Loki essential reading

For those watching the current Marvel's Loki series, season 2 appears to be based on select story arcs from the The Kang Dynasty Reading List

Thor #371-372

1st appearance of the Time Variance Authority (TVA). TVA Justice Peace is in pursuit of the Zaniac.

Avengers West Coast #59-62

The Time Keepers remind Immortus that they made him custodian of the 7 millennia between 3000 BC and 4000 AD.  Immortus was to turn a nexus being into a power source to ensure certain important events occurred in certain timelines, thus making a particular future inevitable. They tell the Avengers that Immortus selected Scarlet Witch but there were other nexi available. And now they have to intervene directly to stop her freed power jeopardizing all futures including their own.

Wanda is more interested in getting revenge for what Immortus has done to her life. Immortus counters that he was just following orders. The Time Keepers claim that he was trying to gain control over *all* time not just the 7 millennia they gave him. *He* protests he was just aiming for what they promised him - *total* mastery over the 7 millenia. US Agent just wants to arrest Immortus on behalf of the US Government. The Time Keepers dismiss his claim out of hand. And also say that they weren't worried about their timeline for selfish reasons but because their absence would be disastrous for the multiverse.

Immortus pleads his case, and the Time Keepers agree to let him continue serving them. They surprise him by directing Scarlet Witch's expelled energy into him. Immortus feels the power growing within him to control cosmic probabilities. He will become the true master of time!

The Time Keepers explain that only a nexus being like Scarlet Witch could generate the power they needed. But once created that power could be placed in a suitably strong vessel. And *they* had secretly made Immortus suitable even as *he* was increasing  Scarlet Witch's power.

Immortus, Tempus and the Time Keepers appear next in a sequel to this story in What If? vol2 #35-39.

'Time Quake' What If…? (1989) #35-39

The Watcher explains nexus beings to us - they are beings who can affect probability and hence control the creation of alternate timelines (usually controlled by quantum probabilities). Immortus had been deleting timelines for the Time Keepers because they contained nexi who were dangerous to their existence. Unfortunately there were 4 such nexi left when Immortus got 'frozen'. #35-38 take us to the four realities where the TimeKeepers persuade some super-characters to destroy the nexi for them. But someone is setting up opposition to frustrate them. That someone turns out to be Immortus. The Time Keepers vanish one by one. And the Time Variance Authority (TVA) are very worried.

In #39 the Watcher helps the TVA sort things out. In Thor #243-245 there was the story of the three Time-Twisters who were created by HeWhoRemains at the end of time to carry knowledge into the next cycle of the universe, but who instead went back through time on a destructive rampage. At the end Thor & co persuade HeWhoRemains to destroy the Time-Twisters before they're born. But now we learn that HeWhoRemains was the last of the TVA, and he created the TimeKeepers to replace the Time-Twisters.

The TVA now send Immortus' pawns against him but they fail. Then the Watcher sends a version of the Fantastic Four to persuade the man who will be Kang/Immortus (who we learn is named Nathaniel Richards after his ancestor) to take a drug that will prevent his future Immortus from being able to hold Scarlet Witch's nexus energy. And the current Immortus explodes. And the Time Keepers reappear.

But then another set of Time Keepers turns up, and the 1st set are exposed as the Time-Twisters. It seems it is *they* who've been behind Immortus' scheme to use SW as a nexus. It further seems that the end of time has branched into two alternate timelines with the Time-Twisters in one and the Time Keepers in the other. Both sides are now fighting to make *their* reality the one that dominates.
Avengers Forever (1998)  will go into all this in more detail, and will add that the Time Keepers recreate Immortus to continue working for them.

Citizen Kang (1992)

In the unassuming town of Timely, Wisconsin, the Vision has disappeared, and it's up to the Fantastic Four and the Avengers to save him! But Timely is connected to Kang's city of Chronopolis, which spans the entire history of the Earth and is guarded by the deadliest warrior's of every age, the Anachronauts!

Kang the Conqueror (2021) #1-5

The cycle of Kang comes to an end. And the cycle of Kang begins anew. Nathaniel Richards wages one last battle in his war against fate—but did any of it make a difference? Does time mean nothing to Kang…or does Kang mean nothing to time.

so after watching Loki (ep5), there is another story arc

Fantastic Four #337-341 ('Into the Time Stream')

The Fantastic Four are awoken from their sleep by the sound of an alarm coming from Reed's lab. They rush there to see Reed working desperately over a massive machine. After taking some readings, he orders Sue to place an invisible force field against a part of the room. When she does, the walls suddenly tear open, revealing an endless void on the other side.

Spoiler:

Before Reed can answer their questions, he activates shielding walls to cover open the hole and has Sue drop her force field. Then inspecting the area near the wall, he finds metal fragments that confirm his suspicions. Reed explains that the Council of Kangs have located a time bubble "fifteen years long" that they've been unable to penetrate. They believe that within the bubble is a renegade Celestial that is creating a powerful weapon, which the Kangs want.

With the help of Iron Man and Thor, the Fantastic Four depart into the time stream aboard the Rosebud II.

Spoiler:

Episode 6 of Loki s2 air last night, and with that one final installment for Loki essential reading list.

As last nights episode was epic, and I do not use the word loosely or figuratively. The series finale of the Loki (Streaming) Series, brought together multiple concepts and mythologies in a visual and auditory amalgamation of curiosity & emotions.

As there is a lot that I would like to break down from this episode and the symbolism behind it, lets start off by setting the stage.

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Loki the God of Stories:
Loki (2004) #1-4
Loki (2010) #1-4
Loki: Agent of Asgard #1-17
Original Sin #5.1-5.5
Vote Loki #1-4, LOKI (2019) #1-5
Avengers: Loki Unleashed
All New Marvel Now: Point One
War of the Realms: Omega

The above list is from the Omnibus release earlier this year (June 14 2023), which in and of its self tells a good story and touches on many of points that are displayed through out the Loki series, however that is not the full story.

The story of Loki, much like in the streaming series is not told in a linear line and is a patch work of people, places and events.

I recommend picking up Infinity War (2018), Wolverine Infinity Watch (2019) and Avengers Forever (2021), Avengers Assemble (2022 cross-over).

It is show/told from various Loki, that Loki discovers that his "story" is written and he is always destined to lose. Not accepting this, he begins his quest to the God Quarry or the Quarry of Creation,   a dimension beyond all space and time located at the edge of the universe.

*Loki investigating the library of Omnipotence City to find an explanation for his constant misery. Loki found that pages had been mysteriously torn from a book of a tale that involved him and the God Quarry.

*After usurping the throne of Asgard, eliminating the heroes of Midgard, failing to prevent the annihilation of all life in the Universe, Loki became bored and flew into the sun. Instead of dying Loki was transported to the god quarry, where he learned he was always destined to lose. Deciding to be the writer of his own story, takes on the burden of safe guarding all reality as Avenger Prime.

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Now that we've set the stage, lets move on to the final act. What does this mean, other than really amazing story telling (which one should expect telling the tale of the God of Stories).

As the Loki s2 episode 6 was coming to a close, we see Loki come to a very similar conclusion. While trying to save the TVA, he presents a series of questions to Victor Timely, OB and Mobius. During the conversation with Mobius, Loki ask "Where's the comfort in that" (referring to the pruning of time variants to protect the sacred timeline), Mobius replies "There is no comfort in the TVA", to which he then goes on to impart the key piece to Loki's story:

"Most purpose is more burden than glory, trust me you never want to be the guy who avoids it because you can't live with the burden.”

This was what Loki needed and giving us the ending we all desvered:

Spoiler: