Loki Secretly Revealed Sylvie’s Nexus Event – Theory Explained

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Loki episode 4.

Though Loki presents it as a big mystery, Sylvie’s nexus event may have been revealed already in the Disney+ series. Nexus events are moments when a variant, such as Loki, steps off their path on the sacred timeline. As shown in the Loki premiere, these events could be as drastic as causing an uprising or as simple as being late for work. When a nexus event is detected, the Time Variance Authority resets the event, arrests the variant responsible, and makes them stand trial for their crimes. According to the TVA, failing to stop nexus events could result in a multiversal war.

Loki episode 4 finally shows the moment Sophia Di Martino’s Lady Loki was arrested by the TVA. At the start of the episode, a younger Lady Loki is playing with toys in Asgard when the TVA barges in and takes her away. Though her activities seem fairly innocent, the agency is convinced that she steps off her timeline. “There’s our variant,” the TVA announces. Years later, Lady Loki, who goes by Sylvie now, asks Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) about her nexus event. According to Renslayer, she doesn’t even remember it.

While the show doesn’t explicitly state it, Loki episode 4 may have subtly revealed Sylvie’s nexus event. At the start of the episode, Sylvie plays out a hero scenario with her toys, pretending a Valkyrie flies in to save Asgard from a menacing dragon. Then, after Sylvie is arrested as a variant and taken in by the TVA, she sees another person struggling in TVA custody. She screams, “Help him!” Following the episode, fans theorized (via Reddit) that these are all clues to Sylvie’s nexus event. She’s caring, kindhearted, and heroic. Put simply, Sylvie is arrested because she’s not a normal Loki. According to the theory, the nexus event in Loki episode 4, which causes the TVA to find Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Sylvie, is further proof. The fact that the two Loki variants started to care for one another isn’t very Loki-like. The moment between Loki and Sylvie caused the timeline to spike to the point where the TVA took notice.

The theory seems logical. As additional evidence, the TVA resets Sylvie’s timeline after she’s arrested, and the first things to disappear are her toys. Those are the same toys she used for that heroic, Asgard-saving scenario. The series also makes a point of showing that Sylvie isn’t like other Loki variants. In Loki episode 2, Loki fights a character that’s been enchanted by Sylvie and says, “I would never treat me like this.” Sylvie is so different from Loki that early episodes inspired theories that Lady Loki isn’t a Loki at all. According to some theorists, Sylvie is secretly a different character entirely. However, those series have seemingly been debunked.

Though the theory about Sylvie’s nexus event is convincing, nothing is definitive. The episode doesn’t explicitly show one way or another why Sylvie was arrested, so it could be a big reveal that’s still coming. There’s also the possibility that there wasn’t much of a nexus event at all. The TVA goes after variants of the God of Mischief all the time. It doesn’t need a special reason to arrest a Loki. Of course, Sylvie isn’t just an average Loki.

Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

About The Author

Bill Bradley
(523 Articles Published)

Bill is an experienced reporter who’s covered entertainment and fandom since 2014. He’s done everything from unearthing the discarded Game of Thrones pilot script in a library in Texas to finding out why Steve left Blue’s Clues. He also enjoys eating Taco Bell and drinking chocolate milk.

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