Loki Theory: He Who Remains Lied (How Sylvie Helped Him Take Over The TVA)

Caution: spoilers ahead for Loki.

In the final episode of Loki, did He Who Remains lie and exploit Sylvie to seize control of the TVA? While many fans were expecting Kang the Conqueror to make an appearance in Loki‘s season 1 finale on Disney+, few were anticipating just how that grand reveal would shake out. After making their way to the Citadel at the End of Time, Sylvie and Loki are confronted with a mysterious figure known as He Who Remains. Since the character is portrayed by Jonathan Majors (who was already confirmed as the MCU’s Kang in Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania), fans sensed something groundbreaking was afoot.

According to He Who Remains, one of his scientist variants from the 31st century was responsible for opening gateways between the MCU multiverse. Things began cordially enough, but then evil variants began emerging, setting their sights on conquering the timeline instead of studying it. In order to shut down this abhorrent villain, He Who Remains managed to isolate a single time stream, and created the Time Variance Authority, who would stand guard to ensure no diverging paths (and, crucially, no diverging Kangs) sprung into existence.

Despite the harm it would inevitably do to the multiverse, Sylvie was determined to exact bloody vengeance on the TVA’s head honcho, and she slaughtered Kang, consequences be damned. But what if He Who Remains wasn’t telling the entire truth in Loki episode 6? What if his true intention was to trick Sylvie and become the tyrannical new ruler of the TVA?

He Who Remains IS A Villain

In all the Tom Cruise-esque enthusiasm and colorful metaphors, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that He Who Remains is an inherently untrustworthy character. The only reason viewers place a single crumb of trust in Jonathan Majors is because Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief, with all his experience of deception, doesn’t think He Who Remains is lying. That’s a fairly flimsy reason to trust a guy – something Sylvie points out repeatedly, refusing to believe the yarn He Who Remains is spinning.

Firstly, viewers must take into account everything He Who Remains has done, as per his own account. To prevent the rise of Kang the Conqueror and other evil variants, He Who Remains trimmed away entire timelines, not to mention the many, many people still inside them. From Sylvie to Classic Loki to Goldman Sachs guy in episode 1, He Who Remains took lives to save lives, considering the TVA’s work the lesser of two evils. But were the TVA to carry on pruning and pruning indefinitely, there’d come a point where the organization claimed more lives and killed more people than any Kang variant could ever hope to manage. Steve Rogers famously said “we don’t trade lives” and while that notion might’ve always been a tad optimistic, it’s the value all heroes should at least aspire to. Not only is He Who Remains trading lives by the prune-load, he’s arguably doing Kang’s work for him.

Another key factor is the violent disagreement between Lokis. Tom Hiddleston believes He Who Remains; Sylvie very much does not. The audience is naturally invited to side with Loki, since Sylvie is too blinded by rage to be rational – but is that a fair assessment? Ever since Sophia Di Martino’s character debuted on Disney+, she has constantly outsmarted her counterpart. Her plans are better, she knows more about the TVA, and years on the run have turned her into a keen strategist. So when it comes to deducing the veracity of He Who Remains’ story, Sylvie is surely better placed to judge than Loki, despite her lust for vengeance. All in all, the apple man can’t be trusted.

How Sylvie Was Manipulated Into Helping He Who Remains

So if the charisma fountain at the End of Time isn’t protecting the timeline, what is he up to? Given how long he’s lived there and the security measures put in place, perhaps He Who Remains was a supervillain, locked away in the most inaccessible place imaginable… and Loki and Sylvie were both manipulated into setting him loose. Whatever the truth, Jonathan Majors’ temporal wizard does have some degree of influence over the timeline, since he reveals a stack of papers detailing everything Loki and Sylvie will say and do up until a certain point. This means He Who Remains could’ve identified Loki (or, indeed, Lokis) as the only person in the multiverse powerful enough to free him and lost enough to be led astray.

This would explain why the TVA apparently collect Lokis by the dozen – He Who Remains has been seeking the right variant to unlock his cage. Finding Tom Hiddleston’s MCU character and Sylvie, he hits upon the perfect combination. They’re ushered to Lamentis-1, arrested by the TVA, and brought to the Time-Keepers, where the inevitable pruning takes Loki to the Void world. Because the pair already fell in love, Sylvie follows of her own volition, which wouldn’t have happened with any other variants (as adorable as Alligator Loki may be). Through their combined powers, it’s Loki and Sylvie who finally defeat Alioth (who, let’s assume, was guarding He Who Remains, not working as his guard dog).

