Behold, All The Answers To Your Burning Loki Variants Questions

Spoilers ahead for Loki Episode 3. Just when the Time Variance Authority was starting to make some sense, Loki switched it up. Back in simpler times — so, a couple of weeks ago — Miss Minutes explained the expansive organization “and all its incredible workers” were created by the Time-Keepers as a means of preventing another multiversal war. The idea that the TVA bureaucrats were born solely to serve was further cemented by figures like Casey, who’s spent so much time working there that he has literally had no idea what a fish is, and Agent Mobius, who had a chicken-or-the-egg-esque conversation with Loki about his murky origins.

“If you think too hard about where any of us came from, who we truly are, it sounds kind of ridiculous,” he said. “Existence is chaos. Nothing makes any sense, so we try to make some sense of it. And I’m just lucky that the chaos I emerged into gave me all this: my own glorious purpose. Because the TVA is my life, and it’s real because I believe it’s real.”

That belief must be pretty strong because according to a bombshell dropped by Sylvie in Loki’s June 23 episode, the entire TVA is comprised of variants just like Loki and herself. As Loki says, clearly concerned for Mobius and his new TVA pals, “they don’t know that!!”

While you wait to see how the second half of Loki unfolds, here is everything we do know about the TVA and its unwitting variant workforce.

Is Mobius A Variant?

It looks like the budding theory that Mobius is a variant might be coming true. Several viewers took his obsession with jet-skis and ’90s soda to mean he was actually from that decade and just didn’t know it. In fact, before Episode 3 aired, Redditor Itsall_connected ventured that “all TVA agents are just brainwashed variants.” This appears to be the case, given Sylvie’s description of breaking through a TVA soldier’s “messed up” and “clouded” mind to access her memories.

How Does The TVA Gather Variants?

Though it isn’t quite clear how the TVA’s variant employees are gathered, Redditor Shmen8980 laid out a plausible idea for how the process works, writing that “being reset most likely means to add you to the TVA’s ranks.” By this logic, if a variant is someone who steps off the Sacred Timeline for any reason — big or small — then their being reset would leave one version of them on the Sacred Timeline (i.e., Loki going on to fight Hela and Thanos) and one at the Time-Keepers’ disposal. The result? A never-ending supply of free labor for the TVA’s purposes, whatever those are...

What Is The TVA’s Real Mission?

Probably something pretty sinister. If Loki is indeed setting up Kang the Conqueror, as many viewers theorize it might be, then it makes sense that the time-hopping villain would create the TVA facade as a means of controlling the world.

What Does Sylvie Know About The Variants & How?

Sylvie’s instant chemistry with Loki helped to forge a trusting connection between their characters — and viewers, too. So when she finds the idea that the Time-Keepers created the TVA “ridiculous” and offers up her own explanation, it’s easy to believe her. But should fans? It is unclear how Sylvie acquired such an intimate knowledge of the enigmatic TVA, and being a variant of the God of Mischief means she could always be up to something herself. But let’s hope not because Loki could always use a real friend.

Though Loki didn’t get a chance to press for more right away — the pair had an ark to catch — it’s possible Sylvie could be fighting to free the TVA agents from their brainwashed realities in order to effect multiversal mischief. Twitter user @sightiess, for example, theorized that Loki could see her “dismantle the TVA” and reintroduce variants like Loki to the Sacred Timeline. Not only would this be a clever way to keep Loki in the MCU (he has a knack for “dying,” but not dying), but it would also help set up future films, including Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

How Do The Variants Connect To Loki?

Sylvie says that the TVA soldier she subdued was a “regular person on Earth” — one who loved margaritas — suggesting that the brainwashed workers aren’t necessarily connected to Loki. But one agent might be. Of everyone in the TVA, Mobius alone has taken a special liking to Loki, trusting him when no one else will. And the ever-guarded God of Mischief returns the favor, even feeling comfortable enough to take a nap in front of him in Episode 2. Sure, Mobius might just be the big fan he says he is, but the pair’s bond could also point to Mobius being a Loki variant — and one that needs a jet-ski session, stat.

Is Miss Minutes In On It?

Miss Minutes skeptics, you were right to be suspicious of the animated clock from the start. While it’s unclear just how big of a role she plays in the TVA masquerade — she tells Loki that she’s “sort of both” sentient and recording, somewhat à la Arnim Zola — she is the organization’s mascot and helps to spread its apparent lies. She also changes her expression when reminding Loki of the Sacred Timeline in Episode 2, going from her usual cheerful face to a stern one, suggesting that she has a personal stake in the facade.

Plus, as The Los Angeles Times reports, director and executive producer Kate Herron hinted at an “interesting” arc for the sassy timepiece. So as viewers wait for more Loki, it seems very likely that Miss Minutes will play a role in the variant drama that’s about to go down.