All you need to know about ‘Loki’ and MCU’s time travel

Loki, Tom Hiddleston‘s character, has become a fan favourite in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And it is safe to say that with his own spinoff series, Loki had a full arc in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Loki first appeared as a villain in Thor and the first Avengers movie in 2011 and 2012. He then, later, slowly transformed into an anti-hero character in Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War released in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Loki’s spinoff series is being considered as a soft reboot for the character by many. The series’ storyline says that the “Loki variant” is recruited by a group of time cops to restore order to the universe. However, this Loki, till now, has not learned to love his brother Thor, so it is likely that his journey will map his transformation.   

So, if you’re confused with Loki’s time-travelling stunts, here’s a quick guide to Loki and how time travel works in the MCU.

Loki’s backstory, let’s start in the beginning

Loki, aka the god of mischief, in the MCU, changes allegiances from movie to movie. Loki, who is not Odin-born, is loved dearly by Thor. Loki descended from the Frost Giant and then was adopted by Odin.

It has happened often that Loki has tried to take Asgrad’s throne by usurping Thor and Odin’s power several times. He had even joined hands with Thanos in Avengers and used two of the Infinity Stones in his bid to enslave all of Earth. However, he was defeated by the Avengers.

Even though he faked his deaths, he did sacrifice himself many times for his brother. By the end of the third Thor film, the god of mischief changed his ways. He helps Thor save the people of Asgard from Hela – their evil sister.

However, just as they make their escape, they are intercepted by Thanos. Loki, despite becoming a good guy couldn’t help but steal the Infinity Stones from the treasure room before evacuating the planet.

Loki pledges loyalty to Thanos but secretly plots to kill him. But Thanos comes to know about it and chokes him to death.

So is Loki dead?

Yes, he is. But when Avengers travel back in time, they encountered another version of Loki. The 2012 version is still obsessed with ruling the earth and this is the one we will see in the TV series.

In Endgame, where did Loki go?

When the Avengers travelled back in time to retrieve the Infinity Stones, the 2012 Loki during a surprise scuffle grabs the Tesseract and disappears. This is where the TV show begins.

Loki is apprehended by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), an organisation that prevents disruptions in the time-space continuum. Loki is told that he “broke reality” when he grabbed the Tesseract and now the onus is on him to help them restore the universe’s balance.

Time travel in the MCU

According to movie critics, movies exhibit two types of time travel – the butterfly effect and the loop. However, in the MCU, they create branching timelines. So when branches are created, nothing they do in the past affects their present, it only impacts a different timeline.

In Endgame, the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) explains to Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) that someone needed to travel back in time and put all the Infinity Stones in places, ensuring that time remains stable. So when Loki stole the 2012 Tesseract, he created a different branch and attracts the attention of the TVA.

This means that multiple versions of a character can exist in different timelines and can even interact with one another.

Cast of Loki

Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E Grant, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Owen Wilson, Erika Coleman, Sasha Lane, Jon Levine.