This post includes spoilers for episode 2.
Loki‘s second episode ends on an explosive note, introducing a new character played by Sophia Di Martino. She’s described by the Time Variance Authority as an alternate-timeline variant of Loki, riffing on the Lady Loki storyline in the comics. But while she shows up wearing a rather Loki-esque costume, she makes it clear that she doesn’t want to be called Loki. Does she simply go by a different name, or is this a hint that she’s actually a different person? For instance, Enchantress?
Enchantress is a recurring villain in the Thor comics; an Asgardian woman with numerous superpowers including mind-control and telepathy. The original Enchantress was named Amora, while the second version is a young woman from Earth named Sylvie Lushton. Arriving during the Lady Loki era in 2009, Sylvie is convinced that she’s from Asgard, adopting cringey faux-Asgardian mannerisms. But we soon discover that she was actually created by Loki. “I liked the idea of creating a mortal who suspects she’s one of my kind,” Loki explains in Dark Reign: Young Avengers #4. “She’s infinitely susceptible to dashed hopes.”
When Loki episode 2 arrived on Wednesday morning, several Marvel fans pointed out that Sophia Di Martino’s blonde hair bore more resemblance to Sylvie than to previous depictions of Lady Loki:
However, blonde hair isn’t the only clue here. In the credits, one of the dubbed translations lists voice actress Elisa Beuter as playing “Sylvie.” This clearly refers to Sophia Di Martino’s character, because in other languages (including the original English), this second-billed character is listed as “The Variant.” It seems like Disney+ may have slipped up and forgotten to correct one of the credits, revealing to audiences that Variant Loki is actually Enchantress. Plus, the show’s IMDb page includes a credit for a child actress playing “Young Sylvie.”
This all points toward the idea that Sophia Di Martino is Sylvie Lushton, which would certainly explain her irritation about being called Loki. If true, this is kind of frustrating for fans who thought Lady Loki would play a key role in the show. It also hints that Disney+ is moving even further away from the idea of Loki as a genderfluid character. However, the existence of Sylvie Lushton doesn’t necessarily rule out the idea of Lady Loki appearing in another guise. After all, she was created by Lady Loki in the original comics.
