Why The TVA Destroys Loki Variants Instead Of Reprogramming Them

Warning: SPOILERS for Loki episode 3

Loki episode 3, "Lamentis," revealed that people working at the TVA are also variants, so why doesn't the TVA have at least one Loki variant as an employee? After their daring escape, the God of Mischief and his variant, Sylvie, embarked on a new adventure on the planetary moon of Lamentis-1. After teleporting away from the TVA, the pair was accidentally trapped on the moon, which was on the brink of total destruction. With their TemPad's battery dead, they had no way of getting out in time. Realizing that they were in a dire predicament, they agreed to a truce and decided to work together.

During their brief time together, Loki and Sylvie developed an unlikely alliance, and to build trust, they started having honest conversations with each other. While recounting how she'd enchanted the abducted Hunter C-20 in episode 2, Sylvie revealed that the employees at the TVA are variants just like them. Loki was surprised; after all, Mobius was fully convinced that he was created by the Time-Keepers to do his job at the organization. However, due to the circumstances that the characters were in, Loki wasn't able to delve deeper into this surprising information.

Still, it raises more questions about the TVA. In Loki episode 2, just before the God of Mischief went on his first field assignment at the 1985 Renaissance fair, Mobius revealed that they've pruned more Lokis than almost any other variants. Since they're getting their manpower from variants, how come no one Loki variant made it into the TVA? Instead of being reprogrammed, they're pruned, which seems like a waste of talent. As seen in the Loki series, the Asgardian prince can be useful when motivated the right way. The answer may have something to do with the fact that Lokis have strong minds, hence, it's more difficult to brainwash them into being either a hunter or analyst for the TVA. As revealed by Sylvie, a.k.a. Lady Loki, Hunter C-20's memories are still intact, but clouded and inaccessible to her. The Time-Keepers may have to work doubly hard to do this to Lokis and they figured that it's just not worth the extra effort.

Even if the Time-Keepers are able to successfully block Lokis' memories and make them believe that they're created to serve the TVA, this would still pose risks for the organization. Lokis are inherently curious; they're not afraid to dig deep and challenge the norm. When the Sacred Timeline's Loki was arrested by the TVA and informed of his existence and purpose, he didn't just believe the information fed to him. Even as he realized that there was no possibility of him going back to the Sacred Timeline and that the only way for him to survive was to help Mobius, he remained dubious of the Time-Keepers and still is. The TVA cannot afford to have someone like Loki work for them as he could ultimately spell their doom.

Now that Loki has teamed up with Sylvie and is learning more about the TVA, he is slowly becoming a big problem for the Time-Keepers, who built their organization on lies. It's possible that, eventually, the God of Mischief will tell Mobius the truth about where he came from. Whether or not the analyst will believe him is uncertain, but it would be enough to plant doubt in Mobius' mind, motivating him to seek the truth himself. That point could ultimately be the start of the Time-Keepers' downfall in Loki.

More: Why The TVA Destroys Some Variants (& Keeps Others)

Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.