Mid-Season Predictions: How will LOKI conclude?

It’s mid-season predictions time! We are officially halfway through Loki, and much like we did with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier it’s time to talk major theories, predictions, hopes, and conspiracies we have for this season. With just three episodes remaining, there’s a lot on the table left for us to look at. Who are the Time-Keepers? Will we get to see Kang the Conqueror? How many Lokis will survive the end of the season?

Avery Kaplan and I discuss predictions for the back half of Loki.

Will we get to meet the Time-Keepers?

Therese: There’s still so much unknown about the Time-Keepers. Are they actually giant space lizards? I wasn’t sure but the frosty look at what is behind the elevator in the mid-season trailer makes me reconsider. However, given that the TVA is full of brainwashed variants who could be enchanted, I don’t think it would be outside the realm of possibility for another Loki to be at the helm of all of this. We still don’t know who Richard E. Grant is. Perhaps Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie grew up with him? It seems like she’s evaded the TVA for quite a while.

Avery: I am convinced that Grant is playing an adaptation of the older version of Loki who menaces the Agent of Asgard in Loki: Agent of Asgard. Not only does Grant bear a striking resemblance to Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, but his current self is the spitting image of the future Loki from that run (give or take a green onesie).

And the closer we get to the conclusion of the series, the less convinced I am we’ll see those jerk lizards. Whether it’s just Renslayer playing Oz or a Loki Variant pulling the strings, I’m maybe most interested in seeing how Mobius factors into the whole equation. His conversations with Renslayer have seemed as though they’re dancing around something…

Therese: I agree about Grant, I think he’s a Loki variant, whether he’s the man behind the curtain or maybe the man behind Sylvie, I think he’s set to play a critical role in the plot. Also, I definitely have some kind of vibe from Mobius and Ravonna. Something about the way Mobius can’t remember to use a coaster makes me think maybe that’s an indication he’s been “wiped” a couple of times? Like Sylvie said, stronger minds require more effort to enchant.

Avery: Or… could Mobius be a projection from Grant’s Loki? Loki did go to great lengths to explain the difference between a duplicate and a projection to Mobius, which could have been some foreshadowing…

Is Sylvie actually a Loki variant? Will we see her claim the title of Enchantress?

Therese: The jury is still out for me on whether Sylvie is a Loki variant or not. Given how different her life is, at the very least maybe she was a young Loki who split from her timeline early? What is her Odin like? It feels pretty clear that she’ll claim the title of Enchantress if she manages to survive the show.

Avery: In the 616, Sylvie Lushton claimed the title of Enchantress after Asgardians arrived in Oklahoma… and the first place we see Sylvie is Oklahoma. Factor in the reappearance of that overly memorable future-shovel and I think we have more to see from the scene that closed out “Glorious Purpose”… And yes, I think this all culminates in Sylvie claiming the title of Enchantress.

In Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. we saw Lorelei (Elena Satine), the younger sister of Amora… but then, is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. considered a part of the Sacred Timeline? Mobius didn’t mention Coulson’s resurrection in the Time Theater, and that seems like it might have come up. At any rate, part of the fun of the MCU is seeing how characters change in the adaptation, so I’m excited to see how all these Enchantresses shake out.

Therese: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is definitely not part of the Sacred Timeline, it’s been pruned (as it should be). If any show should be brought back into the MCU proper it’s the Netflix shows, not Iron Fist though. I think Amora is a character that would be a great comic book character to bring in, one that is on the same level as a Val character. I don’t think there’s been any chatter about a “big cameo” waiting in the wings, but I wouldn’t put it past Marvel.

Avery: One thing about non-Loki variants: I do not think B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) will be happy about the knowledge that she is a variant!

Therese: Oh definitely not. I think it would be interesting to see her reaction to it since she’s been the one championing the TVA.

Is the TVA in the Quantum Realm? 

Therese: There’s been a lot of speculation about where the TVA is and how they manage to cut around time, so the theory floating around that the TVA actually exists in the Quantum Realm has begun to gain some traction. I would love this to be the case since it would fit so well into the universe, especially with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania coming with and Jonathan Majors rumored to be Kang the Conqueror.

Avery: According to Black Holes & Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy by Kip S. Thorne, when you get to measurements smaller than the Planck-Wheeler length, 10-35 centimeter, the concept of length becomes meaningless. Likewise, at scales smaller than 10-43 second (“the ‘Planck-Wheeler time’”), the concept of time becomes meaningless, just like it is within the TVA… All this to say yes, I think the TVA being connected to Quantumania in some way is extremely likely! There may be a little Doctor Strange 2 in there, as well, which series writer Michael Waldron also worked on.

Therese: Ahh yes, Thorne’s book, we spent a whole afternoon talking about that text. I think given that Doctor Strange no longer has the Time Stone, I wonder if Loki maybe pocketing a TIme Stone/multiple Infinity Stones could come into play. Thematically I think we’re done with the Infinity Stones but the very fact they don’t exist anymore seems problematic for the universe? 

But yes, I want that Quantumania connection and the Doctor Strange 2 connection, and I want it to connect to Wandavision. I think out of all the shows, Wandavision and Loki have the most potential to crossover with each other.

