Why He Who Remains Wiped Renslayer’s Memory?
Warning – The rest of this article contains spoilers for Loki Season 2, Episode 4.
Loki Season 2, Episode 4 finally revealed the Ravonna Renslayer-related secret Miss Minutes teased in the climax of the last chapter.
The episode’s opening saw the TVA interface project a hologram onto a picture frame on He Who Remains’ table, revealing Renslayer’s past with him.
Renslayer and He Who Remains are shown side by side as they prepare their “utopia at the end of time,” as introduced in the Season 1 finale:
He Who Remains: “So, it’s almost ready.”
Renslayer: “A utopia at the end of time.”
He Who Remains: “For us. For all time.”
Renslayer: “Always.”
He Who Remains’ conversation with Renslayer, which was played via a recording in the first episode, can be heard. The dialogue reveals her role in winning the Multiversal war before declaring “the TVA awaits [their] commands:”
He Who Remains: “Ravonna Renslayer, you are quite a marvel. I will be proud to lead you. You made a difference in this war. Thank you for being on my team.”
Renslayer: “The TVA awaits our commands. Shall we go?”
He Who Remains: “I’ll catch up. It’s been a long road. See you soon. Always.”
But after sending Renslayer to the TVA, He Who Remains summoned Miss Minutes and ordered her to “erase her memories” along with the presumed rest of the new TVA workers:
Miss Minutes: “Hey boss. Fancy a game of chess?”
He Who Remains: “Not today. Pull up protocol 42.”
Miss Minutes: “Is it time?”
He Who Remains: “Erase her memories.”
Miss Minutes: “Are you sure?”
He Who Remembers: “Erase all their memories.”
Miss Minutes: “If you say so.”
He Who Remains: “I’m sorry.”
Ending the hologram, Ravonna questioned how she had been there before Miss Minutes revealed she “commanded the army” in the Multiversal war:
Renslayer: “I was here.”
Miss Minutes: “Yes.”
Renslayer: “I helped win?”
Miss Minutes: “You didn’t just help. It was you who commanded the army.”
Processing the revelation, Renslayer realized she had “[done] all the work” to keep He Who Remains on his throne at the end of time.
Why He Who Remains Wiped Renslayer’s Memory
A running theme among the MCU’s Kang Variants has been a desire to lead, and seemingly to lead alone, with even the old-fashioned Victor Timely rejecting prospective business partners for his scientific endeavors.
He Who Remains may have wiped Renslayer’s mind to ensure he could lead alone, with nobody to contest his single-handed control of the timeline. Meanwhile, he continued to give her an important role in the daily operations of the TVA to ensure his throne remained unchallenged.
Alternatively, if the pair had any romantic relationship, as Renslayer and Kang have done in Marvel Comics, He Who Remains may have been looking to eliminate any potential distractions from his work leading the TVA.
But with He Who Remains gone and Miss Minutes suggesting that he may have never been needed in the first place, Loki may be positioning Renslayer to assume control of the TVA in the coming episodes. But one has to wonder if Miss Minutes is manipulating her to assume control herself.
