The TVA protects the Sacred Timeline. And for this, it prevents things that are not supposed to happen from happening. Then what about Endgame?
The second episode of Loki explained to us how the Time-Keepers and the TVA maintain the proper flow of the Sacred Timeline. They also control how every timeline moves forward and prevent anything that can lead to an outcome that is not decided already apparently by the Time-Keepers. But then does not make them the supreme controllers of the multiverse?
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What we need to keep in mind first is that the TVA was there all along from the very beginning in the MCU. They kept watch on every single thing that has happened so far and not once did they intervene in the natural order of things. And this is exactly what raises questions on the nature of TVA.
Infinity War and the Multiple Outcomes
In Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange saw 14,000,605 outcomes and found only one that was favorable. While this may be the testimony of how powerful Thanos was, we must not forget that TVA existed too. They reset any timeline that did not follow their rules and avoided a Nexus event. All this tells us that the TVA knew that Strange would look forward to multiple futures but decided to not intervene as it would take the timeline forward according to their preference.
Keeping in mind one Sacred Timeline, only one positive outcome i.e. the defeat of Thanos out of 14 million does make sense. But then, we have to agree on the fact that the deaths of Tony and Natasha were “inevitable” for that one future to occur.
In episode 2 of Loki, Mobius told Loki that the reason for Loki’s existence was to cause chaos and suffering so that others can achieve their better selves. This seems to prove that the TVA will let negative events occur as long as they lead to a character’s development on a path that fits the Sacred Timeline.
TVA and the Endgame
It took five years after Thanos’ snap in Avengers: Infinity War for the Avengers to defeat him. Considering the TVA’s emphasis on character development, 5 years allowed Tony to settle down, get married, and have a baby. On the other hand, Scott Lang was stuck in the Quantum realm for 5 years, much less for him though, probably some hours or even minutes maybe.
If Tony had attempted to bring back Peter by looking for Thanos, the moment would never come for him to sacrifice his life and save his family and the planet. Thus Thanos would have eradicated half of the Earth and even the superheroes too. Also, it may be that not many superheroes would be there to fight Thanos if more time had passed. The TVA seems to have set the time perfectly for Lang to come out of the Quantum realm and suggest the “time-heist.”
The Time-Keepers and the Sacred Timeline
No matter how infinitely strong Thanos is, it cannot really be that there was only one way to defeat him out of 14 million. There were after all times when the Avengers almost defeated Thanos, both in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
For example, they could have had the gauntlet off by restraining Peter Quill. Thor would have gone for the head of Thanos with the Stormbreaker at the end of Infinity War. Wanda almost killed Thanos before he ordered hell-fire in Endgame. Thanos would not have snapped had Strange not given the Time Stone to him in the first place.
But it seems that the TVA scratched off all these outcomes, that Strange too might have seen. Remember that the Ancient One and Strange cannot see beyond their own deaths? What if all of these outcomes ended with the death of Strange curated by the TVA? It was then just to keep him in the Sacred Timeline in which everything in the MCU is taking place.
A Sacred Timeline Born Out of Blood
If we think deeply, The TVA is not much different than Thanos. Countless possible positive outcomes must have been there but TVA chose this timeline because they deemed so. They were not responsible to anyone for resting branches that might have led to better outcomes.
Let us do a short recap of all the bad things that wouldn’t have happened in a different timeline. Millions wouldn’t have lost their lives in the snap. Monica Rambeau wouldn’t have lost her mother. Wanda wouldn’t have lost Vision and neither would the people of Westview have to undergo what they suffered. The Flag-Smashers wouldn’t have risen. But all of these did happen because the Time-Keepers let them happen.
For all that it means, the Sacred Timeline is not the best timeline and the TVA knows it. They are actively preventing alternate timelines from branching out because the Time-Keepers have said so while writing their grand “epilogue.”
So it seems that TVA and Thanos are much alike, in that the TVA is a million times more powerful than Thanos. Both have the belief that they alone know what is best for the universe. Thanos said that he would create a new universe born out of the blood but was unaware of it because no one would be around to tell them so. In the same way, the TVA erases free will from not one universe but across all universes by pruning variants and preventing the branching of a timeline that is unintended: All so that their “Sacred Timeline” can move forward.
