Mischief Managed

One huge Loki finale spoiler proves the true villain isn’t Kang

Is Loki once again his own worst enemy?

Loki is closer than ever to uncovering who is in charge of the Time Variance Authority, and it might be someone very familiar.

After Episode 5 saw Loki face a dozen different versions of himself in the Void and team up with a couple of them to take down Alioth, you’d think we would already have dealt with our fair share of Lokis. As Mobius quips, “You throw a rock out here, you hit a Loki.”

However, Loki Episode 5 could be setting up a finale showdown we expected at the beginning of the series but lost sight of over the course of the show: Loki vs. “Evil Loki.”

Warning! Possible Loki spoilers ahead.

Was it Loki all along?

The first couple of episodes set up Loki to go face-to-face with his “evil” variant. The series then subverted expectations by introducing Sylvie, who ends up not being a villain at all. She reveals the truth about the TVA and becomes one of the good guys. In fact, she brought out some real humility from the most relentless trickster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Loki Episode 6 will almost definitely reveal who’s really behind the TVA, and while Easter eggs point toward other major Marvel villains (cough Kang cough) it’s possible the finale will reveal the Big Bad to be another Loki variant: an Evil Loki, if you will.

But this isn’t just a theory, there’s cold hard evidence to back up our Loki finale predictions.

This shot from one of Loki’s trailers shows a Loki sitting on a throne.

Marvel Studios

On TikTok, user 3cfilms explained how a shot of Loki sitting on a gold throne from a recent teaser trailer has yet to appear on the show. The TikToker refers to this Loki as “King Loki” and suggests he may be the evil Loki variant awaiting the show’s protagonists in the castle.

A Loki being king of the TVA aligns with a Loki-level of narcissism we’ve come to expect from the character. An Evil Loki would absolutely see himself as his biggest threat. So, of course, he would want the TVA to eliminate other Loki variants who could threaten his rule.

Wouldn’t it also be fitting for Loki’s final fight to be with himself? It could be his biggest challenge yet and a true test of his emotional growth as a character.

Loki finale: Kang could still be in control

Many fan theories emerged over the last two weeks, speculating about Kang the Conqueror’s involvement with the TVA. Expectations are high for him to appear in the Loki finale. But it doesn’t make sense to introduce Kang onscreen now and have fans wait almost two years to see him again. Remember: Kang is confirmed to be the villain in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which releases in 2023.

Many theories suggest Kang the Conqueror is the TVA’s Time Keeper in Loki.

Marvel Comics

However, it is possible Loki could mention Kang as the orchestrator behind the TVA and give him a looming presence. Similar to how Thanos sent Loki to wreak havoc in The Avengers, Kang could be doing the same thing here — indulging Evil Loki’s self-serving nature while using the variant as a pawn to sustain a timeline that benefits his plans.

What also remains unclear is how contained the Marvel Disney+ shows are meant to be. WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are more or less tangential to the MCU films. (It is helpful to watch them before the upcoming MCU movies, but arguably not required.) The same is expected of Loki, but introducing Kang at the very end would make the series pretty much required watching while also leaving the story unresolved.

For the Loki finale to work, the show’s big bad needs to be Loki himself. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get a little taste of Kang in the process.

Loki is now streaming on Disney+.

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