MCU Theory: Loki's Time Keepers Secretly Work For Kang

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Loki episode 1, "Glorious Purpose."

The Time Keepers are the protectors of the Sacred Timeline in plot holes from Avengers: Endgame, suggesting they don't matter because it was all how it was supposed to be - except, of course, for Loki himself.

It's long been expected that Phase 4 would dive much more into the MCU's multiverse, and Loki is the show to do just that. But while this is starting things off, it will only get bigger: both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will explore it in different ways, and it could well shape many of the MCU's movies and shows over the next decade. That's particularly true when looking at potential villains, and those who may fill the void left by Thanos. There are plenty of contenders, but many of the signs - and timelines - point to Kang the Conqueror.

The time-travelling, futuristic villain - once known as Nathaniel Richards - has long been tipped for the MCU, and he's finally coming. Jonathan Majors will play Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but given his casting was announced so far in advance, it's not impossible he could appear earlier. And even if that doesn't happen, it seems clear Marvel has big plans for Kang. Hailing from the 31st Century, he's a villain who travels in time to conquer different worlds and eras, and has links to many of the narrative devices - and some characters - being used in Loki. As Marvel is known for planting seeds and building in advance, then could Kang be behind Loki's most powerful element, the Time Keepers themselves?

Loki's Time Keepers Could Secretly Be Villains

Even though Loki presents the Time Keepers as heroes, there's reason to be doubtful of their actions and motives, and not just because it's unclear how much viewers can really trust a talking cartoon clock (Miss Minutes helping cover-up a great act of villainy as the smiling face of it would be a fun twist). The truth of what happened to the timelines is unknown, because audiences are only shown it from one perspective and asked to buy into it, and that perspective posits the Time Keepers as mysterious, all-powerful heroes who saved the multiverse and preserved the Sacred Timeline. But there's another way of looking at that, which is that the Time Keepers weren't the saviors of the multiverse - they were its conquerors. Little is revealed about who they are, where they came from, or what they truly wanted, and that alone is enough to be suspicious, especially as they're only emerging now.

The TVA oppose and obstruct him, and while they do so as apparent figures of authority, it means they do work against the protagonist of the show (and then force him into working with them). Again, it at least raises some suspicions.

How Loki Has Already Teased Kang The Conqueror

Gugu Mbatha Raw Ravonna Renslayer jonathan majors Kang the conqueror Loki

Since it's known that Kang the Conqueror is coming to the MCU, then even just the very idea of Loki helps to pave the way for his arrival. This is a show dealing with time travel and the multiverse, elements that are intrinsically linked to the villain, and so when he is used it will invariably build upon the foundations laid here. Even with that, though, Loki has some specific ties to Kang, and some nods that could link to him. Indeed, this includes the Time Keepers themselves. The version of the Time-Keepers in Marvel Comics seemingly has little resemblance to those in Loki, since their role and powers are changed - rather than beings who saved the multiverse early one, they were created by the TVA at the end of time. But an intriguing connection is that it was the Time-Keepers who helped turn Nathaniel Richards into Immortus, a future version of Kang the Conqueror. Kang has many different identities and variations because of his time travelling, and Loki is now introducing the idea of variants - it's a little different, and the multiple Kangs might be too much for Marvel to jump into straight away, but there are pieces in the show that fit.

That goes further for Judge Ravonna Renslayer, who is again based on a character from the comics, but hasn't quite become them yet (actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw describes Loki as an origin story for Renslayer). In the comics, Ravonna hails from the 40th century, and from a kingdom that was secretly ruled by Kang. The conqueror held a great love for her, and while she originally hated him, over time (something both characters had plenty of), his feelings were reciprocated. Ravonna has a compelling story in her own right, and is a formidable opponent even though she doesn't possess any superpowers, but her story is largely linked to Kang, be it as his enemy or his great love (and sometimes both). If Loki is setting up Judge Renslayer to eventually become that version of the character, then her story has to become intertwined with Kang at some point; working for the TVA and secretly for Kang would be an obvious way of setting that up.

The ending of Loki episode 1 teases an evil variant of the character, and while this likely isn't Kang the Conqueror, there is a hint of him here as well. The TVA find technology from the 3rd Millennium, which just so happens to be where Kang originally comes from (the 31st Century, to be more precise). It could just be a coincidence that the tech found by the TVA loosely fits Kang's original time period, but since using advanced technology is part of how Kang is able to conquer so many places and times, then it would fit with his general M.O.

How & Why Kang Could Be Controlling The Time Keepers

If Kang is involved in the goings-on of Loki, then it raises a couple of further questions: just how did he gain control over the Time Keepers, and why is he using them in the first place? One possible flaw with the idea is that Kang himself is a fairly egotistical villain, and so why use the Time Keepers to do his dirty work for him? Well, Kang the Conqueror wouldn't be the first megalomaniacal MCU villain to be pulling the strings while others do the work, a twist that would feel particularly fitting for Loki. Similarly, if Kang is active, then he could be elsewhere in the timeline. That may mean other times while the Time Keepers deal with the Sacred Timeline, but it could also be because he can't emerge just yet depending on which timeline he's in, perhaps needing new technology or a different branch, in order to succeed. Ultimately, Kang wants to have control over time, and so do the Time Keepers, though there is a sense of alignment there.

Kang is an incredibly powerful villain, and while the TVA itself clearly has a great wealth of power behind it - especially since the Infinity Stones don't matter there - it would be possible for Kang to establish control over them, given his own knowledge of the timelines and the advances technologies he could use. That's assuming that the Time Keepers are as powerful as Miss Minutes says; since there's little concrete evidence of their power or even existence, then it's not impossible Kang is behind everything. But working on the basis that the Time Keepers do exist and wield some level of power over the timeline, then they'd be a useful tool for Kang as he aims to gain control, until such a point when he no longer needs them. Even the statues of the Time Keepers look reasonably similar to Kang's design, which could further hint he is really behind them.

Of course, it could also be possible that Kang isn't controlling the Time Keepers, but opposing them. After all, they want to maintain the proper flow of time and keep things contained to the Sacred Timeline, while the Conqueror's goals may fare better if that's not the case. He may wish to start another Multiversal War in order to take control over the entirety of the MCU's multiverse, which would mean defeating the Time Keepers. That itself is a compelling idea, though a more complicated one given the hints the Time Keepers themselves also have nefarious purposes. Still, it could set up a fascinating battle for time in the MCU, with Loki unwittingly caught up in it.

How Kang In Loki Sets Up Phase 4 (& Beyond)

Even with Quantum Realm. Chronopolis exists inside Limbo, a place outside of time and space, with access to all of the timelines created by Kang. In other words, it'd be a perfect base for his operations in the MCU, too, and if he's controlling the TVA, then it'd make sense to have it there. Since the city could be the one seen within the Quantum Realm, then it's somewhere Ant-Man 3 could visit too. Kang could seek to control the entire Quantum Realm, giving him a dominion over much more than just timelines, and leading to a much bigger Multiversal event.

While Kang is in Ant-Man 3, it seems like that will be a stepping stone for him in the MCU, given he's a big villain who has gone up against the Avengers so many times. Whether or not he's the villain of The Avengers 5 obviously remains to be seen, but as it stands he's a good bet for it. That won't happen in Phase 4, but it would make sense (and fit with Marvel's approach) to begin laying the groundwork for it already. Loki can setup Kang for Ant-Man 3, and in doing so establish all of the necessary elements that come with him - the timelines, the tech, the multiverse - in order for him to be the next big Marvel villain.

Next: Loki Fixes Endgame’s Time Travel Plot Holes (All Of Them)

Loki releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.