Avery: It was a very nice afternoon! And those diagrams were legitimately hilarious.

Will we get a Kang the Conqueror mention?

Therese: Okay on the topic of Kang, he feels like one of the big Mephisto/Wolverine/Magnetos of Loki. A fan and comic book favorite that would fit so well into the story, but one we likely won’t be seeing. I think due to the nature of these shows and how they are more like character studies than anything else, I doubt we’ll see Kang. But perhaps a mention is possible due to Ravonna’s character background, at least from the comics. And we haven’t seen Gugu Mbatha-Raw really reveal her true nature in this show so far.

Avery: I think you’re right on: this answer depends on Renslayer’s background, whatever that ends up being. That being said, if anyone is still looking for Mephisto, check out Heroes Reborn. He’s in there… uh, a lot (more than you’re thinking).

Therese: At this point, Mephisto turning up in any Marvel production is going to be a joke right? Mbatha-Raw did say that a lot of Renslayer’s plot was original so I don’t know how much we can depend on the comics for clues. Still, I’d love to see Majors and Mbatha-Raw together on screen together.

Avery: Yes, please! And considering how other Disney+ MCU characters are heading to the big screen… Hopefully, she’s among them.

Which Loki will survive the end of the season?

Therese: I’m caught between whether the end of this show will unleash a thousand different Loki variants out into the world or if we’ll see them all pruned by the end. Given how much speculation there is about Kid Loki and the fact that basically every show in the Disney+ slate is preparing their own Young Avenger/next-generation superhero, I feel like Kid Loki is inevitable. But then what about Sylvie? What about Hiddleston’s Loki?

Avery: I do think we’ll see some sort of culmination of dozens of Loki Variants in episode six, but I think our main Loki Variant is headed for Ego-Death. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Hiddleston as Loki but I think the Variant we’ve been following will see the end of his narrative in episode 6.

Sylvie, I think we’ll have for a while. It would be kind of harsh to introduce such a charming character and then take her away a few episodes later! Maybe she can just get temporarily Pleasant Hill’d and go hang with Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) in Westview for a few months of relaxation.

Therese: I still struggle a little with our Loki Variant’s turning from 2012 Avengers Loki to Infinity War Loki within the span of an afternoon. I know that we’re meant to simply believe that he’s made the change after realizing the truth of his fate, but I do think it’s a jump. I don’t know if that will play a factor but I think about that a lot when I see Hiddleston’s performance.

I think Sylvie had a great introduction, and she really shone in Episode 3 in her scenes with our Loki Variant. I would love to see her with Agatha and see them wreak some havoc. I wonder if we’ll see her “put on ice” like Agatha was and see them introduced in either of the two movies we mentioned before.

Avery: I’m really hoping we get some appearances in the upcoming movies from some of these villains. I mean, Zemo (Daniel Brühl) only just got his mask! 

What other weird historical events will we be seeing in Loki? What other Marvel Comics storylines do you think will appear?

Avery: The latest trailer confirms the Philadelphia Experiment will be playing into the next three episodes, and we’ve known for quite a while that Vote Loki will be included. I’m hoping we also get to see something set in Roanoke, the first English colony in America. Established in 1587 on Roanoke Island, by 1590, the colony vanished – seems like it would fit in well with historical events that we’ve seen so far on Loki! And as for other things from the comics I’d like to see, I’m hoping we get to see Loki turn into a unicorn (as he did in Agent of Asgard) and/or Loki adopting the guise of Cat Thor, as he did in The Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl.

Therese: I was also hoping for Roanoke! Maybe a few of the variants are pulled from that point in time? Part of me wants a Chernobyl scene too. I definitely want them to go to an apocalypse Asgard because I want to see Rene Russo again. 

And I badly want to see a Kid Loki, even if that means it won’t be Hiddleston, I think they’ve started to introduce Young Avengers, but they haven’t done enough of it, in my opinion, and this could be a good opportunity to introduce the mainstream audience to the character.

Avery: With all the talk of Frigga so far in Loki, I’m hoping we get to see her again as well. Although I wonder… could we be getting Kid Sylvie instead of Kid Loki in the MCU Young Avengers? If she is indeed a Loki Variant, is there actually a distinction? 

Therese: I’ve also heard some crazy theories that Sylvie might be a Frigga variant? I think young Sylvie is definitely a candidate for Kid Loki. If she is confirmed Loki variant then I want young Sylvie as Kid Loki for sure.

Will we finally get to see Mobius ride a jet ski?

Therese: I said this as a joke but now I genuinely want to see Mobius happy on a jet ski by the end of the season. Especially now that we know all of these TVA agents are forced to basically work for the TVA under some kind of mind control. 

Avery: Especially knowing that Mobius is probably a Variant who had his brain melted and was subsequently conscripted into the TVA… I say get that man a jet ski! And get B-15, C-20 (Sasha Lane), and Casey (Eugene Cordero) jet skis, too!

Therese: Let Casey see a fish! Freedom for the TVA Agents!

Did we miss something big? Do you have theories of your own? Sound off in the comments or on Twitter with @ComicsBeat!

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