Since the very first trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine, MCU fans have been curious about the role of a unique agency. The Time Variance Authority, or TVA, was introduced in Loki as the multiverse police. The group, with agents depicted by Owen Wilson and Wunmi Mosaku, became the centerpiece of Loki and allowed for some incredible storytelling opportunities. With the TVA arriving on the big screen in earnest, we’re breaking down what you need to know about the group.
The TVA at the End of Loki
Throughout Loki, the TVA served as a delivery vehicle for Kang-related storytelling. In Season 1, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) faced off against “He Who Remains” (Jonathan Majors). That Kang variant set up the multiverse in a way that destroyed all of existence with his death.
The results of that plan come to fruition in Season 2. Loki eventually sacrifices his future to become an immortal time being. He literally holds together the various timelines to keep the universe in balance. Doing so allows the TVA to reform, and the group appears functional for the first time in Deadpool & Wolverine. That is until a certain Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) goes rogue.
The TVA in Deadpool & Wolverine
Mr. Paradox pulls Deadpool into his employ in order to move him into the Sacred Timeline. However, in doing so, he ignites the anger and wrath of Deadpool, which ultimately kicks off the story. Despite the ending of Loki, it appears that the TVA is up to its old tricks again. That culture, established under Kang, still resonates with at least some of the current TVA However, by the end of Deadpool & Wolverine, we are made aware that Mr. Paradox’s plan does not represent the larger organization. If anything, it’s far outside the norm.
While Mr. Paradox becomes a comical figure through most of Deadpool & Wolverine, he still pulls off a clandestine operation without alerting the larger organization. That, in itself, speaks to the pervasive attitude towards timeline cleansing within the TVA as a whole. Kang likely does not have a role in the future of the MCU. However, his ideology might persist.
Deadpool & Wolverine forces the TVA to acknowledge the Marvel-Fox franchises
For all the hand-wringing over which characters arrived or were stunt cast, Marvel and Disney’s acquisition of the 20th Century Fox library already created splashy moments in the MCU. Why else would Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) or Evan Peters (as a butt joke, but really Quicksilver) make appearances in earlier properties?
The idea that the Fox-Marvel collaborations are only being celebrated now proves objectively false. While Deadpool & Wolverine certainly count for a high point. This is not a one-off nod, but instead, dozens of these characters are placed in the larger context of the MCU. The TVA becomes the obvious way to thread them into the universe we know without pretending that “the mutants have always been here.” Like Spider-Man: No Way Home, that would waste more than twenty years of movies that audiences already feel attached to. Why burn that bridge if you do not have to?
Instead, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool can remain siloed in their own universe until the large MCU needs them. That should not take long, as the Void immediately signals the direction of the large cinematic universe. As Deadpool & Wolverine land in the desert, a single comic book issue flies through the screen, with “Secret Wars” prominently displayed. The colliding and recalibration as a single universe is coming, and without the TVA, this process would require far more exposition.
Instead, the TVA’s willingness to prune the Fox-timeline acknowledges their place in a larger multiverse. The Void has not been accessible by other heroes outside the TVA’s actions. An organization introduced to help straight out multiversal issues for the Earth-616 timeline became the only logical way to bring the Merc with the Mouth and Wolverine straight into the MCU as we know it today.
SPOILERS FOR DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE BELOW
What role does the TVA take now?
Toward the end of Deadpool & Wolverine, a single character from Loki takes the spotlight. Once known as Hunter B-15 a.k.a. Verity Willis (Wunmi Mosaku) shows up when the timelines begin to go on the fritz. She steps in to check on Mr. Paradox, and when she does, she meets our titular heroes. Having the three connect provides a unique bridge, especially after she realizes their actions stabilize their timeline.
As we move into the next stages of the MCU, with Secret Wars looming on the horizon, the TVA looks to shift its purpose. Now a more organized group, with a non-tyranical structure at the top, they can easily become the new S.H.I.E.L.D. for the MCU. If Marvel is serious about expanding their multiverse, the TVA remains in play. If they choose not to, their role in helping facilitate a Secret Wars-style event will prove just as important.
This also should make the TVA a unique cross-franchise tool for the franchise. Again, S.H.I.E.L.D. once occupied this lane, but to integrate Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Fox-Verse into the MCU, they are a necessity. It’s already confusing which characters matter to most audiences. Finding some common ground between the warring factions will prove essential to the future. If Mosaku and Wilson play our new Agent Coulson or Maria Hill characters, that is even more exciting.
Deadpool & Wolverine releases on July 26, 2024. Loki – Seasons 1 and 2, are available to watch on Disney+.
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