Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Loki episode 4.

Loki episode 4 confirms the Time Variance Authority took Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) as a child, but what was the nexus event that sparked Lady Loki’s removal? The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s third Disney+ show is telling the story of Loki Variants, led by a version of Loki who escaped the Avengers in 2012. But the series also features a female version of Loki in a prominent role, with Sylvie originally positioned to be the villain.

After her debut at the end of Loki episode 2, the third episode was the first time Sylvie’s story was really explored. This continued in Loki episode 4 as Marvel treated viewers to a glimpse of Sylvie’s past. The episode opened with a young Sylvie being taken from her original timeline by Ravonna Renslayer when she was still a hunter. Luckily, she manages to escape before the TVA can prune her. Sylvie learns that she sets off nexus events wherever she goes with the TemPad unless she lives in apocalypse settings. But, there was an original nexus event that caused Sylvie to lose the life she was meant to have.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

The TVA only removes someone from the timeline when they do something unapproved that creates a branched timeline, which is known as a nexus event and makes them a variant. Early on in Loki episode 4, Sylvie tells Loki that she believes her birth was the nexus event, but that doesn’t quite make sense and she doesn’t seem to believe it either. If Sylvie’s mere existence was a nexus event, the fact that she was a growing child by the time the TVA came to get her means she was a major oversight on their part, or that this created the slowest growing branched timeline ever. Sylvie eventually questions Ravonna about the nexus event that caused the TVA to take her away, but Renslayer says she doesn’t remember anymore. So what exactly did Sylvie do then to create a nexus event?

Based on how quickly the TVA has responded to nexus events in the past, the brief look at Sylvie’s past indicates that the event that led to the TVA detecting her happened right before. The Loki flashback only shows a young Sylvie playing with toys in Asgard. This includes Sylvie using a Valkyrie toy to fight a dragon, with Fenris Wolf potentially among the toys she’s using. It is possible, then, that Sylvie interfered with a fight that the Valkyries had and is recreating it here. But, since Loki doesn’t show any more of Sylvie’s surroundings, it is possible that the rest of that room includes the answer for what Sylvie did to cause a nexus event. Given her enchanting powers, it could be as simple as her taking control of someone she wasn’t supposed to.

There is also the chance that Sylvie never caused a nexus event to begin with. Loki has confirmed the TVA is built on lies and deception, and there is so far no evidence that Sylvie actually caused a nexus event. It’s possible that whoever is behind the fake Time-Keepers and running the TVA had an ulterior motive to kidnap Sylvie and try and delete her from existence. Perhaps Sylvie was on the right path with her existence being why the TVA came after her, but it could be because she’s actually a nexus being. With only two episodes to go, the full extent of what Sylvie has gone through and what the TVA wanted with her should come to light, including this mysterious nexus event.

Loki releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.

Key Release Dates
See also  Saved By The Bell Reboot Learned From Fuller House Mistakes
  • Black Widow (2021)Release date: Jul 09, 2021
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)Release date: Sep 03, 2021
  • Eternals (2021)Release date: Nov 05, 2021
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
Avatar Live-Action Netflix Show Casts Teen Wolf & Sonic 2 Stars

About The Author


Cooper Hood
(5615 Articles Published)

Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

See also  Hell Let Loose Review: Hardcore World War

More From Cooper Hood