Did Loki Do the Right Thing?
I’m seeing lots of posts stating they’re happy that in the end of the series, Loki did the right thing, and other fans who are upset that Loki sided with TVA. I feel like I’m the only one who had a different interpretation. I want to explain why.
One of the main themes of the show is “control”.
Was that element of control what you wanted to lean into with the series? Or was there something more specific you felt the show could explore that the movies hadn’t a chance to do?
It was certainly a big component of it. I love the Danny Boyle Steve Jobs movie. There’s a bit in there that [ Aaron] Sorkin pulled from the Walter Isaacson Steve Jobs biography, just talking about how Steve Jobs was adopted and how people who are adopted are out of control at the most important moment of their lives. And that movie is about how Steve Jobs is so obsessive about end-to-end control over all this technology. I drew a really interesting parallel between Loki and Steve Jobs: The desire to rule. “I know best. I want to rule. I want to be in control as an adult because I was, in fact, so out of control as a young Frost Giant baby.” [X]
While it’s true that Loki felt out of control for most of his life, MW’s interpretation of the reasons is wrong. For one being adopted was not the reason Loki felt out of control. It was being lied to about it, and being treated differently, and being saved to be used as a political pawn. And despite knowing about his race, his parents let Thor and Loki to grew up with racist believes about Jotuns being monsters.
When Loki found out the truth about his race, he realized that as a Jotun he never had a chance to be seen and accepted for who he was and for his abilities. No matter how much he had tried during his life, he was never going to be seen as equal and worthy as Thor in Odin’s eye. His life was doomed from the start to be in the shadows. The purpose for his existence, was decided for him even before he could utter his first words. Odin had planned for him to be in the shadow, and then to be a king of monsters under Thor’s shadow.
So, he tried to prove himself worthy, not for a throne, but to his father. Loki never wanted the throne( @worstloki explained in this thread perfectly why Loki being powerhungry and wanting to rule was a pointless arc in the show). He saw it as the symbol of being worthy and accepted, because that was how Odin made his sons see it. But when he realized even that was pointless and Odin still didn’t accept him, Loki decided to take control of at least his death, and let himself fall.
Then he fell to Thanos' Sanctuary and when he became “ready”, he was given the scepter which was “influencing his mind” and at the same time The Other could violate Loki’s mind, see his thoughts and surroundings and inflicting pain on him. We saw he threatened Loki with promise of “more pain”. Again, under duress and mind influence Loki was not in control to decide his own fate.
MW wrongly interpreted Loki’s lines in the Avengers, which are actually projections of his own situation(1, 2, 3), as complete truths about Loki’s motivations. Considering how he sees Loki’s characterization and motives, let’s analyze what’s been happening in the show and the possible interpretation of Loki's actions in the finale.
Loki explains his reason to rule in ep1:
"I would have made it easy for them. The first and most oppressive lie ever uttered was the song of freedom. For nearly every living thing, choice breeds shame and uncertainty and regret. There’s a fork in every road, yet the wrong path always taken."
And when Mobius asks Loki whether he falls in this category, Loki doesn’t answer. Later Loki compares himself to TVA.
"It's part of the illusion. It's the cruel elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear. A desperate play for control."
The show wants to imply that Loki wants to rule to have the control he desperately needs and also stop people from making mistakes like the ones he made.
Having this in mind, let’s see how TVA is portrayed in the show. An authoritarian oppressive organization that takes away people’s free will, annihilating entire realities, murdering people, kidnapping and brainwashing them in the name of their propaganda about “sacred” timeline.
Now in ep6, the narrative presents us with this question: What if this is a necessary evil?
Ravonna tries to convinces herself that it was. She is the typical example of how someone who has built their entire life on a lie would react. She had to believe it was for a reason. Because otherwise she has to accept that all she did was for nothing.
Kang believes the same thing. That by ending the multiversal war and continuously annihilating realities, he did a favor to people. Is he right?
The narrative presents us with some key phrases: “necessary lie”, “dogma”, “I keep you safe from greater evil”, “stifling order or cataclysmic chaos” , “you may hate the dictator but something far worse is gonna fill that void if you depose of him”, “doing horrible things for a good reason”.
These are the basic propaganda of every authoritarian/totalitarian/fascistic power ever. This is how they excuse, normalize and legitimize their crimes in oppressing, torturing and murdering people. Inciting fear of a greater evil and a promise of safety against it if you obey their rules. So if you think siding with TVA is the right choice, or if it's a necessary evil, think again(and read some books to not fall for this bs). As @wnnbdarklord said in this thread:
"who gives the TVA or Kang or Loki or who the fuck ever the moral authority to decide to take away free will from people? who gives them the authority to keep doing it once it’s done?
NO ONE! It’s ridiculous! the state of the universe obviously naturally tends towards a multiversal mish mash of timelines! “but the war death ruin” like the sAcREd TImELinE isn’t already filled with that. and even if it weren’t already filled with that, the simple fact remains: no one should get the authority to decide to take away free will from people.
Now, back to Loki’s character arc about control. He is puzzled by Kang giving up control and all that freedom, and asks about it twice. He understands that Kang is basically afraid of himself, of the mistakes he could make. He is doing what Loki says in the first ep was the reason he wanted to rule. Loki can see himself in what Kang has become. But deep down Loki never wanted to rule. Certainly not like this. And he doesn’t like their options either.
So, how Loki’s actions in stopping Sylvie can be interpreted?
My interpretation was that Loki wanted to find a third way. And it would be in character for Loki that when he is presented by options he doesn’t like, he makes a new way and choose that option. My reasoning for it is that the show basically introduced chaos as universe’s way to get free and Lokis the agents of chaos. That’s why there were so many of them in the void. But their limited POV prevented them to find the main villain or takes his place. This Loki though, is past all of that and can see the bigger picture and given the chance he may be able to find another way when Kang says “this is the only way”.
But there are some things that worries me this wasn’t the intent. Like Loki saying “The universe is in balance, everything we know to be true”. In-universe I would think this is the result of Thanos’ brainwashing about order and balance. Out-universe I’m not sure I like what this is implying. Specially if we consider what the director is saying about Kang:
“I was quite excited that we got to show him because he is the one that brings it all [together],” director Kate Herron adds. “[He’s] the theme of our show. No one is completely good or completely bad, and people do fall into that gray area. I thought his reasoning with [Loki and Sylvie] that you can take me out, but I'll be back here anyway...you're going to awaken all these versions of me. And they are much scarier than me. I really believe him when he says that.” [X]
KH says she believes Kangs' reasoning. Although believing sth to be true, doesn’t mean the way to counter it is the right way. So this might not mean KH is siding with Kang’s POV. And there is too much of authoritarian propaganda words in the narrative that it’s so obvious, to later being presented as the truth or the message the show is aiming for.
I interpreted Loki’s panic at the end of the episode, not as him siding with TVA, but at the prospect of countless more evil versions of Kang. Loki has seen Thanos. But even Thanos wasn’t omniscient. How would you fight someone who knows everything and can predict your every move?
I hope my interpretation of the narrative is right and they don’t present TVA as a necessary evil or that Loki wanted to side with it. Because if there isn’t a third way, if Loki and Sylvie only had those two options, removing the dictator is always, always the right choice. There is nothing more valuable than free will and freedom. Safety doesn’t exist where there is no freedom.
