Episode 6 of Loki culminates with us learning that the man behind the curtain is actually a variant of Nathanial Richards who we know has taken on many identities and aliases.
Renowned throughout the Marvel Universe as Kang The Conquerer, he has travelled through timelines, attempting to take over all and the first season did lay the groundwork with a lot of easter eggs and callbacks to the comics to let us know he was coming.
The Time Keepers
Now in general the biggest clue was the TVA itself as well as the Time Keepers. Often linked to Kang, he used to work for them until he ended up going off to do his own thing against their wishes. The fact that the Time Keepers were here but there was no sign of Kang, coupled with the reveal that they were robots was a big indicator that one of his variants was behind it all.
We also know from the comics that He Who Remains created the Time Keepers and I really appreciate that they took these characters and pushed them together to give a soft introduction to who is coming down the line.
In the final episode He Who Remains also refers to himself as The Devil and though he’s not necessarily God, the fact that the central Time Keeper looked a lot like Johnathan Majors hinted at things slightly.
God created man in his image and it makes sense that the Time Keepers would be created in their master’s image as for now it’s one of the character’s greatest creations.
The resemblance to Kang amongst the Time Keepers was so uncanny that when we got a look at their heads in the first trailer people genuinely thought it was the Conquerer’s face due to the lines and shape of it.
Ravonna Renslayer
In addition to this was Ravonna Renslayer, a love interest of Kang who could often be seen in front of this central figure. Not only was he a key statue in her office but when she was carrying out Loki’s trial his face also towered over her almost encompassing the character. When we’re first introduced to her she appears in front of his lips, perhaps symbolising that she is very much the voice of Kang carrying out his commands unbeknownst to her.
For a long time, she was the only one who was allowed to speak to the Time Keepers who of course were controlled by Kang and thus it makes sense that she appears like this throughout the series.
This subtly lets us know that he was controlling her and everything in the TVA and it makes sense as to why she doesn’t wish to break free of the TVA even upon learning the truth in the finale.
Renslayer was a princess from the 43rd century that fell in love with Kang and for a long time she ruled Chronopolis which is the kingdom that belonged to Kang. Inside this were some of the seven wonders of the world including the Pyramids which popped up in the void, hinting to us that it was all connected.
Kang also used a time machine disguised as a Sphinx and this still had its nose intact unlike the one in our real world. This nose could also be seen as being present on the one in the void further linking it all to Kang.
The season ended with a statue dedicated to Kang in an alternate version of the TVA and though we don’t know where Ravonna went, I do believe that she will have travelled to this universe after learning of it from Miss Minutes. You pretty much don’t get her, the TVA and The Timekeepers without Kang so it just made a lot of sense knowing what we do from the source material.
Clue in the Credits
The credits also contained a subtle clue and we could see a coffee pot which contained a sticker that said Fresh 800BC. 800 BC was actually the year that Kang travelled back in time and changed his name to Rama Tut. Due to his highly advanced technology, he was able to rule over all and Tut became a Pharoah unchallenged for many decades. This further ties back to his love of pyramids which, of course, popped up in the void and also his home.
Gobi Desert Connection
Now after Loki escaped from the events of The Avengers, he travelled to the Gobi desert where he was discovered by a tribe. This is gonna be the biggest reach, I promise, however you will probably know that the desert is located in northern China and southern Mongolia.
The name Kang Ju actually comes from the Kang Ju tribe who moved into China from central Asia during the reign of the Han Dynasty. Now like I said I might be Reach Richards but this location is where we start could be a hint towards where we finish.
Time Twisters
Now there was also the device that the TVA used called the Time Twisters, in the comics these were actually beings who were created by He Who Remains whilst trying to make the Time Keepers. They were twisted villainous versions but it looks like their name was carried across to this show to hint at He who was behind it all.
Queng
Now episode 5 is completely filled with nods towards Kang. We started off with a one-shot that went from the TVA to the head of the timekeeper which took a lot of focus before moving through the void bringing focus to the Qeng building.
Qeng was actually a company owned by an alternate version of Kang and he ended up buying Avengers from Tony Stark in order to use it as a base of operations.
Alioth
It’s here that we also got Alioth, a trans-dimensional cloud that roamed the void consuming everything it could. Clouds have often appeared in comic book movies however I’m glad that they actually managed to make a good one.
In the comics, Alioth was a malevolent force that was accidentally freed by Ravonna Renslayer and Kang ended up capturing it and using it as a pet.
It was around this time that Johnathan Majors was doing interviews and when asked by Variety if he was in Loki he said ‘I dunno what you’re talking about.’ However, Variety sounds like Variant….and also…yeah bit of a reach but he did shut the interview down suspiciously fast. Faster than I upload breakdowns which is very suspicious.
Kang’s Colours
Now finally the last big clue towards Kang came when we watched Loki and Sylvie open up Alioth. Kang’s colours have always been green, purple and blue which could all be seen within the cloud as it opened up.
Now he who remains is also wearing clothing that is typically associated with Immortus and this makes me think that he’s actually more in line with that older version of Kang.
He, of course, has outlived all the other versions in the past in order to create this one timeline that will avert the war and thus we can take it that he is one and the same and the variants we will be experiencing from here on out are younger versions.
Who is Controlling He who Remains?
Now one big question that has been itching away at me is who was controlling He Who Remains. The character was given a script of how everything would play out but beyond this, he didn’t know the way that things would go and thus we can take it that he wasn’t the one who wrote it.
I actually think that a Loki variant will be the ruler who gave him this knowledge and it may even potentially be Sylvie as she decides to take over the position in the end. She experienced this conversation first hand and would have the script, thus her going forward would enable her to give this to He Who Remains in the past so that he could carry out these events that she told him. If we look at the comic Agent Of Asgard, it was revealed that an older Loki was behind all that and therefore that just makes the most sense to me.
Anyway, I’m kinda going off course now but I will be doing a further video on this discussing where I think the show could be going next time.
Now obviously I’d love to hear your thoughts and if there are any clues we missed. I think I got them all but the show is almost 6 hours long so I’m sure there’s something there.
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