avatarEthan C. Wright

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Loki

Loki in the Multiverse of Philosophical Questions

Escape the determinism of the algorithm and exercise your free will (by reading this article)

Loki. ©Disney

The new Loki series on Disney+ is unique in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for its unusually heavy philosophizing. Fortunately, it manages to present its ideas in an entertaining yet thoughtful way.

The first episode (“Glorious Purpose”) foreshadowed the centrality of the determinism versus free will debate in the series, as embodied by the conflict between the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and Loki.

The second episode (“The Variant”) wades deeper into the philosophical trenches. The quieter scenes in which two characters shared their understandings about free will, order, and human nature were just as enjoyable as the big action sequences involving time travel to Pompeii or Loki fighting his variant in a mall in 2050s’ Alabama.

DETERMINISM VERSUS FREE WILL

Free will underpins the MCU, and arguably any superhero enterprise. After all, a superhero’s ability to do the right thing is premised on his or her ability to exercise free will.

The Loki series is threatening to unravel this moral compact. As Ravonna Renslayer explained in episode 1, the Avengers’ time-traveling in Infinity War did not constitute a crime as it was “supposed to happen”, whereas Loki escaping the Avengers by stealing the Tesseract was not. In other words, the Avengers’ actions were predestined to happen as part of the Sacred Timeline.

This has delicious implications for our understanding of the MCU. If everything is part of the Sacred Timeline, did the Avengers ever enjoy free will? If not, were their actions still the right ones? (Black Widow sacrificing herself on Vormir comes to mind.) Conversely, could they have made the right decisions without free will? Reductio ad absurdum, does the lack of free will mean that everything they did was wrong?

For this article, let’s keep things simple.

DETERMINISM: TIME KEEPERS AND TVA

The first two episodes cast the Time Keepers and the TVA as the agents of determinism and fate.

The Time Keepers represent determinism in the abstract. They monitor the Sacred Timeline and decide which branches need to be “pruned”.

Yet, the control the Time Keepers have over the timeline means that they are the only ones with free will. This resonated with me; it is only the powerful who have agency in real life but even then, perhaps less than they appear to.

The TVA, on the other hand, represents determinism in the concrete. They enforce the Sacred Timeline as determined by the Time Keepers, no questions asked.

The TVA does its job with totalitarian flair. The Minutemen are clad in all-black and armed with riot gear. Their tactics are the equivalent of extra-judicial and paramilitary actions. They appear fully indoctrinated by the TVA propaganda.

This is likely Marvel’s way of telling the viewer to be wary of the TVA’s opaque and sinister tactics and consequently, its agenda. From this perspective, the TVA has a precursor in the MCU. Remember SHIELD?

The discussion on determinism in episode 2 is triggered by a seemingly simple question from Loki: how does it all end? Mobius replies that it is a work in progress and that the Time Keepers are “toiling away in their chamber untangling the epilogue from its infinite branches”.

This can be interpreted to mean that there is a multitude of possible epilogues, from which the Time Keepers will choose one to become part of the Sacred Timeline. However, this creates more questions than answers. How will this be decided? What vested interests might the Time Keepers (or a particular Time Keeper) have in a particular epilogue?

FREE WILL: THE LOKI VARIANTS

It is only natural that the eponymous character embodies the heroic quality of free will.

In episode 2, Loki asserts his free will in several ways:

  • He repeatedly insists, to both Mobius and Sylvie, that he has been playing his own game all along.
  • He suggests that by discerning the lack of free will in the TVA, he and Mobius are the only ones who are free.
  • He shares with Sylvie (still in Randy’s body at the Roxxcart Mall) that he intends to overthrow the Time Keepers and invites her to join him as his lieutenant.
  • Caught between an open time portal and the chasing TVA agents, Loki decides to follow Sylvie through the portal. Assuming that the portal, like the TVA, is outside the Sacred Timeline, Loki’s action is an act of free will. He might have decided to join forces with Sylvie, or he might have calculated that the best way to help Mobius was to stay close to Sylvie. (As Mobius pointed out, the TVA knew how to find Loki but they had great difficulties pursuing Sylvie.)

