Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Loki episode 4.

The Time-Keepers twist in Loki episode 4 seems to confirm the reason why the TVA scans for robots before admitting variants to their headquarters. The Time Variance Authority is shrouded in mystery. From their influence on the Sacred Timeline to their criteria for which events should or shouldn't happen and the identities of the ones in command, it really seems as though the whole operation is built on lies and deceit. But now that Loki and Sylvie have found out that the TVA agents are brainwashed variants and that the Time-Keepers are robotic stand-ins, the TVA's tower of lies appears to be crumbling.

Loki episode 4 leaves many questions without a definitive answer. Who is behind the fake Time-Keepers, what really happens to variants after being pruned, and what will happen to the Sacred Timeline if the TVA breaks apart are all mysteries that will only get resolved in the last two episodes of the series. However, episode 4 does seem to solve a minor detail from episode 1: why the TVA vets each oncoming variant to discard robotic intruders.

Related: Loki’s Real Villain Is Miss Minutes - Theory Explained

Since the Time-Keepers are robots themselves, it makes sense for the TVA to avoid coming into contact with any individual capable of deducing the true nature of their cybernetic bosses. Magic users like Loki and Sylvie can't use their skills to find the truth, but it's likely that a highly advanced synthezoid like Vision could quickly get to the conclusion that the TVA is worshipping three glorified puppets. The TVA can instantly nullify magic, but it probably can't stop technology as effectively. Hence, robotic beings are immediately destroyed before they get a chance to find the truth about the Time-Keepers.

Loki's Time-Keepers and Vision in WandaVision

While the TVA agents could argue that time, destiny, and purpose work different for synthetic beings — which, wisely, is a topic they don't begin to elaborate on — it's more logical for whoever is behind the Time-Keepers to set up a filter for robots and tell all employees that it's just another rule they have to follow. With sorcerers neutralized and androids banned, the TVA can keep the Time-Keepers act without a hitch.

One new question that arises, then, is how the Minutemen were able to capture and subdue Titans, vampires, and Kree. These beings could get to the truth about the Time-Keepers by sheer force, but seem to have been defeated fairly quickly. Or perhaps they did succeed, and exposing the robots as Sylvie did in Loki episode 4 could be yet another part of the TVA's cruel game.

More: Loki Time-Keepers Twist Suggests WandaVision Connection

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