The Temporal Loom is central to the first episode of Loki’s second season, and we learn it’s critical in making the Time Variance Authority function. Created by He Who Remains at some unknown point in time, the Loom takes raw temporal energy and refines it into a physical timeline. Part of the reason the TVA prunes the extra timelines is so that the Temporal Loom doesn’t overload, trying to “weave” too many timelines at once. Without the Temporal Loom, the TVA can’t function. But does this powerful device have a precedent in the pages of Marvel Comics? Well, yes and no. But mostly no. However, the Temporal Loom found inspiration in various parts of the comics, and actually myth.
Loki‘s Temporal Loom’s Mythological Inspirations
In Greek mythology, there is a Loom of the Fates, which also exists in the Marvel Universe. In Norse mythology, that loom is the Loom of the Norns. (Marvel Comics combines these two mythologies). Essentially, the three Fates weave it to shape the life and destiny of every being in creation. Thor destroyed the Loom of the Fates in Thor Vol. 2 #85, and broke the thread that holds the destiny of Asgardians, from which Those Who Sit Above in Shadow were absorbing energy. Those Who Sit Above were the silent beings who created the Asgardian Gods. So it’s fitting that a powerful loom that determines how the universe flows originated in Thor comics, since the Temporal Loom appears in Loki, thus tying it to Thor’s mythos.
Spider-Man’s Loomworld
In the Spider-Man lore, there’s another powerful loom of sorts. The loom in this instance is a whole world itself. One that accesses all existence. There’s an entire Loomworld, where beings called the Inheritors could access the Web of Life and Destiny to travel across the multiverse and hunt down Spider-Totems. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse especially drew inspiration from this. They created the Loomworld of conquered realms from countless wars fought across realities. Eventually, several spider-people formed the Web-Warriors. They operated from Loomworld and used it as a focal point to protect the multiverse, which is similar to how the MCU’s TVA works.
Temporal Limbo, Chronopolis, and the Heart of Forever
In the comics, Kang did not create the TVA. There was a “He Who Remains,” but as far as we know, he’s not a Kang variant. However, the TVA has a lot in common with the realm of Limbo, a place outside of time historically ruled by Immortus. Who was, of course, a Kang variant. Temporal Limbo was a timeless realm facilitating time travel to various points in history. Much like the MCU’s Time Variance Authority, it existed outside the time stream and no time did not flow there the way it does everywhere else.
Limbo is also part of Chronicles, which has something very similar to the MCU’s TVA. At its heart is the most important component of the city, the Heart of Forever. It’s a trans-chronal engine that enabled Kang’s home to exist in every branch of the timestream simultaneously. While not exactly like the Temporal Loom, it has key similarities. In the end, the Temporal Loom is a hodgepodge of different elements from the pages of Marvel Comics—not to mention actual mythology itself. Ultimately, however, the Temporal Loom is a unique creation designed for the MCU. Although we’d hardly be surprised to see it retconned into the comics at some point.
