Loki episode 2 finally solves a mystery that runs all the way back to Thor: The Dark World - how did Loki fake his own death at the hands of Kurse?

Warning: SPOILERS for Loki episode 2, "The Variant".

Loki episode 2 reveals how the trickster god survived his apparent death in Thor: The Dark World. Loki has always delighted in cheating death, manipulating others into believing he was dead in order to hatch his next scheme. At the end of Thor, he apparently committed suicide - but Loki survived death by plunging into one of the many portals he knew could be found in Yggdrasil.

The God of Mischief repeated the trick in Thor: The Dark World, but more effectively. He joined Thor in battle against the Dark Elves, apparently redeeming himself, but died when he was stabbed in the chest. Thor grieved the loss of his brother, but viewers soon learned he had not really died at all. Rather, Loki had faked his death in order to ambush the Asgardian who found his body and disguise himself as the messenger, thus earning the opportunity to slip into Odin's presence. Soon he had banished the All-Father from Asgard and claimed the throne for himself. But how had he pulled off this trick? After all, the body cradled by Thor was clearly more than just an illusion.

Loki episode 2 finally answered this question, in an entertaining scene in which "Professor Loki" briefed Mobius M. Mobius and the TVA on his own powers. Loki objected to Mobius's confusion between illusion projection and duplication casting, revealing a duplicate is far more than just an illusion. Apparently, Loki possesses the ability to project an exact doppelgänger of himself, which he describes as "an exact facsimile of one's own body in its present circumstance... a true holographic mirror of its molecular structure." This is likely how Loki faked his death in Thor: The Dark World, creating a perfect body double.

It's tempting to dismiss this power, assuming any differences between illusion casting and duplication projection are found in the eyes of a pedant. After all, doesn't Loki describe a body double as a "hologram?" But some experiments have suggested there is such a thing as "solid light," with photons - the particles of the electromagnetic spectrum that make up forms of electromagnetic radiation - drawn together so tightly they gain mass. This is a common science-fiction trope, found in everything from Doctor Who to Halo, and it's entirely possible Loki's magic allows him to create solid light holograms. That would fit perfectly with Thor 2, with Kurse killed by a solid duplicate of Loki, who stabs Kurse through the chest only to be grabbed by Kurse and impaled on his own blade, himself. The real Loki, meanwhile, was stood by watching while his presence was concealed by illusions.

The TVA clearly don't know Loki as well as they think they do. They were at least unaware until Loki told them that illusion casting and duplication projection aren't the same power. It's likely this particular bit of babble was actually intended as foreshadowing, and that Loki will find a use for the TVA's ignorance.

More: Loki: Every MCU Easter Egg In Episode 2

Loki releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.