Loki's Temporal Loom Explained: How It Creates The Sacred Timeline (2024)

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Loki season 2, episode 1.

Loki season 2, episode 1 introduced an element of the TVA called the Temporal Loom, begging the question of what it is and what specific purpose it holds within the MCU multiverse. Loki season 1 properly introduced the time-travel aspects of the franchise, leading to a time-based story that resulted in the expansion of the multiverse. Given that season 1 had such an impact on the overall MCU, it was largely expected that Loki season 2's Easter egg-filled adventure would do the same.

By the time of Loki season 2, episode 1's ending, this is made abundantly clear. Through the continued threatening presence of Kang to the mysteries surrounding the TVA now that Loki is time-slipping between past and present, much of the chaotic plot introduced in Loki season 2, episode 1 furthers the time-travel, multiversal aspects of the show. One element that is introduced to do so is the Temporal Loom, a specific part of the TVA that is vital to the state of the MCU's branching timelines.

Loki's Temporal Loom Explained

Firstly, it is worth exploring exactly what Loki season 2's Temporal Loom is. In the episode, the Temporal Loom is first mentioned by Ke Huy Quan's Ouroborus, or O.B. for short. In the TVA, the Temporal Loom is the room in which raw time is refined into the physical elements of the timeline. As such, the Temporal Loom is essentially responsible for the creation of timelines, including the Sacred Timeline, that have been introduced in the MCU thus far. O.B. is responsible for keeping the Temporal Loom working, something that causes issues as of the beginning of Loki season 2, episode 1.

OB's Temporal Aura Extractor Explained

A Temporal Aura Extractor is another element of Loki season 2 connected to the Temporal Loom. This device is essential to stop Loki's time-slipping and is utilized by Mobius by the episode's ending. In essence, the Temporal Aura Extractor locks onto Loki's temporal signature and pulls him through time to the place on the timeline in which it is used. In Loki season 2, episode 1's case, Loki is pulled to the present of the TVA, fixing his time-slipping into the past and future.

How OB Will Fix The Temporal Loom

In Loki season 2, episode 1, it was revealed that the Temporal Loom is overloading. Sylvie killing He Who Remains caused the timeline to begin branching endlessly, meaning the Temporal Loom was instantly provided with an immense workload. This caused the power surges throughout the TVA as well as potentially Loki's time-slipping though the latter is not officially confirmed and is more a theory from O.B. During the episode, O.B. reveals that he will attempt to fix the Temporal Loom by closing the blast doors to protect the TVA while he figures out a way to retrofit to accommodate the endless branching of the timelines.

What The Sacred Timeline Is And Why It Is Important To The MCU Multiverse

Before exploring how the Temporal Loom is important to the Sacred Timeline, it is worth exploring what this actually is. In Loki season 1, the Sacred Timeline was explained as essentially the MCU's timeline. The TVA was responsible for pruning branches from the Sacred Timeline in order to keep the flow of time constricted to one stream. This stream housed all the events of the MCU in the Infinity Saga and the majority of Phase 4 and 5 projects too.

Concerning why the Sacred Timeline is important, it was used as a form of order and authority. He Who Remains formed the TVA as a means of keeping the Sacred Timeline intact as he knew the risks of the multiverse from being involved in the Multiversal War between Kang variants. As such, He Who Remains defeated the other Kang variants, formed the Sacred Timeline, and created the TVA as a means of keeping his more evil variants at bay and keeping order on the timeline.

How The Temporal Loom Keeps The Sacred Timeline Together

While not overtly explained in the episode, Loki season 2, episode 1 provides plenty of context clues as to how the Temporal Loom specifically worked concerning the Sacred Timeline. O.B. explains that the Temporal Loom takes raw time and refines it into a physical timeline and also states that the lack of pruning of branching timelines since He Who Remains' death is causing the Temporal Loom to become overloaded. As such, it can be deduced how the Temporal Loom used to keep the Sacred Timeline together.

Before He Who Remains' death, the TVA was functioning as intended with any branching timelines being pruned. It was likely that, when the TVA was operating in this way, the Temporal Loom was set up to accommodate for minor amounts of raw time. This was likely set up by O.B. who explains he was in charge of running diagnostics on the Loom. This means that, given the Temporal Loom was primarily dealing with raw time from only one timeline given the constant pruning of branches, it would then refine this one timeline into physical matter, creating the physical embodiment of the Sacred Timeline that has housed the MCU's Infinity Saga.

How The Multiverse Is Affecting The Temporal Loom

However, the events of Loki season 2, episode 1 proved that Sylvie's actions have affected the Temporal Loom. By killing He Who Remains, revealing his deceit, and causing the TVA to stop working at pruning timelines as a result, the multiverse exploded into life through the branching timelines. These timelines began forming their own universe but also their own elements of raw time. These raw timelines were then all funneled through the Temporal Loom simultaneously given the rapid establishment of the multiverse that was explored in Loki season 1's ending, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

This caused the Temporal Loom to begin overloading with O.B. mentioning that it needs retrofitting to accommodate the ever-expanding number of timelines. This proves that the multiverse caused the Temporal Loom to begin working beyond its original capabilities as it is only fitted to accommodate the raw time needed to create one timeline - the Sacred Timeline. As such, the multiverse began impacting the Temporal Loom in a way that led to the TVA's power surges and potentially Loki's time-slipping.

With O.B. stating that he needs to retrofit the Temporal Loom to accommodate for the expanding timelines, it could be the case that Loki season 2 explains how the multiverse was created. The events of Loki season 2 follow directly on from season 1, meaning the show's story likely takes place before Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and any other multiverse-centric MCU stories. It could be the case that, upon fixing the Temporal Loom, the TVA begins forming the physical matter for the entire multiverse meaning Loki season 2 serves as an origin story for the Multiverse Saga through the Temporal Loom itself.

New episodes of Loki release every Thursday at 6pm PT / 9pm ET on Disney+.