The following includes spoilers for the first 5 episodes ofLoki.
Lokihas given fans another fix of Tom Hiddleston’s take on the God of Mischief while bringing new faces to the MCU. Audiences have taken a liking to Sylvie, a powerful Loki variant, andOwen Wilson’s Mobius M. Mobius. But one of the most influential characters may be Time Variance Authority judge and resident thorn in Loki’s side, Ravonna Renslayer. Portrayed by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ravonna has been an interesting villain to watch in the series, undergoing a character arc that allows her to become more complex with each passing episode.
Ravonna Renslayer begins the series as astraight-laced, yet unassuming judge for the TVA. She is tasked with overseeing Loki’s trial for creating a branch off of the “Sacred Timeline” during the events ofAvengers: Endgame. She is quickly shown to be uncompromising in her position within the TVA, finding Loki guilty and sentencing him to be reset.
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Thanks tothe show’s ambitious directing and writing,Loki’sversion of Ravonna Renslayer — while different from her comic book origins — is a three-dimensional person. Her sinister actions are on full display and pack a punch when it comes to her relationship with Sylvie, whom Renslayer has been chasing since she was a little girl, ultimately ruining her childhood. But a caring, more human side of her is shown in her office talks with Mobius, a person she confides in and even calls her friend. Through these interactions, she is made to be morally gray, making some shifts in her personality a bit confusing, but ultimately human choices.
A great villain can be broken down into a character who truly believes what they’re doing — no matter what the fallout is — is right, and Ravonna Renslayer is a perfect example. All of her actions, cruel as they may seem to some, are justified by her because of her role within thecorporate, cold world of the TVA. Her allegiance to the TVA is steadfast but also led by blind faith. She’s never questioned the TVA’s motives or the decisions of the Timekeepers because she’s never had to. That is until Loki and Sylvie use their chaotic existence to make her finally doubt her purpose.
What makes Ravonna realistic is the inner conflict she develops midway through the season, brought to her attention by her main enemy, Sylvie. After it isrevealed in the third episodethat TVA employees may not have been created by the Time Keepers and instead are variants themselves, Renslayer is still unwavering, refusing to believe that her beloved Time Keepers would lead her astray. Her demeanor takes a serious blow at the end of the fourth episode though, after a brutal fight between Sylvie, Loki, and TVA agents end with the head of a Time Keeper being sliced off,revealing nothing but a neck full of wiresunderneath.
At the start of the fifth episode, Ravonna appears rattled, unable to give Sylvie the answers about the Time Keepers and TVA as she’s just as confused as Sylvie. The only information she can tell Sylvie is about the void, the sprawling place where all the pruned variants are sent, and no doubt where Loki was sent at the end of “The Nexus Event.” It almost seems like the two women are ready to team up to get answers when Ravonna distracts Sylvie long enough forTVA agents to storm the room, proving her trusting moment was merely another ruse. In her final conversation with Sylvie before she sends herself into the void, Ravonna isn’t as cutting with her words as before, a sign that perhaps the events of the series are wearing her down and starting to worm their way into her mind.
It’s already clear thatLokimay change the MCUas fans know it, but it’s becoming more likely it will also have an impact on the way favorite Marvel characters will be explored in coming shows and movies, especially if Ravonna Renslayer is any indication. With only one more episode this season, Ravonna is running out of time to make a major character decision: break free from the indoctrination of the TVA and learn the truth, or stay in her seemingly uncomplicated life as a judge over The Sacred Timeline. If she joins the side of Loki and Sylvie, it would mean major changes for TVA going forward, even if it survives Mobius’s threat to burn it to the ground. Her choice may help lead the series towardswhat fans predict will be a tragedy, or propel it to a place audiences didn’t even think of. Whatever happens,Loki’sRavonna Renslayer has proved herself to be a worthy adversary to the God of Mischief, and it’s thanks to her humane qualities rather than her powers.
Lokiis now streaming on Disney Plus.
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