Warning: SPOILERS for Loki episode 4.

Loki episode 4 features a subtle reference to Thor that makes Agent Mobius M. Mobius’ pruning much worse. Titled "The Nexus Events," the outing featured the return of Loki and Sylvie into the TVA offices after spending most of the previous week trapped on Lamentis-1. The pair were eventually split up, resulting in Mobius primarily dealing with his Loki despite requesting access to his female variant as well. 

Knowing the TVA's deception, the God of Mischief attempted to warn Mobius early on about the organization. Eventually, Loki outright revealed that like them, the Minutemen are also all variants. Understandably, due to the trickster's penchant for lying, Mobius was hesitant to quickly believe him. But, the statement was more than enough to plant seeds of doubt that motivated him to dig deeper about this new idea. After sneakily going behind Ravonna Renslayer's back, Mobius was confronted with the truth: Loki was telling the truth, they're all variants. Despite the risk, he reached out to the God of Mischief to team up, but before they could go far, they were immediately caught, with Ravonna mandating her analyst be pruned right away. 

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This was a tragic moment in Loki episode 4, especially from Loki's perspective who helplessly stood beside his friend as he slowly disappeared. But, it's the lead-up to this particular scene that makes it so much more devastating. Just before they stepped out of the time-loop portal and back into the TVA, Mobius earnestly told Loki that he can be "whoever, whatever you wanna be. Even someone good." Upon hearing this, the God of Mischief let out a genuine smile; being mostly viewed as bad news, having someone who has this unwavering faith in him was rare and special. But, this isn't the first time that Loki experienced this. In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor had the same sentiments, only delivered in a different way. After Loki attempted to betray his brother again while escaping Sakaar, the God of Thunder successfully pulled a reverse on the God of Mischief, trapping him with the exact same electrocuting device that Valkyrie previously used. Thor hovered over and said: "you'll always be the God of Mischief, but you could be more.”

Thor and Loki in elevator in Thor Ragnarok

Aside from the difference in circumstances, arguably the most important distinction between the aforementioned scenes is the way the same message was delivered. In Loki, Mobius genuinely thought that the God of Mischief is capable of changing and doing good, if only he decides that it's what he wants to do. It almost as if it's a nudge towards the right direction, with the TVA agent looking forward to the Asgardian Prince taking his advice to heart. In Ragnarok, however, it's from a place of regret. For years, Thor had been very patient with his brother. The criticisms about the God of Thunder always falling prey to Loki's schemes weren't simply because Thor was slow to catch on with his pranks. It's a testament to how he's willing to give Loki the benefit of the doubt time and time and again. But by Ragnarok, with both Frigga and Odin gone, Thor finally gave up and accepted the possibility that Loki might never change. As humorous as this moment was, it's heartbreaking as in his brother's eyes, Loki will never be redeemed. 

What makes Mobius' belief in Loki more special is the fact that he doesn't have any personal ties to the God of Mischief. Unlike Thor, who is his brother, the TVA agent and the trickster's encounter was purely coincidental. They haven't even spent that much time together in the Loki show, and yet Mobius had quickly seen right through Loki's facade and quickly figured out a way to handle him. Hopefully, the pair reunites moving forward as the show also confirmed that pruning doesn’t really kill variants. 

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Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+

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