Who is Sylvie in Loki? The Loki variant explained

The character was last seen at the end of season 1, when she decided to kill He Who Remains, the only guardian left at the end of time, breaking the cycle of the TVA.

When Loki season 1 first landed in 2021, theories surrounding Sylvie's identity soon emerged, with many fans assuming Di Martino would be playing 'Lady Loki'.

However, when Sylvie’s name was confirmed in Loki episode three, it sparked a new theory among fans, with many wondering whether the character could actually be the Enchantress.

With Sylvie's return in Loki season 2 fast approaching, read on for everything we know so far about the character.

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Who is Sylvie in Loki?

So, what do we know about Sylvie from her appearances in the Loki so far? And could she still be Lady Loki after all?

Well, in Loki season 1 episode three, she revealed that she has been on the run from the TVA for her entire life – which certainly suggests that she could be a female version of Loki, given this seems to imply she was a variant from birth.

The fact she's constantly been on the run might also go some way to explaining how there are a few differences between her and the Loki we all know: she wasn't raised as royalty and she's not nearly as suave or trickster-y.

That said, at a certain point in the episode, Sylvie made it very clear that she does not wish to be referred to as Loki, warning, "Don't ever call me that," despite the fact that she continues to dress in very obvious Loki gear.

When Tom Hiddleston's Loki says, "I’m not calling some faded photocopy of me 'Loki'," she replies, "Good – 'cause that’s not who I am anymore. I’m Sylvie now."

She then goes on to reveal that Sylvie is an alias and, when she subsequently explains her plan and Tom Hiddleston tells her he'd "never have done that", she responds, "Yeah? Well I’m not you."

But does this mean that she really isn't a Loki, or just that she understandably doesn't have any desire to identify as such, given she’s seemingly been hunted as a bad Loki variant her entire life?

Perhaps the biggest hint as to her real identity comes later on, when Loki asks how she learnt to take over people's bodies and she replies that she taught herself – referring to it as "enchanting" someone.

Between her name and this reference, the series certainly appears to be setting her up as the Enchantress – although this could still be a red herring.

And then there's the fact that, during the episode, her case file names her as Sylvie Laufeydottir – in other words, a mixture of Lady Loki and the Enchantress.

Talking about how Slyvie is an amalgamation of the Enchantress and Lady Loki, head writer Michael Waldron previously revealed to Screen Rant: "I think that we just wanted to have a version of Loki opposite Tom that was the same but different.

He continued: "There’s a history of Lady Loki in the comics, of Enchantress and all these cool characters. As often happens in the MCU, you see an opportunity to pull those different elements and just put them together."

"She just felt like a badass hero, sort of, or a vigilante in a way," Waldron added. "It just felt like a really cool version of Loki to position opposite our guy, who has been doing things throughout his life somewhat selfishly, driven by his own trauma. She’s on a crusade that, at this point, certainly seems like it’s a crusade for good and for liberation. We just thought that’d be a cool way to do it."

Who is Sylvie in the comics?

In the comic books, Sylvie Lushton is introduced as a seemingly normal teenage girl living in Broxton, Oklahoma – which just happens to be the same place the Asgardians move to as a temporary home.
Not long after they show up, Sylvie suddenly finds herself developing superpowers, including all sorts of magic such as spells and teleportation, and takes on a new name, Amora the Enchantress, before moving to New York to fight alongside the Young Avengers.

What Sylvie doesn't realise, though, is that she's actually been given the powers by Loki, and not only that, but she was actually created by Loki from scratch – with the sole intention of causing chaos.
What's particularly interesting is that, in the comics, Sylvie is created by Loki in Lady Loki form – who explains, "I liked the idea of creating a mortal who suspects she’s one of my kind. She’s infinitely susceptible to dashed hopes. Hence, mischief."

Loki season 2 will start streaming on Disney Plus on 6th October 2023. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.

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