If simply unlocking the gate was enough to free He Who Remains, fans would’ve seen Jonathan Majors running past Loki and Sylvie straight outta the front door when the first entered his Citadel. But it makes perfect sense that whoever was powerful enough to confine him made it so that He Who Remains physically cannot leave, and this is where Sylvie comes into play. Sophia Di Martino’s variant was raised to resent the TVA, giving her an insurmountable hunger for payback. Everything He Who Remains does during Loki episode 6 is designed to stoke that fire and draw Sylvie into killing him, thus breaking the bonds.

He Who Remains Never Wanted Loki & Sylvie To Take His Place

One major clue that He Who Remains is lying in Loki episode 6 comes from Miss Minutes. In a well-worked jump scare, Minutes pops up in the Citadel, claiming to represent her purple-cloaked boss behind the curtain. She offers Loki and Sylvie a choice – leave quietly, and both be restored to the Sacred Timeline with added bonuses thrown in to sweeten the pot. When Sylvie and Loki refuse and meet with He Who Remains, however, he claims that the two variants were intentionally drawn to his Citadel to take over as protectors of the timeline. This makes no sense. If He Who Remains was planning to Golden Ticket the two Lokis, why did his virtual assistant try to shoo them away with the promise of glory?

Miss Minutes’ offer might’ve been a ploy intended to sow division between Loki and Sylvie before the angry duo entered He Who Remains’ chamber. Loki is given a very tempting proposition indeed, with the package including victory over the Avengers and an undisputed claim to the Asgardian throne. Since Sylvie was pruned as a child, however, she has nothing to go back to, having lived her entire life pursued by the TVA. This philosophical choice seems designed to give Loki a more sympathetic view of the TVA’s secret ruler, while simultaneously strengthening Sylvie’s resolve to kill him. They subsequently disagree over what to do with He Who Remains, and this leads to Sylvie kicking Loki through a time door and taking a free run at her hated enemy. Had they not been softened up by Miss Minutes beforehand, Loki might’ve actually convinced Sylvie to lower her sword.

He Who Remains’ “Charlie Bucket” offer could serve exactly the same function. Though Loki and Sylvie both refuse the proposition, merely saying the words out loud helps drive Loki and Sylvie further apart.

Loki’s Ending Hints Kang Takes Over The TVA

In the final scene of Loki season 1, a Kang the Conqueror statue is seen lording over TVA HQ. Based on He Who Remains’ explanation, viewers would assume this is one of the evil variants Loki and Sylvie were warned about… but what if it’s He Who Remains himself, now free to explore the timeline? Was this his true purpose in luring Loki and Sylvie to the Citadel and inciting the latter to murder?

As mentioned above, it’s apparent that He Who Remains can influence the Sacred Timeline, and when Sylvie drives her blade through the character’s heart, her victim merely utters “see you soon.” The immediate interpretation of this line is that he’s referring to the other variants, but He Who Remains’ final words may hold a more literal meaning. Far older than he looks, Jonathan Majors’ character clearly doesn’t play by the usual rules of time and space, so when Sylvie “kills” him, she might simply be sending her nemesis back onto the Sacred Timeline – exactly where he wants to be. From there, it’s a straightforward matter of locating the TVA, assuming leadership, and letting the other Kang variants grow abundant without fear of pruning. This might’ve even been a plot the evil variants concocted together when their invasion first began; whoever gets locked breaks loose and repopulate the timeline with Kangs.

Loki‘s season 1 finale leaves enough ambiguity to let the audience experience exactly the same dilemma Loki and Sylvie fall out over. Is He Who Remains a trustworthy, morally-ambivalent guardian trying to fix his own mess, or is he a prisoner at the end of time desperately trying to engineer an escape? If the TVA’s new leader remembers Sylvie killing him in Loki season 2, we’ll have our answer.

Loki season 2 is confirmed for Disney+.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3631 Articles Published)

Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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