TV & Movies

These Convincing Loki Finale TikTok Theories Point To A TVA Twist & More Variants

There could be one villainous Loki variant we haven’t met yet.

More variants were introduced in the build-up to the 'Loki' season finale. Photo via Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios

Spoilers ahead for Loki Episode 5. After their magical defeat of Alioth (with an iconic assist from Classic Loki himself), Loki and Sylvie began making their way toward the mysterious mansion beyond the Void in Episode 5 of Loki. What they’ll find there is the question on many a fan theorist’s mind. The enigma of the Time Variance Authority and Ravonna Renslayer’s murky motivations are among the many mysteries the season’s final entry is tasked with answering — knowing this show, there’s bound to be a twist or two along the way. Fortunately, the most ardent Loki theorists are a few steps ahead, tapping into both comics lore and Marvel history as a whole to arrive at a possible idea of what chaotic note the show will end on.

The rapidly approaching finale (which, paradoxically, can’t come soon enough) has the potential to reveal a truly surprising big bad and connect Loki to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a major way — that is, if these TikTok ideas prove to be true. Here are some of the most intriguing theories surrounding the Loki finale so far as you count down the Miss Minutes until July 14.

Loki Is Going To The House of Ideas

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User twelvepercentcredit posits that Marvel is about to go meta with the final episode of Loki. It could all go down in that castle shown at the end of Episode 5, which twelvepercentcredit believes is the House of Ideas, a recent addition to the Marvel Comics lore (and, notably, a place that comics Loki himself has visited). In a 2019 Loki run, the God of Mischief visited the mystical place and is introduced to the characters Then and Now, who oversee shelves upon shelves of various Marvel heroes’ stories.

“I think Loki and Sylvie are about to meet the creators of the MCU, or Then and Now, and then adopt the title ‘God of Stories,’” twelvepercentcredit explained. “And then choose to rewrite their own story.”

If this theory does turn out to be true, then it could have heartwarming implications on Loki and Sylvie’s future — that they, as the comics put it, could have “more time” and “blank pages” on which to craft their own destiny. The concept doesn’t sound too far off from the pair’s conversation under the blanket in Episode 5, in which Loki suggested they “could figure it out together.” As evidenced by his interactions with the various Lokis, the God of Mischief has never been closer to understanding his story and who he wants (and definitely doesn’t want) to be.

The TVA Relates To A Doctor Strange Character

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Even before Loki began, viewers have theorized the show could lead to the unleashing of the Multiverse — especially since the show’s head writer, Michael Waldron, also served as co-writer on the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As theorized by TikTok user lyanamacaluso, the specific connection could be in the form of who’s running the TVA. The user recalled a scene in the original Doctor Strange in which Mordo warned Stephen Strange against his interference with “natural law,” telling the sorcerer that “the bill comes due. Always.” As lyanamacaluso noted, that sounds a bit like the TVA’s classic line.

“Mordo had access in the Sanctum to all of these different works about magic,” the theory continues. “Why couldn’t he find one that would be powerful enough to create the TVA?”

Lyanamacaluso went on to reference the Doctor Strange post-credits scene in which Mordo, who is set to appear in the upcoming sequel, said there were “too many sorcerers,” implying his desire to rid the world of a certain kind of chaos.

Loki Has An Infinity Stone Connection

Infinity Stones have been mentioned several times throughout Loki — they’re tossed in a TVA junk drawer as “paperweights” in Episode 1 and most recently featured in Boastful Loki’s tale about collecting them all in Episode 5. For TikTok user she_loves_marvel, the reference to the powerful gems goes even further.

In a video posted after Episode 4, she_loves_marvel suggested that the six episodes of Loki could correspond to each of the six Infinity Stones, pointing to colors and themes that feature heavily in each entry. For example, she explains, the red-lit Roxxcart scene of Episode 2 heavily connects to the Reality Stone because “Loki’s questioning what’s real, what’s not real,” whereas Episode 3’s purple-cast setting and new power displays (and quest for a “power source”) point to the Power Stone.

This theory makes even more sense after Episode 5, where green-hued magic stole the show, with talks of time via Classic Loki possibly alluding to the Time Stone. If the coloring is intentional, then the final episode is due for blue, the Space Stone, which could be a nod to Kang the Conqueror or the Tesseract itself for a full-circle moment — because before meeting Sylvie and Mobius, 2012 Loki’s greatest companion seemed to be the shiny blue cube.

While the colors and themes do seem to line up pretty perfectly, YouTube channel New Rockstars host Erik Voss thinks it might be another WandaVision-esque reach. “The take ... is an example of a fun interpretation but probably not a sign of the writers’ intentions,” the Marvel aficionado wrote on Twitter.

The True Villain Of Loki Is Loki

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Though many theories point to Kang the Conqueror being the true villain of Loki, the actual big bad might be someone we know and love — Loki himself, a variant we haven’t met yet. As ladyoftheinternet explains, Loki’s penchant for surviving would make him the perfect candidate for helming an organization removed from time altogether. “It’s the one variant of Loki that was able to rule. Maybe that’s where Asgard Loki comes back into it,” she explained, referencing a promo shot of Loki in Asgardian garb we haven’t seen in the series yet.

If this theory pans out, it will lend a new meta meaning to Loki — a way for him to confront the very best and very worst parts of his potential. Either way, here’s hoping for concrete answers when it all goes down on July 14.