As with other MCU spinoffs,
Loki draws extensively from Marvel Comics canon. Episode 1 introduces the Time Variance Authority (TVA), an organization that will clearly have a central role in the the story. But what is the TVA, and how does
Loki‘s version relate to the TVA of the comics? (This post includes some minor spoilers for
Loki episode 1.)
The TVA is a kind of quasi-governmental agency that exists outside of space and time, policing dangerous “varients” in the multiverse’s timelines. In turn, they’re governed by three mysterious and powerful beings known as the Time-Keepers. It’s a kind of meta-commentary on Marvel comics continuity, which is famously elaborate and difficult to untangle. The comics involve a sprawling multiverse of rebooted and overlapping universes, whereas until recently, the MCU had a straightforward single-strand timeline. So there was simply no reason for the TVA to show up in the MCU before now.
By John Boone Marvel Studios
Loki doesn t pick up where
Avengers: Endgame left off so much as it actually starts a few minutes before the end of Loki s screen time in that movie: In a quick recap of the Time Heist, we establish the events that led to the 2012 iteration of Tom Hiddleston s God of Mischief that is, before his redemption arc and death at the hands of Thanos getting ahold of the Tesseract and teleporting to who knows where.
Now, we know where: the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, where he s promptly picked up by intergalactic time cops. Wunmi Mosaku s B-15 informs Loki that he s being arrested by the Time Variance Authority for crimes against the Sacred Timeline, and when he resists, bitch slaps the hale out of him in splendid slo-mo. Meet the TVA!
Wunmi Mosaku, who plays Hunter B-15, a high ranking soldier in the
Time Variance Authority (TVA) and perhaps also a time traveling bounty hunter, with a unique skill set!
B-15 is an integral part of the opening episode of
“Loki
“ – she gets the ball rolling and starts the quest to get the world back on the main timeline. Mosaku said, “Hunter B-15 lives and will die for the TVA, however, what’s great about the show is you question what is good and what is bad, what’s a hero and what’s a villain.”
Will B-15 turn out to be a hero or a villain?
New Loki trailer teases new superpowers for the God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston), a power of sorts for TVA agent Mobius (Owen Wilson), and Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) slapping Loki in the face. Loki premieres June 9 on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar.