Loki's suffered a number of humiliations, defeats and losses in his time, so why did the Time Variance Authority use a particular memory of Sif to torture him? The TVA has all of time and space to choose from when they trap Loki in a time loop in episode 4. Confined in a memory cell, Loki is forced to experience one of his worst memories over and over again. Instead of making the God of Mischief relive his lonely childhood or Frigga's death, however, the TVA chooses to make him deal with the fallout of a cruel prank Loki played on Lady Sif.

Despite teaming up with Mobius, Loki once again finds himself on the wrong side of the Time Variance Authority in episode 4. After he and Sylvie are recaptured, they're brought to separate holding cells, where Sylvie remains in isolation under heavy guard and Loki is interrogated by Mobius. To soften Loki up for his questioning, Mobius traps him in a time cell, where he's immediately confronted by Lady Sif. The memory seems to be pre-Thor, at a time when Loki, Thor and the Warriors Three are all hanging around Asgard. Having cut off Sif's hair as a joke, Loki now faces her wrath as she enters the room, berates him, and beats him up.

Related: Every Time Loki "Died" In The MCU

During the memory, Sif slaps Loki, knees him in the crotch, and punches him in the face. But it's not the physical beating that breaks Loki down — Sif's words hurt Loki more deeply. After a bit of name-calling, Sif says, "I hope you know you deserve to be alone and always will be." Even after he apologizes, admitting he's scared of being alone and she helps him up, her parting shot is still, "You are alone. And you always will be." Sif's words reinforce Loki's worst fears about himself, suspending him in a perpetual state of self-doubt. Unlike feelings of grief or humiliation, which are shocking but eventually pass, doubt and fear can't be shaken off so easily. Sif's words make Loki doubt he can ever achieve redemption, convince him his fears he'll be alone forever are right, and make him believe his internal torture will continue even after he's left the time cell.

Loki Sif Episode 4 Time Cell

One of the big torments of the time cell is the prisoner's hope he can change the past. For Loki, a memory of Frigga's death or Odin's condemnation might be incredibly painful, but those are big moments relatively set in time. Loki can withstand the torture by telling himself there's nothing he can do to change what happens. Loki's interaction with Sif, on the other hand, is a small, everyday moment he can't help but try to alter. So his torment is made worse when, no matter what Loki does, Sif's words remain constant. Even after the God of Mischief sincerely apologizes to Sif, admitting he pranked her because he's a narcissist who craves attention, Sif condemns him. In Loki's most vulnerable moment, after he reveals he's scared of being alone, Sif offers him a hand up — offers him hope that he can change — then cuts him down again, confirming that no matter what he does, he's doomed to deserved solitude.

Sif's words condense the worst experiences of Loki's life into one moment. Instead of replaying the moment when Loki discovers he's adopted, or is devalued in favor of Thor or learns he's a Jotun monster, the TVA chooses a memory that ties into all those formative moments, getting to the core of Loki's issues. Loki's torture is made worse by the fact that he's the direct cause of Sif's anger. With other traumatic events, Loki might be able to shift the blame, telling himself they were out of his control. Sif's scorn, however, he's brought upon himself. As it has from the first episode, Loki continues its brilliant psychological deconstruction of the God of Mischief.

More: Why Loki Really Fell For Sylvie (It's Not Because He Loves Himself)

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