVA's employees might have been trapped there for millennia and had their minds repeatedly wiped if they remember their old lives.

A popular theory among the show's fanbase is that Mobius' original lot in life was as a jet ski salesman in the 90s. This could be on the money with his bizarre love of watersports and nostalgic references to the time period.

Despite Mobius' apparent years of service for the TVA, it's more than a little suspicious that he's never met the mythical Time Keepers. It was Mobius himself who warned Loki time works differently in the TVA. Instead of the 90s being 30 years ago, the TVA's unknown placement means Mobius and the rest could have been here for all eternity.

It's no coincidence that all files pertaining to the formation of the TVA, Time Keepers, and time itself were classified. At least we finally know that story about TVA agents being created by the Time Keepers is all guff. Does this also mean the adorable Miss Minutes is also a variant and is primed for more time in the MCU? We can only hope!

Mobius already whipped through a rogue's gallery of variant Lokis, which puts a sense of mortality on the one we've come to know since 2011's Thor. Just because Hiddleston's Loki is 'our' Loki, it doesn't mean he's integral to what's going on. With multiple variants out there, it would be entirely possible for Renslayer to snatch another one and pick up where we left off chasing Sylvie.

If it's a simple case of an agent dying and plucking another one from the timelines, it might also explain why Renslayer called Sylvie's bluff when she threatened to kill Loki at the TVA. Bearing in mind Sylvie says she's been running from the TVA for her entire life, we don't imagine this is Loki's first rodeo with this female foe.

Whatever is going on, it looks increasingly likely that Renslayer is shaping up to be Loki's de facto villain. Those up on the comics might know her connections to the time-travelling Kang the Conqueror, but that's a theory for another day. Even if Renslayer isn't running the TVA for her own nefarious means, all signs point to her covering something up. As Loki heads into its own endgame, we're expecting the motives of Renslayer, Sylvie, and the TVA to become clear. Ironically, it's the usually slippy Loki that seems to have the most obvious modus operandi right now.

New episodes of Loki drop on Disney+ on Wednesdays

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