The Loki series could very well build a platform for The Time Variance Authority [TVA] for even more complex activities in the greater MCU Multiverse.
When Disney held Investor Day in 2020, the first trailer for Marvel’s upcoming Loki series was one of the highlights of all the new reveals. The God of Mischief is set to premiere on the Disney+ streaming service after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Now we have another one. The new trailer gave us quite an idea of what Thor’s half brother would be up to. Further, a recently released poster revealed some more information.
What we know about the God of Mischief so far…
After the Avengers carried out a surreal time travel adventure, they left a lot of things scattered and created branched timelines. The cleanup team was supposedly Captain America. Though Marvel didn’t bother to offer an explanation on how Cap managed to return all the stones correctly – minus the Tesseract.
However, we know that 2012’s Loki took advantage of a slip-up and disappeared with the Tesseract during Endgame’s commotion. Given his nature, it’s very likely the Asgardian trickster would seize the opportunity to carry out some personal agenda. We got a better idea of what to expect from his first solo outing from the trailers and TVA’s introduction in it
Watch: Marvel Studios’ Loki | Official Trailer | Disney+
The trailer revealed an imprisoned Loki wearing a jumpsuit that had TVA printed on it. And as usual, it didn’t look like he was getting along with his captors very well. While, plot details are largely unknown, released set photos and rumours have raised speculations of even more time travel.
Being in possession of the Tesseract again, it is likely Loki will attempt to influence the course of history for selfish reasons. This would be a valid reason for the TVA to show up considering their job is to monitor the time streams. Moreso, Loki will discover that the TVA is unlike any opponent he has faced yet – or at least the 2012 version of himself.
What’s MCU’s Time Variance Authority
First introduced in 1982 by comic artists, Walt Simonson and Sal Buscema, TVA or Time Variance Authority has grown to become a household name in more complex MCU plots. They represent a sort of ‘time police’ responsible for monitoring the various timelines. It also tracks down any individuals that attempt to manipulate or alter past or future events. They keep track of the numerous timelines and ensure that interference – if any is kept to the barest minimum.
Faceless clones called Chronomonitors are each assigned a timeline to monitor in the Hall of Chronometry. These faceless human look-alikes are created every time a new timeline is formed. TVA answer to administrators who are in charge of managing the bureaucratic operations of the TVA and ultimately answer to Mr Alternity; the director of the TVA. The TVA monitors the timescape from the Null-Time Zone; a realm that exists outside of time and space.
The TVA tracks down individuals using Minutemen; foot soldiers clad in advanced cybernetic armour. These tech warriors are led by Justices, who oversee patrol and surveillance operations. Across different comic issues where the TVA has been involved, they usually hire mercenaries to serve as Justices who are skilled in hunting down timeline disruptors. Some notable ones include Judge Peace and Judge Dredd from the comics.
Who is the Villain of the Series?
In the released trailer for the Loki series, Loki is seen with Owen Wilson’s Mobius M. Mobius. He is a senior TVS official in the comics and is likely in charge of handling the God of Mischief. TVA’s interference in the MCU makes sense due to the multiple timeline disruptions after Endgame. It will be interesting to see how Loki fits into their rectification plans.
With Sophia Di Martino being cast into an unnamed role, there have been rumours that Loki could be working with the TVA to apprehend a much more dangerous villain. Set photos of her costume suggest that she could be cast as Lady Loki or a comic book nemesis of Thor, Enchantress.
One important point to note about the TVA is the fact that their power is not absolute. Several villains have been known to best them in the comics. Villains like Kang the Conqueror and Alioth have had altercations with the TVA at different times, with the former confirmed to be appearing in Antman and The Wasp – Quantumania.
The Loki series could very well be used as a platform to build up the Time Variance Authority for further complex activities in the Multiverse.
Kang’s upcoming introduction in Quantumania suggests that the TVA will likely play a huge role in that series too. Knowing as Marvel likes to set things in motion way ahead of time, it’ll be interesting to see how much influence the TVA will have in future events.
The Loki series is set to premiere on June 11 on Disney+ and stars Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Loki. Owen Wilson plays Mobius M. Mobius, while Gugu Mbatha Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Richard E. Grant and Sasha Lane have been cast as members of the TVA.
