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alias_sqbrSo I have a theory.
Spoilers below for episodes one and two, though the basic idea had occurred to me by the end of episode one.
n.b. this icon choice is not intended to imply any spoilers about the show. Though being a show about alternate selves and time travel with an immortal protagonist inclined to fake his own death, Loki could have gone in that direction, and I guess still could!
So.
I think Mobius and Variant/f!Loki are working together, or at least know each other, and possibly are or were romantically involved.
My reasoning/theory:
First of all, any story about Loki involves a lot of trying to figure out what Plots he's Up To, and having someone be tricking him into taking part of a plot would be an appropriate and fun twist.
Second, Mobius just...feels like he's up to something to me. If one of the other non-Loki characters turned out to be Up To Something it wouldn't feel as narratively right. Of course we're only 2 episodes in, that could change. But the show kinda reminds me of the Good Place and [insert spoilers for the Good Place Here]
Beyond that:
The TVA, and thus plausibly Mobius himself, have encountered many Loki variants before.
Mobius's knowledge of Loki feels pretty personal, it COULD just be based on research but to me it feels more like Mobius knows Loki personally.
So I think either he got to know lots of Lokis a little bit and eventually got attached, or got to know one really well when they were thrown together for some reason. He and one or more Lokis had similar conversations to the ones he's had with this Loki, where Loki questions the nature of the agency and attempts to wrangle an audience with the Timekeepers. This is why he has an air of "I knew you'd say that but it's still kind of cute".
And Mobius referring to Variant as "The Superior Loki" has a different context if he genuinely likes/respects Variant more, and thinks of protagonist!Loki as a secondary copy, like an endearing but annoying little brother to the Real Loki.
Variant said "It's not about you". So who is it about? It could be about saving their mother/Asgard etc. But it could also be about Mobius (saving him? Getting revenge on him??), and bringing down the time agency (with saving various Asgardians as an important side effect)
I've seen people point out that Mobius's movie emphasises Loki being loved by his family, and them all dying, to the extent of implying that Thor is dead when he's not. Which could be part of a plan to manipulate him into being more motivated to save them.
Tom Hiddleston and the other producers have been making vague allusions to drawing on the myths and making Loki's gender/sexuality fluid as in the comics. But Marvel would never go for making Loki too gay on TV. Mobius/f!Loki feels to me like exactly the sort of kinda-queer-kinda-annoyingly-heterosexual choice that would fit both those criteria. I mean Mobius/f!Loki could absolutely be part of an enjoyably gender-neutral take on Loki and his relationships, but it also leaves space to flinch back from being too overtly queer, and the MCU is all about flinching back from anything too subversive.
I kinda predicted Variant being a girl because of this theory at the end of episode one.
...speaking of the myths, Loki gets pregnant a lot, that would certainly add a complication!
I mean it would also be kinda fun if they make it look like Mobius/Variant is romantic/sexual and then they're both like "lol no it's purely about working together to destroy the world :)" or whatever. It would also be cool if Mobius/f!Loki was a stepping stone to Mobius/m!Loki but I am Not Holding My Breath.
Minor speculation: At some point Loki is going to take Mobius jetskiing or we will see that a different Loki already took him.
I've seen people speculating that there could be some sort of time loop going on, where this Loki becomes Variant etc. That would also explain Mobius's air of "I have seen this before". It doesn't feel like that sort of time travel show but it's not impossible and would be pretty cool. Especially if we still get Mobius/Variant :D
One reason I'm writing this down now is the show might still disappoint me and go EVEN MORE heteronormative/binarist than I am expecting, so I want to have fun with these gendery ideas now while I'm still in a fun genderfluidy headspace.
I am sure I had other thoughts but have forgotten them, this will do for now.
Spoilers below for episodes one and two, though the basic idea had occurred to me by the end of episode one.
n.b. this icon choice is not intended to imply any spoilers about the show. Though being a show about alternate selves and time travel with an immortal protagonist inclined to fake his own death, Loki could have gone in that direction, and I guess still could!
So.
I think Mobius and Variant/f!Loki are working together, or at least know each other, and possibly are or were romantically involved.
My reasoning/theory:
First of all, any story about Loki involves a lot of trying to figure out what Plots he's Up To, and having someone be tricking him into taking part of a plot would be an appropriate and fun twist.
