The new episode of Loki just dropped and, naturally, it was great. Titled ‘Breaking Brad’ it followed Loki and Mobius’s hunt to find Sylvie while General Dox and her rogue TVA agents attempted to prune the timeline, snuffing out billions of lives along the way.
That might sound brutal (and it is) but it’s all fairly commonplace stuff now in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the franchise extends out into the Multiverse with Marvel Phase 5 and the upcoming Marvel movies too, exploring the implications of countless timelines and realities. Thanks to a tip from X-5 (known as Brad Wolfe in the Sacred Timeline), Sylvie, Loki, and Mobius – surely a triumvirate of the best Marvel characters – managed to stop Dox’s complete annihilation. But, that might not have been the most important part of the episode.
Instead, it was something far more subtle that might alter the course of Loki forever. During the interrogation of Brad Wolfe, the detainee tried to get under Mobius’ skin by asking him about what his life would have been like if he hadn’t been forced to join the TVA: and what it could still be like if he were to rejoin the sacred timeline as Brad Wolfe did himself. Mobius, clearly regretting that his potential life has been stolen from him, lashes out.
Later, seeing the upset caused to Mobius, Loki sensitively asks Mobius whether or not he’s ever wanted to visit his place in the Sacred Timeline: “Don’t you want to see the life you were supposed to live?” Taken aback, and conflicted, Mobius dodges the question, saying, “Look, that’s the last thing I should be thinking about.” Clearly, it’s occupying his mind.
It’s not a showy moment with action or dramatic music, but it establishes what could be one of the most important plotlines throughout Loki season 2. Reading between the lines, it seems clear that Mobius’ story is headed in a direction that will take him to the Sacred Timeline and show him the life he could have lived, where he’ll ultimately be presented with a choice: leave the TVA and his responsibility, or sacrifice his life as it should have been.
This kind of dilemma fits within Loki’s themes, forcing its characters to make a choice between genuinely difficult options. It’s gotten to the point now where Loki is so important within the context of the MCU timeline that if you’re wanting to rewatch the Marvel movies in order (chronologically or not) you’re going to have to fit it in somehow. But franchise-spanning implications aside, it’s smaller stories like this and the relationship between Loki and Sylvie, that have helped to make Loki one of the best TV series around right now.
Mobius leaving the TVA and abandoning the greater good in order to lead the life he was supposed to live in the Sacred Timeline wouldn’t necessarily change the fate of the MCU, but it would entirely reshape Loki. Especially if this show is going to continue on for more seasons, it’s those kinds of big, unexpected, fundamental changes that can help to keep things fresh. Who knows where that might then take us.
For more on the MCU, keep up to date with The Marvels, and see why we think the MCU is making the same mistake as the comics. Alternatively, see what else is new on Disney Plus before reading our Loki season 2 review, and interview with the show’s executive producer.