Following the runaway success of both WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki is already shaping up to be yet another big hit for Disney Plus and Marvel. The series sees Tom Hiddleston reprise his role as the titular trickster God and line up alongside Owen Wilson as the mysterious agent Mobius. Though many are excited about the return of the fan-favorite character and the mischief that he'll no doubt be causing, there are quite a few questions regarding the series' seemingly omnipotent overlords, the Time-Keepers that still need to be answered.
Those who have read the comics will likely already know a little about their backstory, but for Marvel fans who are only interested in the MCU, there's quite a lot to unpack. The Time Variance Authority that Loki is currently working with answer to these all powerful beings, yet the show has yet to provide much information about their motivations or their origins. Thankfully, however, they've appeared in numerous comic book story arcs over the years and so these fans can get a pretty good idea about what their intentions might be during the series.
6 The Time-Keepers Were Created At The End Of Time
Although the Time Variance Authority are shown to be servants of the Time-Keepers in the current timeline, the all powerful beings would never have existed were it not for the actions of the TVA itself. Just before the heat death of the universe was about to take place, the TVA's final director, He Who Remains, created the Time-Keepers in order to protect all of time and space.
As one might imagine, creating beings who are capable of eradicating timelines is no simple task and, despite his vast knowledge, He Who Remains was not able to pull it off at the first time of asking. His first attempt led to the creation of the Time-Twisters, flawed and evil beings who eradicated multiple realities before finally being defeated by Thor. Thankfully, the director's second attempt was a lot more fruitful.
5 The Time-Keepers Are The Product Of A Causal Loop
When playing around with time travel, temporal paradoxes are incredibly common and there seems to be a rather large one lurking just around the corner in Loki. In the show's first episode, it's revealed that the Time-Keepers created the Time Variance Authority in order to protect and maintain the Sacred Timeline, yet unless there are plans to change their origin story for the show, this should not have been possible.
By creating the very organization by whom they themselves were created, the Time-Keepers effectively set in motion an endless loop from which time can neither change nor escape. Given that their creation is said to have taken place at the very end of time, however, it arguably still makes sense to a certain degree. That said, the situation is very much a case of chicken and egg, with it almost impossible to say which came first; the Time-Keepers or the TVA.
4 There Are Rumors Of A Fourth Time-Keeper
Though it's initially stated that there are only three Time-Keepers in existence, it's rumored that a fourth was actually created by the director during the events at the end of time. Known only as the Oracle of Siwa, the fourth time-keeper is thought to have been exiled to Ancient Egypt by his siblings Ast, Vort and Zanth and is likely still residing in the year 2950 BC.
The Oracle of Siwa's only appearance came in a 2005 issue of The Fantastic Four as part of the Divine Time story arc. The heroes are instructed to find the exiled Time-Keeper after they themselves become trapped in Ancient Egypt and in doing so are able to learn that Ramades is the one responsible for their current situation. They're eventually able to return home, but the fate of the Oracle after their departure is never really explored.
3 The Time-Keepers Recruited Immortus To Monitor Time
Immortus is yet to show up in the MCU, but plays a significant role in the events of the Destiny War as well as some of those in the current timeline. He's recruited by the Time-Keepers to monitor the period between the years 3000 BC and 4000 AD and takes a keen interest in The Avengers and the rest of humanity. He calls himself The Master of Time and has been secretly pulling the strings from behind the scenes for thousands of years.
Though there are certainly villainous aspects to his character, Immortus often takes a more pragmatic approach to his work. One such example came when the Time-Keepers ordered him to kill the Scarlet Witch in order to protect the sacred timeline. Rather than carry out their orders, however, he instead attempted to break up The Avengers before she could ever join. When this didn't work, he manipulated Vision and Wanda in order to bring them together so as to prevent her from ever having children.
2 The Time-Keepers Have Access To A Powerful Magic Crystal
During the very first episode of Loki, it's revealed that the Time Variance Authority are sitting on a seemingly endless supply of Infinity Stones. They have so many, in fact, that some TVA agents have apparently taken to using them as paper weights. It's implied that the magic stones have very little power in areas under the TVA's control, but that's not to say that there aren't other magical artifacts that could play a big role in the show's story.
The Forever Crystal was created when Immortus condensed the futuristic city of Chronopolis into an object of immense chronal power. He initially uses the crystal to hinder and manipulate the development of the human race, but is eventually forced to use it to destroy all of humanity by the Time-Keepers. When he refuses, the Time-Keepers kill him and use the Forever Crystal to summon an army of evil Avengers to destroy their real world counterparts. Their plan ultimately fails, however, and the crystal ends up facilitating the evolution of the Kree race.
1 The Time-Keepers Command An Army Of Clones
As well as the likes of Immortus, the Time-Keepers also have access to an entire army of operatives in the form of the TVA. Viewers of Loki have already been introduced to several of the organization's members, including Mobius, Hunter B-15 and Ravonna Renslayer, but there have actually been some rather drastic changes made to some of their designs. In the comic books, rather than each TVA operative having their own unique appearance, most, including Mobius, share the physical characteristics of a single man.
Mark Gruenwald was a writer and editor who worked at Marvel back in the eighties and was seen by many as the company's continuity expert. Such was the depth of his Marvel knowledge, the TVA's creators, Walt Simonson and Sal Buscema, decided to pay homage to him by using his facial features for many of the TVA agents. For obvious reasons, however, Disney opted to break continuity in this regard and used different actors for the production of Loki.