Loki Season 1, Episode 2 continues directly from the season premiere, with Loki reluctantly working alongside Mobius and the TVA to hunt the dangerous Variant responsible for killing Minutemen and stealing Reset Charges.
Spoilers for Loki Episode 2 follow.
For related coverage, see our MCU catch-up guide.
The Loki Variant Strikes Again
The episode opens in Wisconsin in 1985, where a TVA team led by Hunter C-20 (Sasha Lane) arrives at a medieval re-enactment while searching for the Variant teased at the end of Episode 1.
Bonnie Tyler‘s “Holding Out for a Hero” kicks in as the Variant takes control of C-20 and uses her to attack the other Minutemen. Once the team is defeated, the Variant escapes with C-20 and another TemPad.
Back at the TVA, Loki continues asking the questions the audience needs answered about time travel and the organisation’s rules. Mobius remains convinced that understanding Loki is the key to understanding the Variant they are chasing.
How Can A Variant Hide From The TVA?
Loki eventually discovers the Variant’s hiding place by studying the destruction of Asgard. His theory is simple: a Variant can hide inside an apocalyptic event because any changes they make shortly before the disaster will be wiped out by the catastrophe and therefore will not create a detectable Nexus Event.
Mobius and Loki test the theory in Pompeii in 79 AD. Loki causes as much disruption as possible moments before Mount Vesuvius erupts, yet the TVA detects no meaningful variance. The theory works.
The pair then use Kablooie candy, previously found with the child in the French church, to narrow down the Variant’s location. Their investigation leads them to a Roxxcart store in Alabama in 2050, shortly before a catastrophic hurricane.
The Sacred Timeline Is Bombed
The TVA enters Roxxcart and splits into teams. Loki travels with B-15, who is quickly possessed by the Variant. Rather than maintaining a single body, the Variant moves between different hosts throughout the store while speaking directly to Loki.
Loki offers the Variant a partnership to overthrow the Time-Keepers, although it is difficult to tell how sincere he is. The Variant has no interest. Instead, a much larger plan is already underway.
Reset Charges hidden throughout Roxxcart are sent through time to different points on the Sacred Timeline. Back at TVA headquarters, countless branches suddenly appear at once, throwing the organisation into chaos.
Who Is The Variant In ‘Loki’ Episode 2?
In the closing moments, the Variant finally reveals herself as a female Loki Variant played by Sophia Di Martino. After completing her plan, she escapes through a Time Door and Loki chooses to follow her rather than return to Mobius and the TVA.
The reveal had been widely speculated following set photos, but it still works as a strong ending because the episode immediately changes the scale of the series. The TVA is no longer simply hunting one rogue Variant. The Sacred Timeline itself is now under attack.
‘Loki’ Season 1, Episode 2 – Final Thoughts
I had a seriously fun time with Episode 2. The investigation gives Loki and Mobius more room to develop their chemistry; the apocalypse concept is a clever expansion of the TVA’s rules and the final reveal sends the series in a much bigger direction. It is a clear step up from an already strong premiere.
Loki Episode 2 is streaming on Disney+.
