Theory: Kang Is Behind The Fake Time-Keepers

Warning: SPOILERS for Loki episode 4, "The Nexus Event"

Loki’s Time-Keepers have been revealed to be an elaborate ruse, and it’s possible that Kang the Conqueror is the one behind it all. A prominent villain in the Marvel comics, Kang is supposed to make his MCU debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but he could show up a bit earlier in a surprise Loki cameo. So far, there have already been a number of big clues that Kang may have been pulling the TVA's strings all along.

At the beginning of Loki, the TVA was pitched as an organization focused on order and balance, created by the all-powerful Time-Keepers to save the universe from chaos and destruction. That story quickly began to crumble, however, as it was revealed that TVA agents are all actually brainwashed variants, and the Sacred Timeline started to look a lot more like a prison than a rescue. Then, in Loki episode 4, the Time-Keepers’ true nature was unveiled – not omnipotent gods at all, but robots; android puppets being controlled by some unseen force. So who actually created the TVA, and why?

Since the defeat of Thanos, MCU fans have speculated about which character will become the franchise’s next big bad. Mephisto and Nightmare have been common guesses, but Kang the Conqueror might be a more likely pick. He has a comics resume long enough to support repeated film appearances, and the MCU’s rising focus on time travel and the multiverse seems primed for a Kang plot. Here’s why he might actually be the one behind the fake Time-Keepers and the TVA.

Click here to watch Loki Theory: Kang The Conqueror Controls The TVA on YouTube.

Kang The Conqueror’s Comics Story Explained

Born on an alternate Earth in the 30^th century as Nathaniel Richards – believed at different times to have been a descendant of both Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic and Dr. Doom – Kang’s villainous bent began after being visited by his future self. Richards first traveled back to ancient Egypt on Earth-616 (the main reality of the Marvel comics), where he established himself as a Pharoah named Rama-Tut. That scheme led to a few more time-traveling escapades and name changes before Richards finally dubbed himself Kang the Conqueror and set about taking over multiple eras of the timeline.

Through the decades, Kang has featured repeatedly as a villain of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and other Marvel heroes, usually while attempting to expand his empire across time and space. While he possesses no inherent superpowers of his own, Kang’s time-travel technology and advanced future weaponry acquired via his travels to different times make him a formidable opponent. Now, he could be entering the MCU a bit earlier than previously believed.

Ravonna Renslayer’s Kang Connection Explained

Ravonna Renslayer true villain loki Marvel Comics

The first big clue that Kang might be involved in the plot of Loki is the presence of Ravonna Renslayer, the TVA judge revealed to be a villain in episode 4. In the comics, Renslayer is a princess from 40^th-century Earth. When Kang arrives to conquer her father’s kingdom, he quickly falls in love with her, eventually earning her reciprocation. Through the years, the two have had a tumultuous love story full of break-ups, deaths, resurrections, hate, love, revenge, and of course, constant time travel.

Renslayer’s MCU self is a good deal different from the character in the comics, but she could still be directly tied to Kang. Loki hasn’t revealed much about her backstory other than that she started as a TVA hunter and eventually rose to the rank of judge. That means that the TVA existed long before Renslayer joined (or was brainwashed into) its ranks, implying that she can’t be the actual mastermind behind the Time-Keepers deception. Because Renslayer so often works with Kang in the comics, it’s a natural assumption that she might be doing the same in the MCU.

The Sacred Timeline Could Be Kang’s Perfect Scheme

loki poster marvel show time keepers tva

Kang’s comics plans have mostly revolved around conquering as much of time and space as possible, even using alternate versions of himself or robotic clones to rule different eras and timelines simultaneously. Naturally, those plans have always come with their fair share of hindrances and problems, especially because the logistical challenges of being in so many places and times at once tend to spread his attention and resources a bit thin. If only there were a way to restrict the multiverse down into a single timeline where everything stayed in a controlled order so that it could be ruled easily and efficiently.

That’s exactly what the TVA has done with its cultivation of the Sacred Timeline. What Miss Minutes claimed was done in the interest of order and balance may have actually had a more sinister intention – ruling all of time and space. The Kang the Conqueror of the comics would surely love the idea of the Sacred Timeline, and if it were within the villain’s power to take it for himself, he’d certainly try. Given what’s been revealed in Loki so far, that may be exactly what happened.

Theory: Kang The Conqueror Created The TVA

Now that the Time-Keepers have been revealed to be fake, the whole story of the TVA’s creation could be a lie. There’s was never much specificity in the Miss Minutes’ tale to begin with, and now, even the little bit she did share in Loki episode 1 seems questionable. Was there ever truly a multiverse war? And how long exactly has the TVA been around? Loki will surely dive into these questions in its final two episodes, but right now, Kang the Conqueror looks like a likely candidate to be behind the whole scheme.

As someone with highly advanced time-travel technology, Kang is one of the few established Marvel characters capable of creating something as sprawling and powerful as the TVA. The TemPads, time doors, time collars, reset charges, and all the other tools and devices used by the agency could be explained by Kang’s future tech, as could the TVA’s apparent outside-the-timeline location. A Kang twist would also explain Ravonna Renslayer’s character. Maybe she started as a simple variant like any other brainwashed by the TVA, but after Kang saw and fell in love with her, he revealed his secrets and brought her into his inner fold. Mobius has commented before about all the odd artifacts present in Renslayers’s office, which he didn’t bring her. Renslayer claimed they were from her other analyst, but could they be gifts from Kang? Again, the mystery will remain a mystery for now, but it should be interesting to see how it unravels in Loki’s final two episodes.

Next: Loki Episode 4 Post-Credits Scene: 4 New Variants Explained

Loki releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.