Who is the REAL Main Villain of 'Loki'?

Image via Marvel Studios

At the beginning of the show we were introduced to Miss Minutes. She was the one who introduced us to the Time Variance Authority and gave us a history lesson on the powerful Time Keepers and their role in keeping the multiverse together. As the show has unfolded, we found out that everything Miss Minutes has told us since the beginning has been a lie. All of the other TVA agents have been kept in the dark, unaware of the truth about the TVA, making Miss Minutes one of the only people to know the truth while continuing to deceive everyone. 

When the tides start to turn in favor of heroes in Episode 5, Slyvie is questioning both Ravonna Renslayer and Miss Minutes to find more answers behind the TVA’s lies. We see Miss Minutes continuously stalling until more agents arrive to arrest Slyvie. Miss Minutes has been the primary source of information and has played this librarian role throughout the entire show while lying the entire time.

Another candidate that has certainly been on everyone’s radar is Ravonna Renslayer. Ravonna has been the head of the TVA and her comic history leads us to believe that she may be another puppet for Kang The Conqueror. In the comics, Ravonna Renslayer isn’t associated with the TVA and doesn’t play the judge role we see her play in the show. She does, however, have ties back to Kang and even engaged in a romantic relationship with the Conqueror. This has led us to believe that she might be working for Kang, but could we be overlooking Renslayer herself? 

Marvel could take a similar approach as WandaVision by propelling Ravonna to the role of the main villain. Fans theorized that Agatha Harkness was only a puppet for the bigger Marvel villain, Mephisto, but it turned out that she was the big bad of WandaVision all along. With one episode left, Marvel could reveal that Ravonna Renslayer was the one deceiving everyone and has been pulling the strings the entire time. After all, when the other TVA agents discovered the truth behind the TVA, it was Ravonna that ordered them to be “pruned” instead of diving deeper into the truth herself. One thing’s for sure: There is more than meets the eye when it comes to Ravonna Renslayer.

With some fans on the fence about whether or not we’ll see Kang, another theory is that the villain of Loki is Loki himself! This show has continued to dive deeper in the Marvel lore introducing alternate variants of the same character. A Loki variant has been not only the main character but also the supporting character (Slyvie) so maybe Loki is also the villain. After all, with Loki being the most narcissistic character in the MCU, it would be poetic for him to be all of the most important characters in the series. 

There’s also a shot of Loki rising from his throne as he appears to be a King from the marketing of the show that still hasn’t played out. Maybe this is a King Loki variant who created the TVA and used Ravonna, Miss Minutes, and Alioth as protection for his kingdom where he can peacefully rule as he’s always wanted to.

Last but certainly not least, our guess for the one behind everything, Kang the Conqueror. Loki brought time travel to life in the MCU like never before with the introduction of the TVA, the Sacred Timeline, and the Multiverse. If there’s one character in Marvel lore that is synonymous with time travel, it’s Kang the Conqueror, AKA Nathaniel Richards. 

Since the beginning of this show the references and easter eggs for Kang have been overwhelming:

• Our introduction to Ravonna Renslayer, who was Kang’s love interest in the comics.


• Alioth’s grand debut in Episode 5 ties to Kang and Ravonna Renslayer in the comics.


• The Void featured multiple references to Kang and Chronopolis, Kang’s home in the comics.
  
  
  
  • Chronopolis is made up of pieces from histories that Kang conquered. In Episode 5, several historical landmarks were featured, here are a few:
    
    
    
    • Lighthouse of Alexandria
    
    
    • Pyramids of Giza
    
    
    • The Santa María
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • The direct references to Kang in the Void include:
    
    
    
    • The Avengers Tower, but it had “QENG” on the side of it. In the comics, QENG Enterprises, which is owned by Nathaniel Richards AKA Kang, purchases Stark Industries. 
    
    
    • A skyscraper with “QENPARK” on the side of it. Another reference to illustrate “QENG” taking over…
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

We can hear you all screaming “Mephisto,” saying this is the same situation as WandaVision. A lot of us thought that he might have been behind the events of that show, which he ended up having no involvement in. Here’s the difference: Kang has already been cast! He’s set to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in 2023, and will be portrayed by Lovecraft Country star Jonathan Majors. There are no hypotheticals with this situation, it’s a fact; Kang is coming. Having said that, it would make sense to have arguably the biggest time travel villain in comic history appear in a show about time travel, especially with the consistent references and easter eggs throughout the season and knowing he’s confirmed for an upcoming project.  

[Ed note: Also, Loki director Kate Herron shut down any and all revitalized Mephisto theories.]

This show has done a tremendous job of keeping us engaged and guessing. We are certainly in for an epic finish as we are all wondering who is truly behind the TVA and all that transpired in Marvel Studios’ Loki. Don’t miss the epic finale which will debut Wednesday on Disney+!