The latest episode of Loki delves deeper into the time travel mechanics of the MCU, and it also fills a huge void in the process.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Loki, Episode 2, “The Variant”, now streaming Disney +.
Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame changed the Marvel Cinematic Universe by first eliminating half of life with Thanos’ snapshot and second by using time travel to collect the Infinity Stones and bring them all back. First of all, the rules of time travel apply in the MCU confused many about how the system works. But now, with the release of Loki, some of these issues are addressed through a few simple explanations, including a large time travel gap.
In Season 2, Episode 2, “The Variant,” Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) travel back in time to investigate a Nexus event. These events occur when an action takes place that contradicts the flow of time and creates an industry reality. The main role of the Time Variance Authority is to manage the a sacred timeline and eliminate those nexus events before they branch out too far beyond the timeline.
When investigating a new branch created by Loki’s villain variantthe god of mischief asks why the TVA doesn’t show up shortly before the Nexus event and capture the other Loki to prevent them from escaping again. Mobius explains that these events destabilize the natural flow of time, and since it is still changing and evolving, they must appear while time flows, not before. Showing up before the event could prove even more disastrous and risk creating another branch.
Another piece of evidence for this theory is the Loki variant methods, as they work without getting caught. As Loki finds out, apocalypses are the only events that branches cannot create. This is because these catastrophic events usually wipe out everyone nearby, eliminating any consequence for their actions immediately before. No matter what a person does to create a nexus event in an apocalypse, no branch will be created. Because of this, Loki can announce himself and his intentions in Pompeii before the volcanic eruption and how his variant covers their traces.
Mobius’ statement also sets out more specific rules for time travel in the MCU, which weren’t as well explained during Avengers: Endgame. The Avengers shouldn’t just follow their set path as dictated by the timekeepers, but any glitch immediately before Thanos snapped his fingers may not have changed anything, as the snapshot may have been viewed as an apocalypse event. If so, the Avengers could get into trouble with the TVA if they returned just before the Snap and tried to take the Stones from Thanos.
The brief explanation in Loki does more than just clear up logical loose ends of Endgame. It also sets out a specific set of rules on how time travel works in the MCU. Definition the nexus event rule also brings a clearer explanation of how time travel works in Endgame, as any deviation from the plan could have caused another disaster. Loki slowly unravels the secrets of time travel in the MCU, leaving even more opportunities for exploration as the season progresses.
Loki plays Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, Sasha Lane and Eugene Cordero. New episodes will air on Disney + Wednesdays.
About the author
Nicholas Brooks
(494 published articles)
CBR Features writer Nick Brooks has been writing about everything to do with pop culture for over a decade. He has written for other sites like Animemojo.com and Gamefragger.com. When you’re not writing, you can meet him with his dear girlfriend, cook, read comics or collect new Star Wars Black Series, Marvel Legend or Transformers. For more of his thoughts on pop culture, check out his blog, The next panel with Comic Brooks.
