Episode 2 of Loki explosively reveals the identity of the variant terrorizing the TVA, but who are they, what's their plan, and how powerful are they?

Warning: SPOILERS for Loki episode 2

The ending of Loki episode 2 has confirmed who the so-called "Evil Variant" is: Sophia Di Martinos' Lady Loki. Not only that, but the explosive final moments of the episode offered some intriguing hints of what her plan for the timeline is (and indeed what she plans for Loki). Now that the secret's out - or at least the first layer of her identity conundrum - there's some pretty major connotations coming, not least because the reveal adds another hugely powerful character to the MCU.

Lady Loki is not a new character in Marvel circles, having debuted in two different ways in the past two decades and most notably confirming Loki's genderfluidity as canon in 2014. She's an incredibly popular character in the comics, which also fits with the hype that met the early Loki trailer tease that she'd be turning up in Disney+'s show (which was confused as a Black Widow return tease initially). And if rumors are to be believed, Lady Loki won't be the only Loki variant showing up in Loki with Richard E Grant's alternate apparently also set to debut. Quite how long her tenure in the MCU will be remains to be seen, but it seems immediately likely she aspires to leave a mark.

While the character's identity has been revealed, that revelation will surely inspire even more questions. Her plan is now fully in action, but there's not yet a concrete confirmation of what she's hoping to achieve - whether it's an audience with the all-powerful Time-Keepers or mere chaos - and even who she really might be. Because there's already a couple of hints that she's not who she might seem to be. Here's everything you need to know about the MCU's newest Loki.

Who Is Lady Loki? Comics Origin Explained

In the comics, Lady Loki is created in the wake of Ragnarok - an event that didn't go down the same way as the MCU's version either - and the destruction of Asgard. Because comic book deaths rarely last, the spirits of Asgard's people find their way into the bodies of new hosts on Earth, and Loki takes over the body of a woman. Initially mistaken as the return of Lady Sif, because the woman was originally intended for her, Lady Loki showed her colors pretty quickly, aligning with Doctor Doom. Crucially, this was always presented as the same Loki simply in a new body (which is then revealed to be something of a con), which the MCU is not following.

More relevant is the 2014 canonical change to Loki that made him genderfluid and presented the real "Lady Loki", though calling her that - as with the MCU variant - isn't quite appropriate since she and Loki are one and the same. There is no deception there, no body-snatch and no separation. As Odin puts it rather eloquently, Loki is his “son and my daughter and my child who is both.” While the variant is obviously a separate body to Tom Hiddleston's Loki, she is still Loki and should have his powers. The MCU has already made Loki's genderfluidity canon, which supports the idea that the variant simply chose to present differently (and either could change their gendered appearance at will).

How Powerful Is Lady Loki? Variant Powers Explained

In the comics, because Lady Loki and Loki are the same entity, their powers are identical, just as their earliest origins would be. That makes the claims that The Variant is superior to Loki a little confusing in the Disney+ show, but the MCU changes the logic in episode 2 by suggesting that each variant comes with their own distinct set of powers and looks. The difference is immediately obvious, even though Lady Loki has Loki's traditional love of blades. She's obviously strong and highly skilled in combat, but she's yet to prove that she's able to project illusions or multiply herself - both of which Loki has shown throughout the MCU, but she does have similar mind control powers. Therein lies the most tangible difference in Loki's powers so far, as Loki's version of mind control seems to be suggestibility and manipulation (he can make his victims like Hawkeye do whatever he urges) but Lady Loki's involves full-on possession that can be passed from one victim to the next without direct contact from Lady Loki herself. That makes the range of her powers more impressive immediately and gives the claim of her superiority some weight.

What Is Lady Loki's Plan?

The end of Loki episode 2 sees Lady Loki reveal the first hint of her actual plan, confirming that her time-hopping was consciously intended to draw the attention of the TVA hunters. They were not the true targets though as the variant sought to stockpile the TVA's reset "bombs", in a scheme seemingly intended to mess up the timeline and draw out the Time-Keepers. That much was clear from the garbled testimony of the kidnapped TVA hunter she carelessly left alive (or intentionally) who revealed she'd confirmed where the Time-Keepers were, while haunted by some as-yet-unconfirmed horror Lady Loki had shown her.

The short version of the plan seems to be that Lady Loki is seeking to do just what Loki himself intended - to get an audience with the Time-Keepers and presumably depose them, unseating the greatest power in the multiverse. Her motivations are unclear for now, but they could well be as simple as Loki's quest for power, which wasn't dulled by the revelation of his own death in Infinity War in Loki's episode 1. Perhaps it was that revelation and Loki's harrowing realization that he can never go back - and is thus largely irrelevant in temporal terms - that inspired both variants to seek a reckoning with the Time-Keepers. Lady Loki, it seems, is just more content with direct warfare than Loki, as her "bombs" activated at the end of the episode and spread across the timeline, causing chaos and a multitude of new problematic branches. If she wants to undermine the TVA, she's already managed it.

What Lady Loki's Secret Real Name Means

There is also a very big hint in Loki episode 2 that Lady Loki is in fact not who she seems. In fact, there are two. Firstly, Lady Loki's mind control powers that differ so much from the God of Mischief's MCU version hints at her being another character entirely. That would explain why the power is so noticeably different at least. And then for the knock-out punch to that theory, the Spanish version of the show's credits list Sophia Di Martino's character as Sylvie, which combined with the mind control power suggests she's actually playing one version of Marvel's Enchantress.

Created by Loki in the comics, Sylvie Lushton is a prodigiously powerful New Yorker who the God of Mischief gave powers to use in his own schemes. She modeled herself on the original Enchantress (Amora), who was traditionally one of Thor's greatest foes, though the youngster aspired to become a Young Avenger. Given the MCU's fondness for red herrings - including the Quicksilver ruse in WandaVision - it wouldn't be surprising if Loki combined Sylvie's origin and the original Asgardian Enchantress to explain who this supposed "Variant" really is.

Next: Loki's Endgame Time Travel Rule Still Has A Time Heist Plot-Hole Problem

Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.