Shocking Theory Reveals Phase 5's Newest Kang Variant Isn't A Villain (With Evidence)

Summary

In Loki Season 2, Victor Timely may be working with the Time Variance Authority, suggesting he could be an ally rather than a villain.
The second trailer reveals that Victor Timely has been recruited by the TVA to assist in their mission, implying he has crucial knowledge of the Temporal Core.
There is a theory that Victor Timely and He Who Remains are the same person, as they both have connections to the Temporal Core and time manipulation technology.

One new theory suggests that Loki season 2's variant of Kang the Conqueror might not actually be a villain in the MCU's Phase 5. Loki season 2 was confirmed to be in development in the first season's finale, and is expected to pick up immediately after the shocking events of the Phase 4 series. Tom Hiddleston is returning along with Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, Eugene Cordero, and Tara Strong, reprising their roles from Loki season 1. Jonathan Majors is also returning in Loki season 2 after debuting as He Who Remains in season 1, but he'll be portraying a different variant in Phase 5.

He Who Remains was introduced as a variant of Kang the Conqueror, the Multiverse Saga's overarching villain, in Loki season 1. After Sylvie killed him, the Sacred Timeline began to unravel, allowing subsequent MCU projects to explore the multiverse in more detail, and allowing Majors to appear as Kang the Conqueror in Phase 5's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. A new Kang variant will be introduced in Loki season 2, as Loki and Mobius come face-to-face with Victor Timely in the early 20th Century, but one new theory suggests that Timely may actually be working with the Time Variance Authority in the series, rather than against them.

Loki Season 2's New Trailer Shows Kang Helps The TVA

Victor Timely in the TVA in Loki season 2 trailer

The second trailer for Loki season 2 was released on September 4, 2023, revealing new details about the series, which is scheduled to premiere on October 6. While previous footage had already introduced Victor Timely, the second trailer uncovered more about his role, including suggesting that he may even work with the TVA. One shot from the trailer shows TVA workers including Loki, Mobius, and Ke Huy Quan's Ouroboros preparing for Mobius to journey out to investigate the Temporal Core, but in the background of this scene, Victor Timely can clearly be seen within the walls of the TVA, implying he'll be recruited to assist in the TVA's mission.

The Temporal Core was first seen in Loki season 2's first trailer, though it's unclear exactly what purpose this piece of machinery actually has. The Temporal Core seems to be taking multiple streams of energy and combining them into one, perhaps resembling the various timelines of the multiverse being trimmed into the Sacred Timeline. The fact that Victor Timely has seemingly been recruited by the TVA to assist in their mission to investigate the Temporal Core suggests that he has an intimate knowledge of how this machine works, which may point to him having an even more crucial part to play in the rest of the MCU's Multiverse Saga.

Victor Timely Is Key To Fixing The Multiverse

Victor Timely with his machine in Loki season 2

The post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki season 2 trailers reveal that Loki and Mobius meet Victor Timely in the early 20th Century at the Chicago World's Fair, where Timely demonstrates a new piece of technology that he claims will give him a dominion over time. Initially, the connection between Timely's invention and the TVA's Temporal Core wasn't evident, but on closer inspection, the two pieces of equipment have a strikingly similar shape and appearance. This perhaps suggests that Timely's invention in the past is an early version of the Temporal Core, hinting at his importance when he aids the TVA in Loki season 2.

If Victor Timely invented the original blueprint for the Temporal Core, this would certainly explain why Loki and Mobius travel to find him in the past, especially if something has now gone wrong with the Temporal Core itself. This could make Victor Timely a key figure in solving the TVA's problems in Loki season 2, suggesting that he will be an ally in the MCU's Phase 5 rather than the villains that his previous variants have been depicted as. However, Timely's creation could hint at a different destiny for the variant, perhaps teasing the idea that audiences may have already been introduced to Victor Timely, though under a different name.

Is Victor Timely Really He Know Remains?

He Who Remains in Loki season 1's finale episode

Victor Timely seemingly invented the Temporal Core in the early 20th Century, and He Who Remains evidently used the device in the distant future after establishing the TVA. This could mean that Timely and He Who Remains are actually one and the same, with the latter having had eons to advance the technology used in his original Temporal Core so that it operates on a much larger scale at the end of time. He Who Remains confirmed in Loki season 1's finale that he had been alive for an inconceivable amount of time, which could certainly mean that Loki season 2's Victor Timely may actually be He Who Remains.