Sylvie's Loki Backstory Suggests Odin Lied In Her Timeline Too

Caution: spoilers ahead for Loki episode 4.

Sylvie suggests her father was a better version of Odin, but Loki might've just proved otherwise. The variants are coming thick and fast on Disney+. First there was Tour de France Loki and all the others on record at the TVA, and now Richard E. Grant is hiding a whole band of Loki rebels in a New York apocalypse. By far the most prominent variant, however, is Sylvie, played by Sophia Di Martino. Committing some unknown crime against the Sacred Timeline, Sylvie was taken by the Minute Men as a child, but escaped the courtroom and has been running ever since, before finally encountering her Hiddleston-shaped counterpart.

In Loki's previous "Lamentis" episode, the God of Mischief got to know Sylvie during a surprisingly eventful train ride, and conversation inevitably turned to differences in upbringing. Loki thinks he knows something his companion doesn't, revealing they're actually adopted and not Asgardian by birth. To Loki's horror, Sylvie claims she knew this already because her parents told her. This revelation suggests Sylvie's version of Odin was naturally paternal, kinder, and more trusting than Thor and Loki's deceptive dad in the MCU.

Loki episode 4, however, might just contradict that assessment. In a flashback to Sylvie's abduction, the youngster is seen playing with wooden toys. She has a Valkyrie figure fighting against an evil dragon, and the giant wolf Fenris is also on her make-believe battlefield. The presence of a Valkyrie warrior alongside Fenris (who was Hela's favorite attack dog) means young Sylvie could be reenacting the Last Flight of the Valkyries, in which a host of soldiers fought Hela in one final battle before Odin banished his daughter away. It was during this clash that every Valkyrie aside from Tessa Thompson lost their lives, and the action is glimpsed briefly in Thor: Ragnarok. If Sylvie is recreating the Valkyries' destruction, it's curious that the evil they're fighting is a dragon, and not Hela. Does this mean Odin covered up his daughter's existence, just as he did in the main MCU timeline?

Child Sylvie playing with Valkyrie Toy in Loki Episode 4

Anthony Hopkins' Odin told a great many lies in life, and one of the worst was removing any mention of Hela from Asgard's history, not even cluing Thor and Loki in about their twisted sister. This deception contributes to the tainted legacy Odin leaves behind, and by not preparing his sons for Hela's escape, he also indirectly sealed Asgard's doom. If every Asgardian in Sylvie's timeline believes the Valkyries were wiped out by a dragon, it's logical to assume Odin has made exactly the same mistake, and this contradicts the impression Sylvie gave about her parents previously. Sylvie's Odin obviously wasn't the virtuous, honest character many would've assumed, even if he was transparent about the child's true heritage.

This would add weight to the theory that Sylvie was lying to Loki about her adoption knowledge. During their train conversation, Sylvie and Loki are obviously trying to one-up each other, and Lokis are renowned for lying both well and often. Indeed, the episode strongly suggests Sylvie is lying about not suffering motion sickness on the train. Perhaps, then, Sylvie's parents didn't tell her about the adoption. She might've learned the truth during her years on the run (which explains why she wasn't shocked), but told Loki it was through her parents to score a point, when in fact her Odin was no more noble than his.

Of course, it's impossible to say how different Sylvie's timeline might be compared to the wider MCU. In her world, maybe Hela was never born, and the Valkyries were wiped out by a dragon. Without Hela around, Fenris could've been fighting for Asgard, explaining the presence of his toy among Sylvie's collection. This would mean Sylvie's Odin really is more honest than Loki's, but so long as she remains reluctant to open up about those precious few family memories, it's hard to know for sure.

More: Loki: Every MCU Easter Egg In Episode 4

New Loki episodes stream Wednesdays on Disney+.