The secret villain of Marvel Studios’ Loki revealed

Loki is a series full of villains, but who is really pulling the strings? The Disney+ series follows Loki, a former villain himself, as he fights alongside his time variant Sylvie, a character who can also be classified as a villain. If you asked someone who the overarching villain of the series is, they would probably say Kang, the man secretly controlling the Time Variance Authority. TVA agents like Renslayer or Dox are also contenders, especially after the massive genocide the latter committed last episode.

The third episode of Loki season 2 introduced a new wrinkle to the conversation. Someone else has been pulling the strings, and this week they made their big move.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the latest episode of Loki!

It was Miss Minutes all along

Surprise, surprise, there is more to Miss Minutes than meets the eye. Last season we learned that the AI mascot was working with He Who Remains (aka Kang the Conquerer), but this week we learned just how much of a mastermind she is.

If you’ve been following Loki, then you know He Who Remains had been pulling the strings behind the TVA. Sylvie killed He Who Remains, turning the TVA into a chicken with its head cut off. Everyone has a different idea of what the TVA should be doing without its mysterious leader, but Miss Minutes has her own plan.

Miss Minutes followed one of Kang’s contingency plans, enlisting Renslayer to leave a TVA manual on a windowsill in 1968 Chicago. This manual would be found by a young Victor Timely, one of Kang’s variants. The idea is this book would set Victor Timely on the path to grow up and become the new leader of the TVA. “When he’s back where he belongs atop the TVA, you and I will be right by his side,” Miss Minutes promises Renslayer.

Miss Minutes and Renslayer waited for Victor Timely to grow up, biding their time. Once Victor had fully matured, they made their presence known. If you missed the episode, I would recommend checking it out, because it involves Miss Minutes going full kaiju in order to scare away some civilians.

Miss Minutes and Renslayer told Timely their plan, and how he was destined to rule the TVA. Renslayer spoke about how excited she was about their future partnership. However, Miss Minutes had an agenda of her own. Once Renslayer fell asleep, Miss Minutes convinced Timely to place her in a small boat, leaving her adrift as they sailed away on a larger vessel. “You heard her Victor – partnership. You had to do it,” Miss Minutes said. That’s right, it turns out Miss Minutes had no intention of letting Renslayer rule alongside her as she promised.

We knew Miss Minutes had some evil in her, but this betrayal was a new level. In fact, if she was lying to Renslayer, it opens up the question of what else she has been lying about. Was the windowsill plan really something Kang came up with, or was it her? Is she lying to Victor Timely as well?

In fairness, we probably should have seen this coming. Last year we interviewed Tara Strong, Miss Minutes’ voice actress, and some of the comments she made about the character jump out in retrospect. “You know she’s a badass. You know she’s hiding some shit,” Strong cryptically warned us.

What is Miss Minutes' origin?

This episode also shed some light on Miss Minutes’ origin, and her motivations. After getting rid of Renslayer, Miss Minutes and Timely hid out at one of his labs. As Miss Minutes continued talking to Timely, her comments indicated an unrequited attraction between her and his variant, He Who Remains. She asked if he had any sketches of her, and if he preferred her to Renslayer.

Miss Minutes then began a monologue, which revealed the history she shared with Kang. “When you first created me, long before the TVA or a Multiversal War, I was just a simple AI. Just something to play chess with. But you knew I could be more for you, so you gave me autonomy to write my own programming. I was allowed to have wants, follow whims, and become who I am. And still, each night we played chess and talked,” Miss Minutes said.

“A loyal friend,” Timely commented. “More than friends. The war, the TVA, the eons after. I alone was by your side. But there was one whim you never allowed me. Why didn’t you allow me a real body,” Miss Minutes asked.

As her monologue continued, she began to grow angry. “You never even tried. With all your powers, and all your abilities, you just kept me as your thing. Your computer, your toy, instead of what I could have been. Your girl,” Miss Minutes continued.

Sensing the danger he was in, Timely activated a remote, which shut Miss Minutes down. Before entering her slumber, the AI shouted that she loved him.

This is a lot to unpack. We’ve learned that Miss Minutes was Kang’s partner, and she helped him win the Multiversal War. She wants two things, a body, and a romantic relationship with Kang. We don’t know why Kang denied her the body, but reading between the lines of this episode, I would guess he didn’t want her to become powerful enough to beat him.

The episode ends with Renslayer reactivating Miss Minutes, which is bad news for the TVA. She’s the only character who knows everything, from the secrets of the TVA, to Kang’s weaknesses. Even without a body, she’s a master manipulator, and one of the most dangerous characters in the MCU. Now that Timely has scorned her advances, there’s no telling what she’ll do next.

We’re halfway through Loki season 2, and I have a feeling we’ve only just begun to see Miss Minutes’ wrath.