Loki Episode 4 Asks 6 Big Questions About Variants And The Time-Keepers

Warning! Contains spoilers for Loki episode 4.

Loki episode 4 has brought some major revelations to the MCU series, posing big questions about the nature of the Time-Keepers, the TVA, and the various Loki variants gallivanting about the Sacred Timeline. The end of episode 3, “Lamentis,” saw Loki and Sylvie stranded on a doomed moon with no apparent hope of escape. Loki episode 4, “The Nexus Event,” picks up from that same spot, with the two variants contemplating their existence as the world literally collapses around them.

Just as Loki and Sylvie are about to die, something strange happens. The two touch in a moment of emotional intimacy, sparking a wildly powerful nexus event and attracting the attention of the TVA. The variants are subsequently found, captured, and interrogated, ultimately leading to a confrontation with the Time-Keepers themselves. Hunter B-15 and Mobius discover that they were once ordinary variants, and Mobius is seemingly killed at Renslayer’s command. In a final twist, it’s revealed that the Time-Keepers are nothing more than robots, and that Renslayer may have been the mastermind after all. Just as Loki is about to admit his feelings to Sylvie, he is pruned by Renslayer – only to wake up in a mysterious new place in the episode’s post-credits scene, surrounded by other, odder Lokis.

In brief, Loki episode 4 is a wild ride. From Loki falling in love with an alternate version of himself to Mobius appearing to die, to the twist that the Time-Keepers were a ruse, “The Nexus Event” has major repercussions for the rest of the series and the MCU at large. Here are the sic biggest unanswered questions from Loki episode 4.

Who Created The TVA And The Time-Keepers?

loki poster marvel show time keepers tva

The Time-Keepers are fake, and the agents of the TVA are brainwashed variants. That means that the entire story Miss Minutes told Loki about the multiverse war and the formation of the TVA could be false. For now, the truth remains uncertain, but it seems highly likely that most of what’s been previously said in the series is wrong. So who actually created the TVA then, and why?

By the end of Loki episode 4, Renslayer stands out as the most likely candidate for the show’s secret villain. Her apparent knowledge of the TVA agents being variants and the Time-Keepers being fake suggests she’s had sinister intentions from the beginning. However, there are some holes in that theory as well. Sylvie’s childhood flashback scene reveals that Renslayer was once just a regular TVA hunter, and that she was later promoted to the position of judge. Unless her ruse is unnecessarily complicated, that means the TVA was around long before she stepped through its doors.

What Is Renslayer’s Real Plan?

Ravonna Renslayer true villain loki Marvel Comics

It’s clear now that Ravonna Renslayer isn’t who she says she is. Or at least, that her intentions aren’t what she made them out to be. She doesn’t seem the least bit surprised when Mobius and B-15 discover that TVA agents are variants, or when the Time-Keepers are revealed to be fake. That means that she’s basically been running the entire agency herself for some time. The question is, why?

Some fans are theorizing that infamous Marvel comics villain Kang the Conqueror could be the one really pulling the strings. Renslayer and Kang are romantically involved in the comics, and both have hatched major schemes – together and separately – to rule over an empire spanning time and space. It seems reasonable, then, to suppose that the Sacred Timeline might actually be a means of imperial control, and that Renslayer was sent to the TVA by Kang the Conqueror to take it over from within. That still wouldn’t explain the group’s formation, however, or its true original purpose.

Is Mobius Actually Dead?

In a shocking twist midway through Loki episode 4, Mobius is pruned by a TVA operative after discovering the truth about his origin. Renslayer declares him compromised by Loki, and therefore orders his execution. But is Mobius actually dead? The clear answer would seem to be yes, but it becomes a bit fuzzier given what happens at the very end of the episode. It’s never been revealed what actually happens to Variants who get pruned, and now it may have been revealed that they don’t die at all.

Where Did Loki Go After Being Pruned?

Like Mobius, Loki is pruned by Renslayer at the end of “The Nexus Event.” However, the episode’s post-credits scene reveals that he actually survived. The scene shows Loki waking up in a mysterious place, surrounded by a group of Loki variants. They tell him that they are there to help, and the shot cuts to black. Where is this place, and how did he get there? That has yet to be revealed, but it’s possible that variants who are pruned aren’t actually killed, but rather are sent to some sort of alternate disposal timeline.

Who Are The Other Loki Variants?

When Loki awakens after being pruned, he’s surrounded by four new Loki variants – an old Loki (Richard E. Grant) wearing the character’s original comics outfit, a particularly young version of Loki (Jack Veal), a Loki who appears to be wielding a version of Mjolnir (Deobia Oparei), and a fourth Loki variant who appears to be a crocodile. These characters will surely get much more explanation in the next two episodes, but they’ve already injected a ton of fun possibilities into the show. Are they from the old multiverse? Did they save Loki from his fate at Renslayer’s hand? Are there crocodile versions of every MCU character? Hopefully, these questions will all be answered before the show is over.

Will Loki And Sylvie Restore The Multiverse?

Now that the Renslayer and the TVA have been officially confirmed to be evil, it seems inevitable that Loki will end with an attack on the organization and an attempt to restore the multiverse. Mobius already told Loki how to do that, revealing that the pure chaos unleashed by his and Sylvie’s romance could be strong enough to completely destroy the Sacred Timeline. That would set up Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as well as a ton of possibilities for future MCU additions like the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. Of course, to pull it off, Loki and Sylvie will have to get back to one another – a task that will be made more difficult with Renslayer still alive. It should be interesting to see what chaotic twists and turns the show has left when episodes 5 and 6 air.

Next: What Was Lady Loki’s Nexus Event?

New Loki episodes stream every Wednesday on Disney+.