PHEpisode 2: The Variant
Loki joins a TVA mission following an ambush by the fugitive Loki Variant in 1985 Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Loki proves unhelpful, stalling for time, and wanting assurance that the TVA will let him meet their leaders, the Time-Keepers, instead of killing him. Mobius sees through Loki's lies. Back at the TVA headquarters, Mobius convinces Renslayer to give Loki another chance. After research, Loki proposes that the Variant is hiding in spacetime near apocalyptic events like Asgard's Ragnarok, where the impending destruction means their actions cannot change the timeline, thus concealing them from the TVA. Loki and Mobius confirm this possibility by visiting Pompeii in 79 AD. The duo then figure out that the Variant is at a hurricane in 2050 Alabama. Loki, Mobius, and TVA agents travel there. The Variant ambushes them, using body possession to control TVA's Hunter B-15 and other locals. The Variant rejects Loki's offer to work together to overthrow the Time-Keepers. The Variant reveals itself as a female version of Loki. She executes her scheme, teleporting the TVA reset charges she stole to various locations in spacetime, where they activate. Thus, many new timeline branches are created. She teleports into a timeline, and Loki follows her.
