IS LOKI THE LEAST APPRECIATED MARVEL (ANTI)HERO?

There is a much bigger picture forming in the MCU and thus creating an infinite number of possibilities for future films and shows. In the beginning (14 years ago), Marvel was clever, well-paced, and meaningful. These days, it's getting down-right exhausting, and there is still no end in sight. This realization begins with the first season of Loki and spreading throughout the Spider-Man and Doctor Strange sequel (not to mention "What If").

That said, Loki is a very enjoyable show because of its unique storyline. Unlike the rest of the franchise, it stands on its own. It takes a dead man and gives him a second chance. It sets him on an independent journey free of the Avengers, Thanos, and time itself. Much like the character of Loki, the show doesn't conform. That quality is what makes him so invaluable against his new enemy, one far more terrifying than any other villain yet introduced in the MCU. Thus, the villain Loki must fill the vacancy of hero. Can he do it?

The Sacred Timeline already proves he is redeemable. If he can do it once, he can do it again. The potential lies within him. All he needs is the opportunity. Not only is Loki hero material, but he is also the only person in the universe capable of facing off with the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and He Who Remains (HWR). Loki is unique, so unique that every version of him survives the TVA’s futile attempts to wipe him from existence.

What truly makes Loki unique is his incredible insight. He sees through the TVA from Day 1. The master of illusion knows one when he sees it, and he’s right despite the adamant objections of its many agents. The TVA is in fact an illusion designed and built by HWR to control the timeline to feature only his. He hides behind his mechanized puppet and giant guard-dog cloud, controlling everything from the end of time while his brainwashed lackies do all the work for him. No one knows who he really is or their real purpose.

Only Loki and his female counterpart, Sylvie, find the underlying cause of this elaborate ruse. While the TVA see both Loki’s as two more variants to prune, HWR has other plans for them. Their unity is unprecedented, and it sets into motion the dangerous return of all timelines. Every move the pair makes is predestined, robbed of free will from the beginning, but Loki’s don’t like being told what to do, especially not from all powerful cult leaders.

Because the TVA is exactly that: a cult. Its on a constant stream of lies fed to a brainwashed staff that justifies the annihilation of every other timeline in existence. They even have a series of mantras to repeat every time an agent’s resolve begins to crumble. “For all time.” “Friends across time.” “Allies ‘til the end.” They certainly don’t get out much with one guy completely oblivious to the existence of basic wildlife. That’s because every one of their memories are wiped before their initiation into the institution. After that, they exist only to serve.

That kind of servitude doesn’t sit well with Loki. He sees the warning signs immediately and senses something is very wrong with the TVA. Only no one believes him because they are too brainwashed and gaslit to see it.

The most egregious of the TVA’s actions and the core reason that every Loki variant refuses to conform is this. The Sacred Timeline dooms his purpose. His glorious purpose. He becomes nothing more than a pawn to the rise of others, forever cast in his brother’s shadow. While Thor remains the Golden Child in his father’s eye, Loki never has the chance to win Oden’s favor. The tragedy only grows from there.

Deep down, Loki knows he can be more than that. Hence, his obsession with Glorious Purpose. Every variant of Loki sees it. They all hate having existed in Thor’s shadow. They long to change it, but the TVA doesn’t allow it. Every time one of them tries to change their path or achieve their greater purpose, they become variants. They are punished for wanting to be better than the path laid before them. That’s not a crime. It’s human nature.

Try telling that to a cult leader or narcissist. Victims exist to serve, and the ones who dare stand up to it become outcast. Loki is no different than any other Black Sheep in from a toxic family. When all he wants is love, acceptance, and validation from the only father he knows. Again, not a crime.

There’s only one thing standing in his way. The Time Variance Authority. Loki is smart, stubborn, and unwilling to sit back and allow himself to become the side character in someone else’s story. No matter how hard the TVA tries to stop him, he is too unique to be stopped. As is his female counterpart. Together, they become the fiercest adversaries this cult has ever seen. Not even HWR can stop them.

“You can’t trust, and I can’t be trusted.”

Let’s begin with Sylvie’s arc with her “crime” against the Sacred Timeline. It appears that form doesn’t matter here. Loki is after all a shapeshifter. He can take any form he likes, and that doesn’t disrupt the flow. Race, gender, and species do not matter. There is, after all, an allegator version of him.

Instead, let’s focus on her little game before the agents appear. She plays the hero who saves Asgard. Her crime is her reverence for her home, which begins because her parents are honest with her. That leads to another crucial difference between Loki and Sylvie. Loki is raised on a lie, while Sylvie learns of the adoption much sooner. That early honesty builds trust. Loki, however, lives over a thousand years in ignorance, and the revelation breaking point that leads him down his villainous path.

Meanwhile, Sylvie’s crime is love. Love for her home. Love for her family. Loki’s crime is escaping certain death. The Sacred Timeline dooms Loki to become a villain and die. Over and over and over. That’s a terrible purpose. So, who can blame the variants for resenting it. (I know I always did.)

Sylvie represents the alternate path for Loki in the case he is not redeemed. His path leads him to redemption twice. Her path turns her into a worse person than he. Mobius calls him "just a little pussy cat." She slaughters countless people. There is nothing mischievous about her. She is a monster, murderer, hypocrite. She trusts no one. She cares about no one. She thinks everyone is a liar.

Her actions lead to the end of the timeline. Even after her revenge, she finds herself alone and bitter. after pushing Loki away. Without redemption, this is what Loki could become. What's the difference? Love. In both timelines. He loves his brother. He loves Sylvie. That love leads him to the necessary redemption. Though his journey is the most complication of all the Avengers, he is still a hero in the end.

As mentioned before, HWR cannot fight or control the Loki’s. Their insatiable purpose keeps them from backing down. They even refuse to die. All Loki’s are exceptionally strong, stronger than Loki and Sylvie realize. So, what’s an ancient scientist with no battle training to do? Negotiate. He offers Loki and Sylvie his job. It’s an uncharacteristically generous offer, but it becomes rapidly evident that HWR is an eccentric man and hard to predict. His proposal throws the couple off guard. Loki is perplexed, but Sylvie doesn’t believe a word. Both are understandable reactions.

Is there another reason he makes his proposal? I think so. Loki and Sylvie are an unprecedented pair. Two variants of the same person can not only coexist, but they are also stronger together. It’s unheard of, especially to HWR. He acknowledges this as an asset for the TVA. Loki and Sylvie are bad alone, but they are a wonderful team. They even each other out like a prime example of a yin-yang. Even the Reylo community is spinning over this new power couple.

Whether or not the TVA is the lesser than two evils and holding back a terrible fate, the question of free will is still a bigger issue. How many people/variants does HWR murder and wipe from existence to hold back his own variants? Who among the versions of himself is the worst? He becomes the very monster he fears. Whether or not he means well, it doesn’t give him the right to wipe out entire universes. This villain has more blood on his hands than Thanos, all because he is afraid of his own variants (or is he?).

The point here is that HWR might be a little jealous of Loki. He can coexist with his variants. In fact, they survive together at the end of time while everyone else die around them. There’s something very special about Loki that HWR cannot figure out, and it makes him crazy. Perhaps, it’s the reason why Loki can never achieve his glorious purpose. The Man Upstairs has a vendetta against him, but that’s finally over. The multiverses are back. Loki’s future is nothing but untapped potential. I, for one, can’t wait to see where his glorious purpose leads him.

We’ll see in Season 2, which is set to release in Summer 2023.