The first episode of the series introduces the Time Variance Authority and kicks off a journey of literal self-discovery that could have major implications for the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
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In the comics, the Nexus is essentially a cross-dimensional gateway that provides access to all possible realities. And as Miss Minutes explains, variants cause all sorts of problems for the TVA when they veer off of their predetermined paths. “Maybe you started an uprising, or were just late for work,” Miss Minutes explains. “Whatever it was, stepping off your path created a Nexus Event, which, left unchecked, could branch off into
madness, leading to another multiversal war.”
With
Loki potentially leading into
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which
Loki head writer Michael Waldron also penned the script for, the word choice of “madness” feels particularly purposeful. This could all hint at the direction that the highly anticipated
Doctor Strange sequel will take if the events of
Loki end up bleeding into it, with the God of Mischief messing around and potentially setting off the “total destruction” of everything. (Plus, since the upcoming Spider-Man movie is
also rumored to be steeped in the multiverse, it stands to reason that Loki and Mobius won’t be successful in restoring the Sacred Timeline.) With this being only the series premiere, it’s important not get too far ahead of ourselves, but that multiversal war could very well come even sooner if Loki and the TVA are unable to stop this other deadly variant of Loki.
This episode isn’t the first time that the term Nexus has appeared in the MCU, though, as it was previously introduced as an Easter egg in one of the
WandaVision in-show commercials. The ad was for an antidepressant called Nexus, a drug that could “anchor you back to reality—or the reality of your choice.” This was a significant inclusion in the show because, in the comics, the Scarlet Witch is considered to be a “Nexus Being,” a rare individual capable of altering the Universal Time Stream, and one who serves as a keystone to the multiverse. As
explained in a Marvel Fandom wiki page, “Nexus Beings are vigilantly watched over by cosmic forces such as the Time Variance Authority and the Time Keepers to be aware of any temporal changes that the nexi may cause to the Time Stream and act accordingly.”
As always, everything in the MCU is
extremely connected. Marvel president Kevin Feige
recently spoke to Empire about the significance that the series will have for other films and TV shows moving forward. “It’s tremendously important,” Feige said. “[
Loki] perhaps will have more impact on the MCU than any of the shows thus far.”
With Loki and the TVA already traveling to other timelines and dimensions with ease, and the very nature of time itself being brought into question,
Loki appears to be laying down a lot of universe-building groundwork as the MCU continues to move forward from its Infinity Saga. By exploring concepts like the Nexus and the Sacred Timeline,
Loki could be setting up important story elements for the Scarlet Witch and for the Sorcerer Supreme, Earth’s primary protector against magical and mystical threats. But for the moment in this series, Nexus Events are everything that the TVA wants to avoid, and probably exactly the kind of madness that the variant Loki is hoping to create.
