The Multiverse War From The Loki Finale Explained

Contains spoilers for "Loki" Episode 6

So, about that "Loki" finale — has everyone recovered from the dramatic info-dump about where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is heading in Phase 4? As far as info-dumps go, though, "Loki" Episode 6 is hugely entertaining, largely because its overall conversation hinges around the introduction of a new big bad. (One final warning: Below are some serious spoilers about the "Loki" finale and the real history behind the Multiverse War.)

Back in the premiere episode of "Loki," Miss Minutes (Tara Strong) explains that different realities waged the Multiverse War, and the Time Keepers created the Time Variance Authority as a result, aiming to keep the Sacred Timeline from descending into chaos again. However, Episode 6 reveals that this isn't entirely correct, introducing the real person behind the TVA as He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). 

He's a variant of Kang the Conqueror, a time-traveling villain whose grasp reaches across millennia. His purple robe and his comic-accurate outfit definitely confirm Kang's existence in the MCU, but the character's history stretches back into the very beginning of time itself. In the comics, Kang has been known to take on a number of different identities — from Rama-Tut to Iron Lad himself. But because he's one of the most famous time-travelers in Marvel Comics, there are a number of alternate versions of Kang causing havoc throughout the multiverse.

Thus, it's not that surprising to learn in that enlightening conversation with He Who Remains in the "Loki" finale that Kang has a hand in the Multiverse War. In fact, he's on both sides of it.

After explaining that he is "a ruler, a conqueror, He Who Remains, a jerk," this version of Kang uses an extremely sophisticated version of the TVA's TemPads to explain the history of who he is and what kick-started the Multiverse War. It's a sly way of introducing audiences to the very concept of the Multiverse, as Kang/He Who Remains reveals that a variant from the 31st century discovered how other universes are "stacked" on top of each other. Because that's not a recipe for disaster at all, what could go wrong?

All the different Kang variants decide to pool their knowledge together to help better every single universe, which is also something from the comics. Although the show doesn't name-drop it, this is the Council of Kangs. Their title's pretty self-explanatory: They're a group entirely made up of alternate Kangs, who try to dictate the universe how they see fit. As He Who Remains continues his story, he reveals that a number of Kang variants wanted to wage war out of greed to rule everything rather than forge a peaceful existence, which ultimately led to the Multiverse War.

So, by creating the TVA to keep the (isolated) Sacred Timeline flowing normally, the other Kangs are kept at bay by He Who Remains, who prevent then from crashing into the universe and starting a new conflict. It would be a shame if someone killed He Who Remains, wouldn't it? Well, yeah, that happens. Thanks a lot, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) – you just might have kickstarted the next Multiverse War.

However, universes and realities crashing together sounds an awful lot like the "Secret Wars" comic storyline, so who knows? Maybe this is all setting the stage for the next big MCU event movie. In any case, what a way to end the first season of "Loki"!