Summary
Deadpool & Wolverineintroduced the concept of anchor beings to the MCU, and one theory posits that Earth-616’s anchor being was introduced two years ago inLokiseason 1.Lokiwas the first MCU production to explore the multiverse in earnest after depicting the titular antihero as a variant, with the show introducing the Time Variance Authority and its work to maintain the Sacred Timeline and Earth-616. After theLokiseason 2 endingsaw Loki ensure the survival of the multiverse and free will along with it,Deadpool & Wolverinerevisited the TVA and introduced the concept of anchor beings.
The MCU’s anchor beingsare described as figures so important to their timeline that their death causes its steady deterioration. The concept is a meta-commentary on how Fox’s X-Men universe started to decline in the wake of Logan’s death inLogan, but has nonetheless raised the question ofwho could be the anchor being of Earth-616. While the prevailing theory suggests that this is Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, evidence suggests that a character introduced inLokiis just as convincing.
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He Who Remains' Role In Loki Season 1 Makes Him A Perfect Earth-616 Anchor Being
He Who Remains Is Central To Earth-616’s Survival
He Who Remains is introduced inLokias the Kang variant responsible for establishing the TVA - who introduced the idea of anchor beings to the MCU - and maintaining the Sacred Timeline. His intimate knowledge of the multiverse and the dangers it brings in the form of his variants necessitates his awareness of anchor beings and their importance in keeping timelines intact. Given he is directly responsible for overseeing the survival and maintenance of the Sacred Timeline and Earth-616, this makes him aprime candidate for Earth-616’s anchor being, especially as his death results in its endangerment.
The Sacred Timeline is a collection of timelines approved by He Who Remains and the TVA, which includes the MCU and timelines that follow its baseline events, and don’t lead to Kang variants.
He Who Remains' seeming awareness of anchor beings suggests that he would at least mention the importance of someone like Tony Stark in his conversation with Loki. His omission of this information andthe fact that he doesn’t keep Earth-616’s anchor being safe with him in the Citadel at the End of Time signifies that he is Earth-616’s anchor being. His self-isolation ensures that the MCU’s universe can continue while he stays out of harm’s way - with his resurrection by Loki also being a part of his plan inLokiseason 2.
He Who Remains Being An Anchor Being Would Explain More About Loki Season 2
The Temporal Loom Was A Fail-Safe
Lokiseason 2 introduced the temporal loom, a device initially purported to refine raw time into a single timeline. It was later revealed that if branching timelines were not pruned with the TVA’s reset charges, the loom would overload, wiping out all but the sacred timeline. The death of He Who Remains results in the expansion of the multiverse, which begins to overload the temporal loom, causing the destruction of the branching timelines and ensuring the survival of the Sacred Timeline.
If the theory is correct, this would effectively make the temporal loom a stand-in anchor being for He Who Remains. Its function in ensuring the survival of Earth-616 alone and its failure to handle the presence of other universesmakes it of central importance to the MCU’s survival. That is, of course, until Loki destroys the loom and positions himself as the new most important figure in the MCU.
Loki May Have Taken Over From He Who Remains As The Main MCU Timeline’s Anchor Being
Earth-616 Survives With Loki’s New Position
If He Who Remains made himself the anchor being for Earth-616, then his death at the hands of Sylvie should see it begin to decay. Instead,the MCU persists alongside infinite others with Loki acting as a new, living temporal loom at their center. This suggests that Loki has now become the universe’s most important central figure, with his death now ensuring the death of not just Earth-616, but other infinite universes, asLokiestablished that a loom is required to ensure raw time can be turned into timelines.
Nevertheless, Logan’s death showed that despite Loki’s efforts, universes can still decay with the death of their anchor beings. With Loki replacing both He Who Remains and the temporal loom inLokiseason 2, the importance of Earth-616 is compounded, as its prospective anchor being now holds infinite other timelines together. This helps to justify the fact that the multiverse saga is being told mostly from the perspective of this specific universe, and suggests that it will remain central to the MCU in a post-Avengers: Secret Warslandscape.
Loki
Cast
Loki is a series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the alternate version of the titular character, Loki, after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Taken by the Time Variance Authority, he must confront his identity and choices while aiding in fixing the disrupted timeline to avert a greater threat.
