Why The TVA Destroys Some Variants (& Keeps Others)

Warning: SPOILERS for Loki episode 3, "Lamentis."

The latest episode of Lady Loki, a.k.a. Sylvie, accidentally teleported themselves to Lamentis-1, a populated moon that is on the cusp of being totally destroyed. In order to ensure their safety, the pair begrudgingly started working together to find a way out.

Coming from the cliffhanging ending of Loki episode 2 where Sylvie, the show's supposed antagonist, was finally unmasked, more information about the character was revealed in the newest outing for the show. She revealed that she, too, was adopted, and has been hunted by the TVA for a long time now. Yet there are still many questions regarding her overall identity, not to mention her plan. She has been adamant about getting to the Time-Keepers after learning their location, but unfortunately, due to Loki's meddling, she had to deviate from her scheme that had been years in the making.

Most of Loki episode 3 focused on the God of Mischief and Sylvie fighting for their lives on Lamentis-1. Apart from the opening scene, the TVA was not involved in the episode and Agent Mobius M. Mobius did not even appear. Despite this, the show revealed a significant detail about the organization, with Sylvie telling Loki that all of TVA's employees are variants like them, not created by the Time-Keepers as Loki had been told.

The Time-Keepers Use Variants As TVA Agents: Theory Confirmed

While it's fairly a new organization in the MCU, the TVA has supposedly been around for a long time. Based on Miss Minutes' information video, the Time-Keepers created the body to prevent another Multiverse War. Although Loki agreed to aid Mobius in his quest to catch Sylvie, the Asgardian prince remains dubious about the Time-Keepers. It didn't help that when he prodded TVA workers for more information about the Time-Keepers and how they run the TVA, no one seems to give a straight answer or any answers at all.

Lo and behold, Loki's hunch that there's something wrong in the TVA turns out to be right. Sylvie revealed to him that just like them, the people working for the organizations are variants. Their memories are erased and they are made to believe that it's their sole purpose to serve the Time-Keepers, hence Mobius's answer when asked about his origins. Interestingly, this plot twist was executed subtly; after Loki found out about it, the pair was never able to revisit this massive revelation again as there were other more pressing concerns to tackle. But this information significantly changes the trajectory of Loki and will likely dictate what happens in the next three episodes of the series.

Why Do Only Some Variants Become TVA Agents (& Others Are Destroyed)?

Sylvie's revelation was big and alters the show's storytelling direction. But it also raises some questions, including how the TVA decides which variants to recruit and which ones to prune. After Loki escaped during the New York leg of the the Sacred Timeline, the God of Mischief was sentenced to be pruned until Mobius intervened. Shortly before that, another variant was seen being deleted from the timeline just for losing his ticket.

This means that not all variants that the TVA arrests are automatically brainwashed and turned into either an analyst or a hunter. This may have something to do with deciphering which ones meet the criteria for ing the organization; much like any other job application process, one must be equipped and fit for the responsibility that they're tasked to do. Aside from having the qualifications, chances are that one's past and even personal character traits are important when it comes to TVA hiring. The organization can't risk employing headstrong people as they could ultimately discover their secret that the TVA is built on lies or desire to have lives of their own.

Why Has The TVA Never Kept A Loki Variant?

In Loki episode 2, Mobius revealed that the TVA has pruned almost more Loki variants than any other variant. He showed several versions of the character ranging from Viking Loki to Tour De Loki. Considering the many times that a Loki has been arrested by the TVA, it's curious that the agency doesn't keep at least one or two Lokis as an employee. As the God of Mischief proved, he's smart and can be useful when motivated the right way. The answer could very well lie in the fact that Lokis are just inherently too chaotic and curious.

As previously mentioned, the Time-Keepers built the TVA on lies, and to be able to continue its operations, the Time-Keepers need employees that are not only equipped to do their jobs but are relatively easy to manage. And Loki is most definitely not the latter. He's a handful, perpetually curious, so it's almost guaranteed that he will ask questions about how the TVA works, just like Loki did in the role of their consultant. Not to mention the fact that the Time-Keepers may not be able to brainwash and reprogram Loki at all; as he showed Sylvie, he's remarkably resistant to enchantment. Instead of having to tackle the problems that a Loki would inevitably cause, the TVA figured it's best not to deal with them altogether. With Sylvie leaving countless Minutemen dead, Mobius had to think outside of the box and recruit a Loki in the hopes of catching the rogue variant. That, however, is a temporary situation.

What TVA Agents Being Variants Suggests About The Time-Keepers

Tom Hiddleston as Loki and Time Keeper statue

Three episodes into Loki, the TVA's Time-Keepers are still nowhere to be seen. Based on Loki's time in the organization, it doesn't seem like anyone really knows them. It's unclear if even Judge Ravonna Renslayer has met them and even Mobius has questioned their whereabouts. Given this, it's difficult to predict what they're up to, but one thing is for sure: the Time-Keepers can't be trusted. They built the TVA from lies. Their employees are deceived, with their memories wiped out in order to be easily controlled. At the start of Loki, Sylvie was dubbed as the primary villain of the show. But after her revelation, it appears as if it's the Time-Keepers who are up to no good.

More: Loki Episode 3 Ending: How Loki & Sylvie Escape The Moon Theories

Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.