As Marvel fans countdown to season 2 of Loki, it’s time to revisit season 1 of this multiversal adventure with a quick recap.
Loki has been one of the standout TV series that Marvel has ever produced but given the different timelines and talk about timeline branching, it was also certainly amongst the most confusing. As fans around the world begin the final countdown towards Loki season 2, many need a quick recap of season 1 – here is a short summary of each episode, and everything you need to remember.
Loki season 1 episode 1 ‘Glorious Purpose’ recap
During the Battle of New York back in 2012, Loki was able to escape the Avengers with the Tesseract, leading to something known as a ‘branched timeline.’ Whilst wandering in the Gobi Desert, Loki is arrested by members of a mysterious group Time Variance Authority (TVA) using highly advanced technology.
After being taken to the TVA headquarters, Loki learns about the Sacred Timeline from a virtual propaganda machine known as Miss Minutes, who explains that the organization which was created by a collection of powerful figures, known as the Time-Keepers, to prevent a multiversal war.
Loki stands trial for his crimes against the Sacred Timeline but is spared by TVA agent Mobius M. Mobius, played by Owen Wilson, who recruits him to help capture a dangerous Variant of himself who has been causing trouble for the TVA for some time.
Loki season 1 episode 2 ‘The Variant’ recap
Loki joins the TVA mission to capture a variant of himself causing trouble in 1985’s Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Whilst it appears that everyone is working towards the same goal, Loki tries to manipulate the situation by stalling for time and demanding to meet the Time-Keepers, while also seeking assurance of his survival after catching the Variant – after witnessing several Variants being ‘Pruned’.
TVA member Mobius realizes Loki’s deception and the organization resets the branched timeline. They later discover that the Variant is not only hiding during apocalyptic events to avoid detection, but that the Variant is a female Loki who now has the location of the Time-Keepers themselves.
Loki season 1 episode 3 ‘Lamentis’ recap
Loki and Sylvie find themselves transported to the TVA headquarters but have conflicting goals: Sylvie wants to find the Time-Keepers under the assumption that the TVA are hiding something, while Loki wants to apprehend her under the assumption that he is ‘special’ and will be spared.
Unfortunately, the latter is proven wrong as they are attacked by TVA Judge Ravonna Renslayer and only barely escape using a TemPad. Stranded on the moon Lamentis-1, Loki and Sylvie must work together to survive.
They plan to use the ark, an evacuation spaceship, to recharge the TemPad – yet along the way, they surprisingly find themselves bonding as fellow Loki’s and learn about each other’s lives. The ark is destroyed before Loki and Sylvie can board it and they are left stranded and must find another way to escape Lamentis-1.
Sylvie reveals that the TVA employees are actually Variants themselves, contradicting what Loki was previously told by both Mobius and Miss Minutes.
Loki season 1 episode 4 ‘The Nexus Event’ recap
In a flashback, it’s revealed that Sylvie was arrested by the TVA as a child but managed to escape from their headquarters by stealing Renslayer’s TemPad during her trial, leading to a personal feud between them that has lasted until present day.
When Sylvie and Loki start to form a romantic connection, this causes a ‘Nexus Event’ which alerts the TVA – who arrest them just in time before the apocalypse ensues. Mobius interrogates Loki about the Nexus Event and mocks his feelings for Sylvie, all while trapping the God of Mischief in a timeloop of him being rejected by Sif back in Asgard.
B-15 brings Sylvie to 2050 Alabama to learn about her past life and Variant nature, and the two begin to bond over their shared concerns about the TVA. Mobius decides to free Loki but unfortunately, Renslayer has caught on to the plan and prunes Mobius before taking the two Loki’s to the Time-Keepers directly. All hope seems lost until B-15 then comes to the rescue but again, this is only short-lived.
Sylvie decapitates the Time-Keepers and discovers that they are androids controlled by someone else – Loki is pruned and wakes up in a mysterious dimension surrounded by other Variants of himself.
Loki season 1 episode 5 ‘Journey into Mystery’ recap
Judge Renslayer reveals that she doesn’t know who created the TVA and that Loki isn’t dead, just sent to the Void: a dimension where the TVA dumps everything they prune. Facing imminent capture, Sylvie decides to prune herself in the hope of finding Loki in the Void.
With the help of some classic and unique Loki Variants, Sylvie and Loki deduce that the TVA’s creator is hiding in the timeline beyond the Void, where they cannot be detected.
Loki learns from other Variants of himself that Alioth, a dangerous creature, hunts and kills all life in the Void. Sylvie briefly enchants Alioth with Loki’s help, and they discover a citadel beyond the Void where the TVA’s creator resides.
Loki season 1 episode 6 ‘For All Time. Aways’ recap
Loki and Sylvie enter the citadel and find an eccentric man known as He Who Remains (a Variant of Kang the Conqueror) working alongside Miss Minutes, the pair reject the offer to return them to the Sacred Timeline and take control of the TVA.
Judge Ravonna Renslayer receives information from He Who Remains and leaves to search for “free will” after a confrontation with Mobius M. Mobius, both accusing the other of lying. At the same time, Hunter B-15 reveals that Renslayer is a Variant, exposing the truth about the TVA employees to the Minutemen tracking her down.
He Who Remains shares that he can anticipate all actions due to foreseeing past, present, and future, and he created the TVA to prevent a multiversal war. Again, he offers Loki and Sylvie a choice: kill him and risk multiversal chaos or take control of the TVA.
Sylvie opts to kill him, leading to the creation of a multiverse, and upon returning to the TVA, Mobius has no recollection of the events of the past few days and Loki discovers that a new statue has replaced the Time-Keepers…Kang.
Loki season 2 premieres via Disney Plus on October 5, 2023.
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