Loki's TVA Is Ant-Man's Secret Quantum Realm City - Theory Explained
The Time Variance Authority is still a mystery in Disney's Loki, but a theory says it may have already made an appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Loki episode 2.
A popular Loki theory may explain some of the mysteries of the Time Variance Authority, showing it’s actually in a city appearing within the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Thus far, the TVA in Loki gives more questions than answers. The agency is supposedly in charge of Marvel’s Sacred Timeline, but the Time-Keepers, the gods the TVA serves, are nowhere to be seen. Thus far, it’s unclear who is actually benefitting from the Sacred Timeline and if Tom Hiddleston’s Loki can trust anyone.
Loki quickly learns things aren’t what they seem at the TVA, seeing as his magic and even the Infinity Stones are useless within its confines. The TVA also has unusual technology, allowing its agents to time travel and erase events that don’t fit the Time-Keepers’ mysterious plans. Despite the oddities, TVA employees follow their orders without question, always carrying out the Time-Keepers' bidding.
Additionally, time itself moves differently at the TVA, which has led to a new Loki fan theory that may reveal some things. According to the theory (via TikTok), Marvel’s TVA is in a city located in the Quantum Realm, and it has already been shown in the MCU. The MCU repeats over and over again that time moves differently inside the Quantum Realm. Similarly, in Loki, Owen Wilson’s Mobius tells the God of Mischief that "time passes differently here in the TVA." Since time works differently in both places, it makes sense that the TVA could be located in the Quantum Realm. Furthering the theory, Loki shows that the TVA is in a bustling city, and Ant-Man and the Wasp features a brief glimpse of a city in the Quantum Realm. Fans have put this all together, believing the secret city in Ant-Man 2 is home to the TVA.
The idea almost seems more fact than theory. The Quantum Realm is already used by the Avengers to time travel in Avengers: Endgame, so it makes sense that the TVA uses it as well. And with time working a bit differently in the Quantum Realm and at the TVA, it's reasonable to think they're in the same MCU location. The upcoming Ant-Man sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, also seems to be a clue linking the TVA to the Quantum Realm. Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror, a notorious time-traveler in the Marvel comics, is set to be the villain of that film. Loki has already dropped several Kang the Conqueror Easter eggs that may hint he has ties to the TVA, and Quantumania seems to indicate he'll be using the Quantum Realm to time travel.
Nothing is ever as it seems in the MCU. While Ant-Man and the Wasp director Peyton Reed has acknowledged the mysterious city appearing in the Quantum Realm (via Twitter), it could be nothing more than a throwaway Easter egg. The Quantum Realm is also incredibly unstable, so the TVA’s ease of time traveling could indicate it exists outside of the subatomic dimension at a safer location. The MCU also has a propensity for pulling out the rug from fans. From Jake Gyllenhaal's villain Mysterio turning out to be a disgruntled Stark Industries employee in Spider-Man: Far From Home to Ben Kingsley's Mandarin in Iron Man 3 being a ruse, it’s rare that anything is straightforward. And with Loki being about the God of Mischief, the only thing fans can expect for sure is deception.
Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.