Warning: Spoilers for the latest episode of Loki Season 2, “1893,” lie ahead, so you’ve been warned.
The third installment in Loki’s second season featured some substantial developments. It saw the lead character and the equally delightful Mobius M. Mobius travel back in time to track down rogue former Time Variance Authority judge Ravonna Renslayer and devilish A.I. assistant Miss Minutes. While there, the two protagonists also sought out a variant of He Who Remains, Victor Timely, who Renslayer and Minutes were also hoping to find. Viewers learned quite a bit about Timely, and one such reveal came via a major twist involving Ravonna. And because of that development, I now have a question about Kang the Conqueror’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Hardcore fans are probably aware that Renslayer and Kang have been heavily connected over the years. In fact, in the comics, they were actually engaged in a passionate love affair, and Ravonna, at one point, even served as a successor to her partner. In the lead-up to this new season, a number of people speculated that we might see the beginnings of that partnership when the scorned TVA official finally crossed paths with Timely. However, the series subverted expectations in that regard.
Loki Seemingly Squashed The Chances Of A Romance Between Ravonna And Victor
After the Season 1 finale of Loki, Disney+ subscribers were left with some Kang-sized questions, and one of them involved Renslayer’s planned destination following her departure from the TVA. Fans learned at the onset of this latest episode that she traveled to 1868 Chicago to meet Miss Minutes and, together, they made sure a young Victor Timely received the TVA handbook that would eventually help him establish the organization. The pair of schemers eventually jumped in time to 1893, where an adult Timely was presenting an early iteration of his Temporal Loom at the Chicago world’s fair.
Timely ultimately gave a successful presentation, which was attended by the aforementioned duo as well as Loki and Mobius (who needed He Who Remains temporal aura to help fix the mess at the TVA). As a result, the eccentric genius received a business partnership offer. Yet Victor flatly told an interested party, “I don’t do partners.” After a chase involving the scorned investor, Loki and Mobius, Timely ended up with Minutes and Renslayer, who seemed to have chemistry with the scientist. As they sailed off on a ship, it seemed the two might get cozy, but Victor was ultimately thrown off when Ravonna referred to their new alliance as a “partnership.”
That’s right, Victor Timely shut down Ravonna Renslayer, leaving her floating in a lifeboat – much to Miss Minutes’ delight. That was definitely a big surprise, and I can’t help but consider what it might mean for Kang’s future.
Will Another Version Of Kang Find Love With Ravonna?
Since it doesn’t look like the heavily theorized love birds are going to end up together, there’s something I can’t help but wonder. Is this the first and only taste of a romance between a Kang variant and Ravonna Renslayer that we’re ever going to get in the MCU? Series head writer Eric Martin and co. seemed to swiftly downplay a love affair between the two, and that could set the tone for what’s to come. That’s conjecture at this point, but we at least should consider the notion that this episode might’ve marked the only time their romance will be referenced in the MCU continuity.
Loki Remembers The MCU Very Differently, And Now I Want To Hear Him Retell Marvel’s Complete History
I could be overthinking this, of course. It’s definitely possible Ravonna could cross paths with another Kang variant – possibly before or during the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: The Kang Dynasty – and fall in love. Then again, one of the conqueror’s various counterparts could also end up with a version of Renslayer that’s not the one we’ve been tracking on Loki. It might be too early to speculate about those scenarios but, considering how vital the romance was in the comics, it’d be surprising if the heads of the MCU chose not to do anything else with it.
It would be interesting to see an MCU big bad with a love interest, especially since Thanos’ story didn’t include Mistress Death. But you have to appreciate the fact that the show’s writers were able to deliver a legitimately surprising development, and it wouldn’t be too crushing if Kang’s relationship were to be discarded. After all, there are also so many other interesting ways to use the two characters. For instance, as a Season 2 theory suggests, a version of Ravonna could take on the “Terminatrix” alter ego and ultimately usurp and kill Kang. We’ll have to see if such hatred manifests but, for now, we can say there’s no love between those two, at the very least.
You can stream new episodes of Loki on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET as part of the 2023 TV schedule.
