Marvel Cinematic Universe - Timeline (Part 2)

Watched the first episode of Loki.
A few thoughts:
1.) So if time travel strays too far from how the prime timeline was originally, to the point of reaching a "red line", it can't be "reset" (essentially meaning the TVA can't erase it; which I have thoughts on that in a sec.) BUT certain things are allowed by the Time-Keepers as "destiny" if it's for the greater good of the individual. (I guess that's why no one at TVA stopped SHIELD from stopping Nathaniel Mallick and the Chronocoms. But who's to say that timeline with Deke staying beyond didn't get "reset", basically offing him? The ominous "Red Line" might be far more damaging than AoS S7 presented as an alternate timeline.)
2.) Phil Coulson is still believed to be dead by Loki, but Mobius doesn't correct him on that. No biggie, Mobius has no reason to bring it up, thus at the same time quietly not denying Coulson's alive either. Nothing retconned out of continuity, despite what comic 'news' websites tell ya haha.
3.) I don't know if by "multiverse" they mean Earth-199999 and the branches from that timeline in particular, or they're simplying the reasoning for Variants and they're across the literal Marvel Multiverse encompassing....well, all Marvel ever. The lack of prisoners makes me think it's the former and the "Marvel Multiverse" we know is actually a "Marvel Omniverse" containing specifically themed Multiverses like DC. (Animated, Live-action, Games, Comics,). But with Marvel they are all branches that connect to the same tree as opposed to being separated by a cosmic multiversal barrier (i.e. DC's omniverse.)
* My theory about the "reset timeline" device is, depending on how it's shown to us in future episodes, might work like a closed timelike curve. So if you see these Variants "fade away" like say Runaway's finale or non-MCU stuff like DoFP's future, they are erased from their end of their spectrum and/or when they cross over into the main timeline somehow. It's just how we see it they fade off.

The visuals were also stunning!
 
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I guess when a branch reaches a "Red Line" is when these buggers show up lol
 
Regarding Loki and following up on selfishmisery's thoughts
The whole modus operandi of the TVA seems to contradict the idea of there being more than one timeline in Agents of SHIELD. However, and this is fan theorising, but maybe the time travel events in Agents of SHIELD were allowed to proceed as a big scheme to get rid of the Chronicoms? The Chronicoms seem to be an advanced race with a tendency to meddle in time travel, and may have required a bigger intervention then the TVA just showing up and arresting them all. So basically, the TVA sees the Chronicoms and SHIELD butting heads and creating a separate timeline and just stay out waiting to clear up the mess once the Chronicoms are weakened. Fortunately for the TVA, the Chronicoms are defeated and the Agents return to the sacred timeline. Immediately after they leave the TVA jumps into the alternate timeline and "resets" it, also conveniently getting rid of the "Zeke" variant that was left behind.

And for my following theory: whatever happened to the Runaways? the TVA did, they jumped in arrested the kids and boom, no 4th season. Meanwhile with the kids gone Agatha just waltzes into the mansion and takes up the now unprotected Darkhold, (maybe getting rid of the ugly dust cover)

and finally, does this whole "sacred timeline" business mean that yes, OldSteve was always present in the main MCU timeline?


Just a few thoughts and theories, I like thinking about this stuff but I rarely have an outlet.
 
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Updated with Loki 1x01. Since the Time Variance Authority's HQ is outside of the flow of time, I placed it in a separate tab in the timeline.
 
My interpretation of the sacred timeline is that it's the characters' stories that we've seen up until now are part of the sacred timeline. Meaning; The Avengers and the agents of SHIELD travelling to other timelines are part of their story and therefore part of the sacred timeline. The jump from the sacred timeline to an alternate timeline is actually part of the sacred timeline. But when someone from an alternate timeline jumps to another alternate timeline, like Loki, you get variants and those are a danger to the multiverse. So basically time manipulation from characters from the sacred timeline is allowed, while time manipulation from alternate characters is not.
 
Loki is already proving to be really hard to place. I was thinking of a couple possibilities. If we go by Loki's POV, he's still in 2012 during the course of this episode. That would make the timeline look something like this. Not sure I agree with the separate tab idea for the TAV. It just makes things very confusing.

Loki 1x01: "Glorious Purpose" (0:00:00 - 0:00:30) (2012 Time Heist Timeline)
**Avengers - Endgame Chapter 10: "New York, 2012" (1:18:02 - 1:21:51)** (2012 Time Heist Timeline)
Loki 1x01: "Glorious Purpose" (0:00:31 - 0:01:12) (2012 Time Heist Timeline)
**Avengers - Endgame Chapter 10: "New York, 2012" (1:21:52 - 1:26:24)** (2012 Time Heist Timeline)
**Avengers - Endgame Chapter 12: "Morag, 2014" (1:37:01 - 1:38:54)** (2012 Time Heist Timeline)
Loki 1x01: "Glorious Purpose" (0:01:13 - 0:05:04) (2012 Time Heist Timeline)
The Avengers Chapter 20: "End Credits" (2:22:06 - 2:22:37)
Iron Man 3 - Prelude #2 (pg. 15-16)

May 5
The Avengers
Chapter 19: "A Promise" (2:09:31 - 2:13:01)
The Avengers #2 (pg. 18-20)
Thor - The Dark World: Prelude #2 (pg. 9-11)
The Avengers Chapter 20: "End Credits" (2:15:00 - 2:15:47)
The Avengers #2 (pg. 20)
Loki 1x01: "Glorious Purpose" (0:05:05 - 0:12:11) (Time Variance Authority)
Loki 1x01: "Glorious Purpose" (0:15:05 - 0:26:46) (Time Variance Authority)
Loki 1x01: "Glorious Purpose" (0:27:31 - 0:27:34) (Time Variance Authority)
Loki 1x01: "Glorious Purpose" (0:28:11 - 0:43:49) (Time Variance Authority)
 
Personally, I prefer a timeline that someone could use to make a chronological edit of the MCU. So those past crime scene scenes wouldn't make sense if you were to edit them into their actual dates, because the TVA move through those time door things where the scene continues into another date.

But yes, while alternate timelines were a hurdle to put on the timeline, Loki might prove even more difficult.
 
If we go by "this series is set after Avengers: Endgame", then I guess the TVA scenes could be set sometime after that film or even in an alt. 2012 if you wanted to split the timeline...my head hurts.
 
If we go by "this series is set after Avengers: Endgame", then I guess the TVA scenes could be set sometime after that film or even in an alt. 2012 if you wanted to split the timeline...my head hurts.
Damn it, I hadn't even thought of that implication. I thought the simplest solution was to put in in alt. 2012, but the TVA exists outside that alternate timeline and is more connected to the Sacred Timeline than it is to that one variant timeline. In that case, I do actually think a separate section for the TVA is the right choice.
 
Damn it, I hadn't even thought of that implication. I thought the simplest solution was to put in in alt. 2012, but the TVA exists outside that alternate timeline and is more connected to the Sacred Timeline than it is to that one variant timeline. In that case, I do actually think a separate section for the TVA is the right choice.
We probably won't know for sure until the series is over.
 
I take the TVA's dimension like the Temporal Zone in the Arrowverse. Happening literally now, present day.

Time is like a river, and the future is never set to happen one way.
 
I take the TVA's dimension like the Temporal Zone in the Arrowverse. Happening literally now, present day.

Time is like a river, and the future is never set to happen one way.
In that case, the entirety of episode 1 is May of 2012 and I think it works better that way so far.
 

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