Marvel Fans Are Upset About This New Development in 'Loki' (SPOILERS)
Published June 30 2021, 7:14 p.m. ET
Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Loki.
One unexpected topic of Loki is the idea of love. While many other Marvel characters have epic love stories, Loki is one character who always goes it alone. So now that he’s met his match, or so it seems, is it possible Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is actually in love with Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino)?
At the end of Episode 4, it looks as if Loki is about to reveal something about his feelings for Sylvie. Whether those feelings are romantic or respectful (which he doesn’t typically exhibit towards other people) or just friendly is unclear. So now we’re all asking the big question — is Loki in love with Sylvie, and are they going to get together?
Loki could be in love with Sylvie, but it’s not what we think.
The Loki writers are well aware of the fact that the idea of Loki falling in love with Sylvie could be a weird pill to swallow for many Marvel fans. We’ve learned that Sylvie is basically another version of Loki, so does that mean that Loki is in love with… himself? Well, not exactly.
When Mobius (Owen Wilson) teases Loki about if he has feelings for Sylvie and asks if she likes him back, in classic middle school form, Loki denies it but realizes he might actually feel something for her. This is his first chance to not be alone, which is revealed to be his biggest fear when he’s trapped in his memory time loop with Sif (Jaimie Alexander).
Mobius explains to Loki and to the viewers that, “Two variants of the same being, especially you, forming this kind of sick twisted romantic relationship? That’s pure chaos! That could break reality. It’s breaking my reality right now! What an incredible seismic narcissist! You fell for yourself!”
This breaks the fourth wall to show the audience that the writers know it is super weird for Loki and Sylvie to fall for each other.
The writers have remarked on if Loki is in love with Sylvie, but not on if they end up together.
In an interview with Marvel.com, head writer Michael Waldron explained, “We went back and forth for a little bit about, like do we really want to have this guy fall in love with another version of himself? Is that too crazy? But in a series that, to me, is ultimately about self-love, self-reflection, and forgiving yourself, it just felt right that that would be Loki's first real love story.” We have to admit it does make sense.
For Tom Hiddleston, who plays Loki, he had to figure out how to justify Loki’s newfound love of Sylvie as well. “Trying to accept those aspects of himself, which he's been on the run from, was a way of thinking about that in a really interesting way,” Tom explained. “Also, Sylvie's not Loki. Sylvie is Sylvie. That's interesting, too. I'm really excited to see what people make of it.”
It seems like Loki’s relationship with Sylvie is all about how similar yet different they are. Even if they’re inherently a different version of the same being, they have different upbringings and experiences.
“Who’s a better match for Loki than himself?” director Kate Herron agreed. “The whole show is about identity. It's about him, and he is on a very different path, and he is on a different journey … She is him, but she's not him.”
Do Sylvie and Loki end up together? Fans are hoping that they don’t.
Although we all want the best for Loki, many fans are hoping that he and Sylvie don’t end up together, considering the fact that they are essentially the same person.
With only two episodes left in Loki, it actually doesn’t seem like they will end up together. Perhaps their connection exists to show Loki that he can love and see someone else as an equal, whether it be romantically or platonically.
On the other hand, Sylvie might also be an amalgamation of multiple Marvel comics characters, including Loki’s wife, Sigyn. Sylvie is already somewhat of a hybrid between Lady Loki and Sylvie the Enchantress, so why not add in one more? That would be a fun and totally plausible twist.
Regardless, many fans tweeted their thoughts and feelings after the Episode 4 reveal of Loki’s potential feelings for Sylvie.
Some fans were angered by the romance, while others were confused.
But others were completely understanding and agreed with the writers that Loki would have a crush on a version of himself. That’s just so Loki of the God of Mischief.
New episodes of Loki are available to stream every Wednesday on Disney Plus.