Thanos, your crown as the MCU’s most dreaded villain is in danger. The Time Variance Authority and the Time Keepers are here, and it is a whole new challenge for Loki in the Marvel’s latest TV series, Loki.
If you’re a frequent reader of the Marvel Comics, you would know what I am talking about. For those of you who don’t know, let us wreck our brains over the agency that controls um..mostly everything!
The Time Variance Authority (TVA) is an agency that exists beyond the scope of reality. It is concerned with monitoring realities throughout the multiverse and works at the focal point of every timeline. This focal point is what they call the sacred timeline.
The first episode of Loki, led by Tom Hiddleston as Loki focuses on the history of the TVA- what it is, how it came to being and what it means at the moment. It also reflects on the life that Loki has led, which, by the way is news to the Loki in the series (not to us).
This Loki has branched off from the timeline during the events shown in The Avengers and has ventured into a completely new world. Throwback to Avengers: Endgame (2019) where Loki from The Avengers (2012) era escaped with the Tesseract.
It’s meant to give some context for those who might have forgotten, but otherwise nothing we don’t know. If you haven’t watched Endgame (Seriously? Why? Go watch it NOW!) then it is a little difficult to understand the context here, because let’s admit it, it ain’t gonna help!
So just after Loki disappears into thin air, he is seen emerging out of a portal and crashing into the middle of Gobi Desert in Mongolia and that’s where our series begins.
Okay cool, no more spoilers. But let’s have a clear look at everything we need to know about the fascinating TVA and Sacred Timeline.
1. What Is The Time Variance Authority?
The Time Variance Authority, abbreviated as the TVA is essentially an organization that monitors realities throughout the multiverse. It first appeared in the Marvel Comics in 1986, in an issue of Thor comics.
For starters, these guys are really powerful. They can do a lot of things, such as deleting entire timelines if they feel they’re too dangerous or something. It functions like any organization would, with lower rank and upper rank employees.
In the comics, there exists lower ranking TVA employees called chromomonitors. They’re basically created by quantum technology and are faceless clones.
Now this heck of an organization is run by a trio of entities called the Time-Keepers. The time keepers were created by He Who Remains, the first chairman of the TVA. These keepers replaced the time-twisters who were much more flawed.
In the show, their existence is still a mystery. They’re like this supernatural deity that the TVA employees believe in. But they do exist as per the comics.
The TVA runs in accordance to the wishes of the time keepers and they must ensure the sacred timeline (the one in accordance to the time keeper’s wishes) is protected and no alternate timeline is created. They essentially police the multiverse.
If we go by the comics, there’s a lot we already know about the time-keepers and their attempts to kill the Avengers, or basically anyone that potentially destroy them. But the MCU is not known to follow the comics like the gospel truth.
I don’t mind that though. It will be interesting to see how the TVA comes into play in Loki and what the time keepers are up to as per this series is concerned.
2. What Do The Time Keepers Do?
Well as I said, these guys are pretty darn powerful. They can do a lot and can also end a lot.
The Time Keepers, created by He Who Remains, the last chairman of the TVA, has essentially one main function: to protect the sacred timeline. They are a trio who are like Gods to the TVA and the TVA is expected to control and protect the timeline as per the wishes of the time keepers.
Before the Time Keepers, the Time Twisters were at work and they didn’t do a good job at all! So, the reality was split into two- one with the time twisters and one without. In the latter, He Who Remains created the time keepers.
In the comics, the Time Keepers do quite a lot, which we haven’t seen in the show yet. They made attempts to break up the Avengers because they felt threatened by their presence. They sent Space Phantom and later Immortus to defeat them.
While Space Phantom did not succeed, Immortus switched sides and aided the Avengers. Immortus also led Scarlet Witch into a relationship with Vision.
So to sum it up, these three presumably run the TVA, considers it their duty to protect the sacred timeline and creates trouble for the Avengers and anyone else strong enough to defeat them. That’s pretty much what they do.
3. What Happens To Those Who Change The Sacred Timeline?
The sacred timeline refers to the timeline that is completely in sync and in accordance to the wishes of the TVA’s Gods or the Time-Keepers. This is the timeline that needs to be policed and protected by the TVA, as instructed by their gods who all powerful and wise.
So since it is established what basically the TVA and the Time Keepers do, the question arises as to what happens if an alternate timeline is created or someone messes with the sacred timeline. Damn, you’re in danger.
As we know, the TVA’s primary responsibility is to monitor the sacred timeline and looking for any signs or evidence that a new branch or branches have been created. This is where the nexus comes in.
A nexus is a connection or link. It is the point where an alternate timeline can branch out of the sacred timeline. When a nexus is created, it means there is interference with the sacred timeline. The TVA then takes charge.
Those who engage in these nexus events, such as waging a war or even being late for work, are known as “variants”. So, when Loki picked up the Tesseract back in 2012 and vanished into an alternate reality as seen in The Avengers, he became a Variant.
So, now the TVA is after him, because the god of mischief is responsible for creating a nexus event and thus interfering with the sacred timeline.
The TVA has the sole responsibility of identifying Nexus events and destroying them by any hook or crook as per the wishes of the time keepers. The reason is that if a Nexus event is left “untreated” for a certain amount of time, it will end up creating a whole new timeline separate from the Sacred Timeline.
The Time Keepers’ carefully curated, protected and monitored mono-verse timeline then might become a full-fledged multiverse of timelines. Nobody wants that, except Loki and us Marvel fans. (Wink!)
And heck, we will get it on time before Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. We must!
4. How Powerful Is The TVA?
It is too early to answer that question objectively at least as far as Loki the series is concerned. I would say the TVA is not the most powerful antagonists that the MCU has witnessed.
First of all, though the MCU has existed for years, there is a lot left for us to discover. The MCU will always continue to exist and new branches will open out to give us more of it. So there are high chances of threats as powerful as Thanos (if not more powerful) to arise.
But the makers have to play differently in my opinion because sometimes introduction of god-like, larger than life villains may just become boring for the audience now. I mean, we’ve already seen Thanos, TVA is kind of a fresh change TBH.
The TVA seems to be a more logical and interesting approach from the MCU. We must remember that the TVA are the keepers of the Sacred Timeline and hence exists outside of time itself. Why then, would anything within the realm of the known timeline even think of challenging their authority?
So, the TVA operates outside the realm of Loki’s powers and the power of the infinity stones. That does not necessarily mean they are more powerful but simply that they work in different dimensions.
In Loki’s first episode, it is explained that an unseen Variant (who according to Mobius is another Loki) is travelling through time and interfering with the timeline.
The TVA’s hunters are being attacked in the “real world” and the rest of the agency seems unable to stop him. That’s why they have to bring Loki in to help in the first place.
Now, if the TVA really possessed more power than the Infinity Stones, it would easily succeed in putting a stop to the Variant Loki’s mischiefs, isn’t it? The TVA isn’t the most powerful we have witnessed in the MCU according to me.
Thanos still takes the cake. Let’s hope the TVA does not disappoint!
5. About Loki
Loki is an American TV series created by Michael Waldron for Disney+ and Marvel. It is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with events of the series taking place after Avengers: Endgame.
Tom Hiddleston reprises his role as Loki along side new faces like Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, Sasha Lane, Eugene Cordero and Erika Coleman.
After stealing the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame, Loki is apprehended by the mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA) and their Time-Keepers. Loki is given a choice between fixing all the timelines he broke with the Tesseract and death at the hands of the TVA.
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