Tamal Kundu
In episode 4, titled ‘The Nexus Event,’ the Disney+ superhero series ‘Loki’ continues to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe in unconventional and unique ways. For the audience, the latest episode is a roller-coaster ride from start to finish. Before they are about to be obliterated along with Lamentis-1, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) are brought to the TVA headquarters. Sif (Jaimie Alexander) makes an appearance, albeit not in person but as part of Loki’s time-loop punishment arranged by Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson).
This episode is also about truth. Both Mobius and Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) recognize the truth about themselves, which leads to a foundational shakedown of the TVA. Loki himself learns certain things about himself — some uncomfortable, others ground-breaking. And then there is the post-credits scene, which teases that phase 4 will get even more bonkers. Here is everything you need to know about ‘Loki’ episode 4 ending. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Loki Episode 4 Recap
Episode 4 begins in Asgard. A young Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) arrives in Hunter gear and with some Minutemen and takes a young girl, claiming that she is a Variant. However, when the girl is about to be presented in front of a TVA judge, she manages to take Ravonna’s TemPad and teleports away. In Lamentis-1, Loki and Sylvie continue to bond as the hour of their doom nears. While monitoring the Sacred timeline, Mobius and B-15 discover that an unprecedented Nexus Event — or branching of the Sacred timeline — seems to be unfolding and realize that the two pesky Variants might be there. Loki and Sylvie are subsequently brought in and isolated from each other.
Mobius understandably doesn’t trust Loki, especially when the latter tells him that the TVA is lying to him. Loki is then sent to the Time Cell, forced to live out a memory of pain and humiliation time and again. In this particular memory, Sif shouts at Loki and beats him up because he had cut her hair as a prank. After enduring it several times, he admits that he did it because he craves attention and is afraid of being alone. Meanwhile, Mobius unsuccessfully tries to convince Ravonna to let him speak to Sylvie.
Later, Mobius brings Loki out of the Time Cell and tries to interrogate him. When he proves to be uncooperative once more, Mobius threatens to send him back into the Time Cell with Sif, prompting Loki to claim that he is the mastermind behind all of it. Mobius seems to see through Loki’s intentions and lies about Sylvie being dead. Loki’s emotional response to this genuinely catches Mobius off guard, and he incredulously points out the profound narcissism that has to be involved on Loki’s part for him to knowingly fall in love with a version of himself. Eventually, Loki reveals the truth that Mobius and every other TVA agent are a Variant.
However, Mobius again sends Loki back into the Time Cell. But his conversation with the God of Mischief has planted a seed of doubt in his mind, and he switches Ravonna’s TemPad with his own and plays the video of Hunter C-20’s (Sasha Lane) interrogation on it. Learning that Loki was telling the truth this time, he brings him out of the Time Cell and is confronted by Ravonna, who orders his pruning. When Loki and Sylvie are presented before the three TimeKeepers, Hunter B-15 arrives and frees them. They fight their way to the TimeKeepers, only to realize that the three entities are not in charge of the TVA.
Loki Episode 4 Ending: Who Are the TimeKeepers?
The show initially presents the TimeKeepers as immensely powerful superbeings who can control the flow of time. The TVA propaganda video declares them as the ones who brought peace and harmony by merging all the warring timelines into the singular Sacred timeline. The TVA is depicted as an organization that the TimeKeepers established to monitor the timeline at their behest. Mobius and most of the other TVA employees believe that the TimeKeepers created them.
As the series progresses, it is revealed that the TimeKeepers are not as benevolent as their employees seem to think. The TVA mercilessly erases any branches of the main timeline, not caring about how many people they kill. In episode 3, Loki learns from Sylvie that all the TVA employees are Variants themselves, taken from their lives and time. Their memories are then wiped out, and they are forced to work for the TVA.
The climactic scene of episode 4 reveals that the TimeKeepers are not even the tyrannical entities that Sylvie and Loki think they are. Instead, they are “mindless androids” that are likely controlled by some other entity. When Sylvie decapitates one, the other two shut down as well. It appears that Ravonna seems to have some ideas about what is going on, and Sylvie intends to finds out what the TVA judge knows. It’s possible that whatever Ravonna knows, the other judges do as well, considering the TVA is an inherently bureaucratic organization.
Is Loki Dead? Is Mobius Dead? What Is the Significance of the Post-Credits Scene in Loki Episode 4?
No, Loki isn’t dead. After they learn the truth about the TimeKeepers, Loki seemingly tries to confess his feelings to Sylvie. This is when Ravonna prunes him from behind. As the fan in me tries to cope with the idea of the death of the lead protagonist in episode 4 of an MCU TV project, the said protagonist is shown to be alive in the post-credits scene. Seemingly transported to another world, he meets other Loki Variants, who are noted in the end-credits as Boastful Loki (Deobia Oparei), Classic Loki (Richard E. Grant), Kid Loki (Jack Veal), and apparently a Crocodile Loki. The Boastful Loki seems to wield a variant of Mjolnir.
In the comics, classic Loki is just that, the original comic book version of the God of Mischief from Earth-616. He is a darker and more ruthless version of the MCU Loki. Considering that the series also cites him as the “Classic” version of Loki, it might depict him as the original and first Loki, from whom others have been created. In the comics, the death of Classic Loki in an event known as the Siege of Asgard results in his rebirth as Kid Loki. So, if the MCU Loki is still alive, Mobius is likely as well and was also sent to another world. That may be the purpose of the pruning process; it doesn’t necessarily kill a person but transports them to another world, which can potentially serve as their prison.
What Happens to Hunter C-20? Is She Alive?
When Mobius asks Ravonna about Hunter C-20, the TVA judge tells him that the other woman is dead before adding that Sylvie had scrambled the Hunter’s mind. Ravonna seems to be extremely evasive when she says this and appears to be hiding certain facts. Mobius realizes this, and after listening to Loki, he steals Ravonna’s TemPad and learns that everything Loki was saying about the TimeKeepers and TVA is true.
Sylvie’s enchantment unlocked Hunter C-20’s memories of her life. This is why she kept saying, “It’s real,” when she was brought back to the TVA headquarters. It’s possible that whoever controls the TVA has deemed Hunter C-20 to be too dangerous and had her pruned. If that’s the case, she might still be alive like Loki and reappear in future episodes.
Who Is Girl That Ravonna Renslayer Arrests? Why Does Ravonna Arrest the Girl?
The girl that Ravonna arrests in Asgard is none other than Sylvie herself. After she manages to escape with Ravonna’s TemPad, she spends a considerable time staying one step ahead of the TVA until learning that she can hide in apocalypses. Although the exact reason for Sylvie’s arrest hasn’t been revealed yet, the Goddess of Mischief hypothesizes that her existence is an attempt by the Universe to break free of the shackles of the Sacred timeline. When that causes a big enough Nexus Event, the TVA came, wiped her reality, and arrested her.
Why Does Hunter B-15 Help Loki and Sylvie?
Like Hunter C-20, Hunter B-15 also experiences glimpses of her life before the TVA while being under Sylvie’s enchantment. When Mobius informs her that Loki told him that the TVA was lying to him, he confirms her suspicions. She later takes Sylvie to the Roxxcart world and confronts her about the truth. Realizing what has been taken from her, she becomes emotional. When Loki and Sylvie are presented before the TimeKeepers, Hunter B-15 suddenly appears and frees them. She knows she will likely be pruned for her actions but still goes through with it.
Read More: Where Is Loki Filmed?