Loki has personified free will in his previous outings in the MCU, but that was to be expected from the God of Mischief. (Again, the powerful have more agency than the weak.) Recall his famous line from The Avengers:

“Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.” ~ Loki

There is therefore a certain poignancy about Loki advocating free will now that he is in a subordinate position. Perhaps the message is that those with power will always seek order, while those without it will crave freedom.

Sylvie takes the exercise of free will to more extreme ends. She rebuffs Loki’s invitation as her ambition is not to rule the TVA. It turns out that she wants to destroy the Sacred Timeline altogether, which she does with a series of interconnected reset charges.

If free will is the apex heroic quality, Sylvie is a strong contender to be the ultimate hero of this series. This might already have been telegraphed in the opening scene of episode 2, where she dispatches Hunter C-20 and the Minutemen to the tune of Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For A Hero”.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING?

Loki’s journey in the MCU (or his “glorious purpose”) thus far has largely been to support the character development of others (especially Thor) or to advance the plot.

This might still be the case. Even in a series named after him, Loki is being constantly reminded that he does not matter. In episode 1, Ravonna Renslayer tells Loki point-blank that “this is not your story, it never was”. In episode 2, Sylvie snarls at Loki, “it’s not about you.”

These hints suggest that Loki’s actions in the series will contribute to the main setting of Phase 4 of the MCU, for example by precipitating the emergence of the multiverse (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) and/or abetting the rise of Kang the Conqueror (Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania).

The question is whether this will be the result of Loki’s conscious actions or a predestined outcome on the Sacred Timeline. Loki’s efforts to exert free will could inadvertently diminish his importance and relegate him (once again) to a sideshow.

ORDER AND CHAOS

“It’s real because I believe it’s real.” ~ Mobius

The question of determinism versus free finds expression in Loki and Mobius’ debate about the merits of order and chaos in the second cafeteria scene.

Loki. ©Disney

Mobius is the star of this exchange. Mobius’ comments embody the TVA’s commitment to order on the surface but contain just enough nuance to make you wonder if something deeper runs inside him.

The Jet Ski Conundrum

A seemingly frivolous anecdote at the start of the conversation firmly positions Mobius on the side of order. Waxing lyrical about jet skis (“a beautiful union of form and function”), Mobius wistfully resigns himself to the probability that he will never experience riding a jet ski. The sight of a TVA agent on a jet ski, he reasons, would result in a branched timeline. It is a simple but effective entry into a deeper discussion.

The Descartes Appropriation

Mobius explains to Loki that the TVA “is real because I believe it’s real”. Mobius points out, quite reasonably, that everything is ridiculous when we think about where we came from. Mobius argues that the notion of the Time Keepers creating the TVA is no less believable than that of a Frost Giant creating Loki or Odin raising him. Mobius does not obsess about what to believe or not to believe; rather, he accepts what is.

This opens an interesting line of inquiry: if Mobius is capable of choosing not to question the source of existence, is he not demonstrating agency, however limited? The paradox seems apt coming from Mobius, given that he is named after the strip that has only one surface and loops back onto itself.

Mobius’ “My Own Glorious Purpose” Soliloquy

In a disarmingly eloquent monologue, Mobius points out that existence is chaos, nothing makes any sense, and the TVA is trying to make sense of the chaos. Mobius is therefore grateful that the chaos he emerged into gave him his “own glorious purpose”.

On the surface, this is a reiteration of standard TVA propaganda. However, the improvisation at the end, incorporating Loki’s most famous quote (“I am burdened with glorious purpose”), hints at deeper layers. If everything is determined by the Time Keepers, how can Mobius truly have his “own glorious purpose”.

I am left to wonder: could Mobius and Loki’s objectives, to maintain order and to incite chaos respectively, really be the same glorious purpose at the end of the day? Again, the Mobius strip analogy might be more meaningful than suggested thus far.

The Order at the End Hypothesis

In response to Loki’s question about what happens after the Time Keepers untangle the epilogue, Mobius says that there will be no further need for the TVA as there will be no more Nexus Events. There is “just order and we meet in peace at the end of time.” He asks rhetorically, “nice, right?”

This is a curious comment. If the Time Keepers are still untangling the epilogue, how can there be a vision of the end already? Is this part of the TVA’s propaganda that Mobius has internalized? (There has been no indication of the epilogue in Miss Minutes’ training videos thus far.) Or is it a projection of a wish held by a world-weary time-traveling TVA agent? What happens if Mobius discovers that the TVA’s work can never be done and that protecting the Sacred Timeline is a permanent task?

