“The total destruction of, well, everything.”
'Loki’ theory: The Time Keepers’ big lie is worse than you think
The TVA's authority is universally recognized, but what if that's not the way it's meant to be?
by Dais JohnstonLoki’s introduction of the TVA has impacted literally the entire history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Every event we’ve seen so far on screen happened because it was sanctioned by the Time Variance Authority and, more importantly, by the mysterious Time Keepers pulling its strings.
But who gave the Time Keepers the authority to dictate what is and isn’t “Sacred?” That’s what this fan theory attempts to explore. And maybe, based on its conclusions, we shouldn’t be so trusting of Miss Minutes — despite that eminently friendly Southern drawl.
The Time Variance Authority isn’t just policing right and wrong in the time-space continuum, according to Redditor (and prolific theorist) TheMediocreCritic. Instead, the bureaucracy is brainwashing TVA agents to be members of a powerful cult. Mobius and Judge Renslayer, for example, abide by the Time Keepers’ decrees without question, despite never having seen these “busy” overseers.
Everything we know about the Time Keepers, we have been told by three members of the TVA: namely, Mobius, Renslayer, and Miss Minutes. But are these characters reliable narrators? After all, they’ve been created by or part of the TVA for their entire lives — or at least as long as they can remember. They don’t know any other life, and they have no other perspective.
Is the multiverse as big of a danger as we were told?
If the Multiversal War was as bad as the TVA’s informational animatic made it out to be, why didn’t it end the world? Perhaps the universe is meant to be a multiverse, and the Time Keepers, victors of the Multiversal War, are trying to force it into one flow of time out of selfishness or narrow-mindedness.
Variants appear to happen naturally, without rhyme or reason. Loki didn’t mean to break the flow of time when he nabbed the Tesseract. It just happened. Maybe, just maybe, the universe wants to be a multiverse, and the TVA is working against the flow it believes it’s preserving.
After all, the TVA isn’t working to prevent the end of reality as we know it, but rather to preserve the flow of time that the Time Keepers decide suits them best. History is written by the victors, and that applies to the victors of a war between universes as well.
The Multiversal War may have just been the way of the universe.
When a cult is established and ingrained within mainstream culture, it’s difficult to see it as anything apart from “how things have always been.” All religions begin as cults, and the line between the two is increasingly blurry wherever you look in the real world. If the TVA is or has become a cult, it’s easy to see why that’s not ringing any alarm bells internally.
Enter Loki, who’s not only doubtful of the TVA’s authority and backstory but wants to meet the Time Keepers so he can destroy them. He’s the disruptor the TVA perhaps needs to wake up and realize the world won’t end if there’s a Nexus event. Perhaps such events should be seen less as deviant paths in time and more as opportunities for more lives to be lived with true free will.
Whether the TVA is a cult or providing a smokescreen for some man behind the curtain, there’s something very wrong with the Time Keepers and the TVA. Hopefully, Loki can get to the truth within the next four episodes.
Loki is now streaming on Disney+.
