Set directly after the events of Avengers: Endgame, the new Loki series explores the God of Mischief joing forces with the TVA as they try to restore the timelines throughout the Multiverse.
It seems as though Loki has discovered the trick to cheat death within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I think we can all agree that the world would not be the same without the God of Mischief.
Who are the TVA?
The TVA stands for the Time Variance Authority and they are an organisation that is responsible for protecting the so-called “sacred timeline” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Anyone who attempts to use time travel to alter either the past or future is considered a Variant and has to answer to the TVA.
The show establishes the tone up front in an episode filled with a number of laughs, fun concepts, and drama. It is set directly after the events of Avengers: Endgame, specifically after Loki steals the Tesseract from the Avengers and escapes.
The first TVA Agent that we meet is the imposing Hunter B-15. The scene is quite fun to watch as we see Hunter B-15 smack Loki’s mouth shut with her nightstick, which sends the wannabe ruler of Midgard into a frenzy.
The organization’s headquarters has a very 60s feel to it and exists outside of time and seeks to preserve the established timeline as we’ve seen it unfold. As Loki is taken into custody and processed, the TVA’s mundane office workers dryly ask him questions that seem too enormous to comprehend, but are quite routine to the administrators — like getting him to sign a document confirming everything he’s ever said. Loki talks up his own godhood and his plans for domination, but these office drones couldn’t care less. Once the central threat to the Avengers, Loki is a mere fly to the TVA, a routine pest one swats away without giving too much thought. To these cosmic beings, Infinity Stones are disposable trinkets. Whatever grandeur Loki and the MCU once had has now been thoroughly deflated. It’s quite funny to watch.
The show’s first episode does a couple of key things. On one hand, it looks backward and reintroduces us to the Loki that we know very well, from him wreaking havoc on the Avengers in New York, to faking his death, working with Thor during Ragnarok against Hela, and his final moment against Thanos in Infinity War. The show has no choice but to deflate and cast aside the events of Phases 1 through 3.
Audiences are introduced to Agent Morbius (Owen Wilson), whose ideas differ from the norm, if only slightly. Agent Morbius wants to preserve existing events, and so decides to offer Loki the opportunity to work with the TVA as he believes that Loki could be the Hannibal-esque key to catching the Variant who they see as a murderous threat lurking elsewhere in time.
The premier episode sets the tone for what is yet to come over the next few episodes. It will be very interesting to see how this new Loki’s story will play out.