HUMAN NATURE & EXISTENCE

“No one bad is ever truly bad, and no one good is ever truly good.” ~ Loki

The question of determinism and free will extends to discussions on human nature.

This is fascinating as there are no humans in the TVA. TVA agents like Mobius (and presumably Ravonna Renslayer), the Hunters, and the Minutemen are bioengineered entities. Loki himself is a god.

Yet, it is the very distance of these characters from being human that allows the series to probe the meaning of human nature.

The Immutability of Human Nature

One of the most interesting exchanges takes place between Ravonna Renslayer and Mobius in her office after the failed mission to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1950. Though they are both TVA agents who represent determinism, there are important differences in their attitude to the changeability of people.

Loki. ©Disney

Renslayer stakes out the hardcore determinist position, arguing that Loki’s role in the Sacred Timeline is that of an “evil, lying scourge”. Mobius responds that Loki might be tired of playing the same role and could change.

This suggests that Mobius does not discount the possibility of free will, at least at the micro, individual level even if not at the macro, Sacred Timeline level. Renslayer dismisses Mobius’ argument (but also effectively reconciles their differences) by pointing out that Loki can only change if the Time Keepers decree it.

This scene also tees up the series’ approach to the unique personalities of the Loki variants. Renslayer highlights at the outset that this Loki is “insubordinate, stubborn, unpredictable”. Mobius focuses on the commonalities, noting that this Loki liked to stall for time and that “understanding this Loki helps me get closer to the one we are chasing”.

Multiple Individualities

The theoretical debate about individuality moves into the physical world when two of the Loki variants come face to face at Roxxcart, an anachronistically old-fashioned mall located in Alabama in 2050.

The exchange is interesting for several reasons. The much-anticipated reveal of the Loki variant (who may or may not be Lady Loki) surprised us that they shared virtually no physical similarities (for example, male versus female, dark versus blond hair, British versus American). The only thing that connected them was their shared affinity for the color green.

Neither do their mannerisms or speech patterns resemble each other. On the contrary, Sylvie spends much of their first encounter making fun of Loki’s behavior:

  • She mocks Loki by having her Thralls (especially Hunter B-15 and Randy the store clerk) imitate his mannerisms, in particular his head tilt and smarmy smile.
  • Next, she enchants a burly redneck, who proceeds to throw Loki all over the place (thereby showing up the latter’s well-known physical weakness) while mocking his penchant for talking too much.
  • Finally, she thanks Loki for helping her stall for time, nothing that he really does love the sound of his voice.

Loki starts from the premise that the Loki variants share essential similarities, even if one (i.e. himself) is better than the other. In the TVA, Loki refers to the variant as “the lesser Loki” and “the bad Loki”. Speaking to Sylvie, he asserts that he is the superior Loki and invites Sylvie (still in Randy’s body at the time) to be his lieutenant as he overthrows the Time Keepers. By the end of their first encounter, however, Loki finally appears to recognize the fundamental differences between the variants, muttering to himself that “I would never do this to me”.

Sylvie is more emphatic about their differences. She bristles at being called “Loki” and being considered an offshoot of Loki (“If anyone is anyone, you’re me.”) She dismisses Loki’s motivations and declares that she has no interest in ruling the TVA, before proceeding to blow up the Sacred Timeline.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The discussions on free will and order in Loki are not without precedent in the MCU. Notably, some of the MCU’s best films incorporated important philosophical questions such as the moral role of government in Captain America: Winter Soldier and the flaws of international law in Captain America: Civil War.

The first two episodes of the Loki series suggest that the creators may be willing to tackle these questions a little more extensively and thoughtfully, instead of merely squeezing them into snappy little exchanges in between the action sequences.

That said, talking about philosophy, though enjoyable, is only half the picture. The proof is in the proverbial pudding. The philosophical theories need to be tested by subjecting the characters to difficult, even intractable, moral dilemmas. The Loki series is a particularly suitable show to do it on, given that our conceptions of the protagonists and antagonists are liable to change.

Loki
Marvel
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Philosophy
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