Second, Mobius just...feels like he's up to something to me. If one of the other non-Loki characters turned out to be Up To Something it wouldn't feel as narratively right. Of course we're only 2 episodes in, that could change. But the show kinda reminds me of the Good Place and [insert spoilers for the Good Place Here]
Beyond that:
The TVA, and thus plausibly Mobius himself, have encountered many Loki variants before.
Mobius's knowledge of Loki feels pretty personal, it COULD just be based on research but to me it feels more like Mobius knows Loki personally.
So I think either he got to know lots of Lokis a little bit and eventually got attached, or got to know one really well when they were thrown together for some reason. He and one or more Lokis had similar conversations to the ones he's had with this Loki, where Loki questions the nature of the agency and attempts to wrangle an audience with the Timekeepers. This is why he has an air of "I knew you'd say that but it's still kind of cute".
And Mobius referring to Variant as "The Superior Loki" has a different context if he genuinely likes/respects Variant more, and thinks of protagonist!Loki as a secondary copy, like an endearing but annoying little brother to the Real Loki.
Variant said "It's not about you". So who is it about? It could be about saving their mother/Asgard etc. But it could also be about Mobius (saving him? Getting revenge on him??), and bringing down the time agency (with saving various Asgardians as an important side effect)
I've seen people point out that Mobius's movie emphasises Loki being loved by his family, and them all dying, to the extent of implying that Thor is dead when he's not. Which could be part of a plan to manipulate him into being more motivated to save them.
Tom Hiddleston and the other producers have been making vague allusions to drawing on the myths and making Loki's gender/sexuality fluid as in the comics. But Marvel would never go for making Loki too gay on TV. Mobius/f!Loki feels to me like exactly the sort of kinda-queer-kinda-annoyingly-heterosexual choice that would fit both those criteria. I mean Mobius/f!Loki could absolutely be part of an enjoyably gender-neutral take on Loki and his relationships, but it also leaves space to flinch back from being too overtly queer, and the MCU is all about flinching back from anything too subversive.
I kinda predicted Variant being a girl because of this theory at the end of episode one.
...speaking of the myths, Loki gets pregnant a lot, that would certainly add a complication!
I mean it would also be kinda fun if they make it look like Mobius/Variant is romantic/sexual and then they're both like "lol no it's purely about working together to destroy the world :)" or whatever. It would also be cool if Mobius/f!Loki was a stepping stone to Mobius/m!Loki but I am Not Holding My Breath.
Minor speculation: At some point Loki is going to take Mobius jetskiing or we will see that a different Loki already took him.
I've seen people speculating that there could be some sort of time loop going on, where this Loki becomes Variant etc. That would also explain Mobius's air of "I have seen this before". It doesn't feel like that sort of time travel show but it's not impossible and would be pretty cool. Especially if we still get Mobius/Variant :D
One reason I'm writing this down now is the show might still disappoint me and go EVEN MORE heteronormative/binarist than I am expecting, so I want to have fun with these gendery ideas now while I'm still in a fun genderfluidy headspace.
I am sure I had other thoughts but have forgotten them, this will do for now.
no subject
Date: 2021-06-16 04:42 pm (UTC)And I think Mobius making a point that the variant they're hunting is the 'superior Loki' was significant.
I'm enjoying it so far, though you're right about the POC characters (in your previous post). I really really love Wunmi Mosaku kind of as she is, she's got room to potentially shift her perspective/s, and I really hope she does! But I've found her character interesting/endearing, like when she laughs when Loki is trying to do magic during the trial, and the parental 'absolutely not' re: the weapons. I'm hoping that with both of them pairing off there is an 'enemies to friends' kind of arc there but I could be VERY wrong with how this show is going and also Disney being Disney. I want a character growth arc but will Disney give me one outside of say Loki and Mobius? Who knowsssss.
no subject
Date: 2021-06-16 04:54 pm (UTC)Which certainly suggests different timelines within the TVA, or that the timeline is already changing and the TVA doesn't know it. Anyway, I thought it was cool that they're changing the credits already, and will probably change them a lot more as the eps go on!
no subject
Date: 2021-06-21 11:34 am (UTC)I want a character growth arc but will Disney give me one outside of say Loki and Mobius? Who knowsssss.
Yeah that's where I'm at. We'll see!
no subject
Date: 2021-06-21 11:35 am (UTC)I absolutely did NOT notice that and OOOOH. So curious to see what's going to happen next! bounces impatiently