Loki: 10 Things You Need To Know About The Time-Keepers

Warning: This article contains major spoilers from episode 1 of Loki.

With the debut episode of Loki already proving a hit with fans, the show wasted no time in grabbing the viewers’ attention by introducing the Time-Keepers as the key players in this universe. Controlling the very time stream on which the Marvel Cinematic Universe operates, it appears that the trio could end up being the antagonists of the series.

The Time-Keepers are not an original creation for Loki though but instead, a group pulled straight from the comics. In order to really understand their role in the Disney+ series moving forward, it’s important to look back at their origins as well as some of their major storylines and features. It’s also important to see how the protagonist and anti-hero could play into all of this.

10 What Is Their Origin Story?

The Time Variance Authority actually pre-dates the Time-Keepers in the comics. Whereas in the MCU it appears that the three entities actually created the TVA, the source material sees them formed by the very last director of the organization.

It’s a little confusing due to the nature of the shifting timeline, but the Time-Keepers were formed by He Who Remains, a powerful cosmic and Multiversal entity who wanted to bring order to the chaos of the Multiverse. This character is perhaps too complex to introduce into Loki though.

9 Who Are The Time Twisters?

There were actually two failed creations before the main Time-Keepers were fully formed. Known as the Time Twisters, they brought havoc to the Multiverse and were certainly dangerous entities that had to be stopped. In the comics, it was Thor who had to put an end to them.

Thanks to their immense power, the universe was split into two; one where the Time Twisters continued on their journey and another where they were actually destroyed, allowing for the regular flow of time. It’s moments like these that the Time-Keepers were designed to prevent.

8 There Are Three Members

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has portrayed the Time-Keepers as three individuals and this is the case in the comics as well. They seem to work as a unit, without each of them displaying wildly different personas. However, they do have their own names.

They were named Ast, Vort, and Zanth and took their responsibilities incredibly seriously. They are beings that live beyond the known universe, overseeing the whole Multiverse. Up to now, the MCU has been accurate in adapting how powerful they truly are.

7 There Was A Fourth Creation

The comics actually reveal that a fourth member of the Time-Keepers was created. This is an interesting narrative point that the show could play into if the showrunners were looking for a larger Big Bad to try and manipulate events.

Known as the Oracle of Siwa, the fourth member was actually exiled to Egypt in 2950 BC for unknown reasons. This is a time period which Loki could end up visiting, perhaps finding this mysterious oracle who would provide answers to the Time-Keepers’ defeat.

6 Interfering With The Watchers

The Watchers are a vital part of reality, with the alien Deities looking across all of space and time, observing and recording exactly what is taking place. They are not allowed to interfere and they should never be interfered with. However, the Time-Keepers had other ideas though.

They created a portal through which The Watchers could view everything they wanted. They had control over this device, meaning that if they ever felt that they needed to confiscate it, they would do so, putting themselves ahead of The Watchers in the universal hierarchy.

5 Using Immortus

One of the personalities of Kang the Conquerer is Immortus. The Time-Keepers warned the time traveler of a dark future, where humanity must be stopped in order to prevent it from coming to pass. He went on a mission to therefore secure his own future and the safety of Earth.

It would become apparent that the Time-Keepers were actually feeding Immortus lies. While their motivations will be revisited again, it’s possible that Loki could see a similar narrative play out, with the Time-Keepers manipulating the TVA to do their bidding and curtail Earth.

4 A Nexus Being

One of the other missions that the Time-Keepers sent Immortus on was to destroy a Nexus Being which could threaten to break apart reality completely and disrupt the time stream. This Nexus Being happened to be Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch.

Immortus would instead create a romance between Wanda and Vision but the implications of this narrative on the MCU are extremely clear.  WandaVision has now shown that Wanda really is a Nexus Being in the MCU, meaning she could be the one to create a “Multiverse of madness.”

3 Preserving Their Power

The reason behind their use of Immortus, as well as their detailed control over the time stream, was so the Time-Keepers could continue to be some of the most powerful entities in existence. They wanted to preserve their role in the universe.

Plenty of heroes and villains threatened to destroy everything they had built, but for a long time, they managed to hold on to their regime. Loki might see the God of Mischief be the one to completely undo the lies of the Time Keepers.

2 What Are Their Powers

As some of the greatest cosmic beings in the Multiverse, the Time-Keepers hold abilities that many humans wouldn’t even be able to comprehend. In the scale of power, they are actually stronger than most conventional Gods, like Thor or Hercules, and mightier than the likes of The Watchers.

Their abilities mean that they can morph reality. They can reverse or speed up time, move beings from across the Multiverse at will and if they so choose, wipe out someone’s timeline completely. Their gifts appear to be just as impressive in the MCU.

1 Their Deaths

Kang the Conquerer has been known to heavily meddle with time. The Time-Keepers are, of course, a major obstacle for the imperialist to overcome and have caused significant trouble for him in past lives. There was only one way to end their tyranny.

Kang actually destroyed the Time-Keepers completely, leaving the time-stream open to be manipulated. Of course, this also put an end to the Time-Keepers villainous plans to continue to take full control over humanity’s destiny by preserving the correct timelines.

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