The Citadel at the End of Time stands on a lone astronomical body, surrounded by a beam of light representing the Sacred Timeline. Loki and Sylvie Laufeydottir, having emerged from the Void, approach the front door. An anxious Sylvie emotionally prepares herself, when the door suddenly opens, and the two venture inside. Encountering Miss Minutes, she tempts them with an offer from He Who Remains, the actual creator of the Time Variance Authority. The proposal would see the two Variants restored to their place on the Sacred Timeline without significant disruptions to its stability, alongside personal alterations: Loki wins the Battle of New York, becomes King of Asgard, and kills Thanos; Sylvie would reunite with her family. Miss Minutes also said that He Who Remains could put them together on the timeline, allowing Sylvie and Loki to have anything they wanted together. Ultimately, the duo turns it down, declaring they will write their own destinies.
Miss Minutes then summons herself unto Ravonna Renslayer at the TVA Office, sending various files to her TemPad. Renslayer notes that the files aren't the ones she specifically requested from her. Moments later, Mobius M. Mobius returns to her office, wielding a Time Stick. Renslayer tells Mobius that he had to be pruned to preserve the TVA's core directive. As she attempts to summon Minutemen to her aid, Mobius reveals that they are already aware of her Variant nature. Indeed, Hunter B-15 actions lured a Minutemen unit to 2018 Ohio, where they encounter a school principal whom they recognize as Renslayer.
As Loki and Sylvie slowly advance through the Citadel's halls, they eventually come across an elevator, which opens to unveil He Who Remains inside. With Loki and Sylvie threatening with their weapons, they are invited to sit down for a chat. Sylvie attempts to kill He Who Remains, but he avoids death, due to his knowledge of all that will occur, including what the TVA doesn't know. He also informs the couple that their path to the Citadel was paved by him beforehand. He Who Remains questions Sylvie's trust in Loki, noting that she is virtually incapable of trusting anyone.
Meanwhile, Renslayer continues to defend the TVA, stating that their operations are necessary to preserve temporal order. Mobius, having experienced being pruned to the Void himself, argues on behalf of the free will for the Variants. Renslayer insists that no one besides the creator of the TVA will ever possess that free will. When she opens a Timedoor, Mobius attempts to prune her, but he is quickly disarmed and sent to the ground. Despite being given the chance, Renslayer does not prune her former friend again. Instead, she uses the Timedoor to leave the TVA Office in search of free will.
He Who Remains affirms to Loki and Sylvie that the existence of the TVA is necessary to protect the Multiverse from himself. He informs them that his Variants, who arose in the 31st Century, discovered Multiversal travel and began interacting with each other. Initially, the interactions were peaceful, but the actions of a select number of evil Variants sparked the Multiversal War, bringing the Multiverse to near-destruction. Eventually, He Who Remains discovered Alioth, weaponizing it to end the War and isolate strands of his reality as the Sacred Timeline. Additionally, he formed the TVA to assist in retaining only one major timeline. Unconvinced, Sylvie accuses He Who Remains of being a liar.
He Who Remains gives Loki and Sylvie two options: kill him and unleash countless wicked versions of himself, or take over the TVA in his place. Loki, confused as to why He Who Remains would give up control of time itself, also accuses him of deception. The weary He Who Remains informs them about his advanced age, declaring the young Variants to be the perfect candidates to take his role as the Keepers of Time. He beckons them to use their experiences to decide the fates of alternate timelines as they see fit. Suddenly, however, the once merry He Who Remains grimly announces that the threshold has been crossed, with thunder beginning to rumble outside the Citadel. The Sacred Timeline begins to diverge into multiple branches. He reveals that he doesn't possess knowledge of what occurs beyond the threshold.
Sylvie remains unconvinced of He Who Remains intentions, suddenly lunging to kill the creator of the TVA. Loki, though, is fully convinced of the multiversal risk, attempting to talk Sylvie out of killing him. Nevertheless, Sylvie remains insistent on going ahead with her murder, accusing Loki of trying to take control of the TVA as a throne for himself. Descending into a brief duel for the fate of the Multiverse, Sylvie gains the upper hand and dashes to kill He Who Remains, but Loki blocks the blow. Refusing to harm her, Loki assures an emotional Sylvie that power is out of the question for him, and all he wants is to see her well. She drops her weapon and the two share a kiss. However, Sylvie declares they are not the same, opening a Timedoor with He Who Remains TemPad, blasting Loki back into the TVA.
Loki attempts to return to the Citadel, but the Timedoor closes, leaving him distraught. Sylvie recovers her sword and plunges it into He Who Remains heart, killing him but not before he cryptically tells her that he'll see her soon. Having finally avenged her reality and realizing her actions, the Goddess of Mischief collapses as the Sacred Timeline splinters outward into countless branches. Mobius, B-15 and other TVA workers observe as the branches go well beyond the point of no return.
After spending a moment lamenting Sylvie's betrayal, Loki runs into the TVA library, encountering Mobius and B-15 there. Loki attempts to warn them about the impending danger of the numerous He Who Remains Variants due to the liberation of the Sacred Timeline. However, Mobius and B-15 don't recognize him. Looking outside, Loki notices that instead of the three Time-Keepers statues, a sole statue of a man identical to He Who Remains stands tall.
Written by TomislavMuskovic on Oct 28, 2023