In an MCU cage match between the god of mischief, Loki, and the Watcher, who will emerge victorious?
The finale of the second season of Loki was explosive for more reasons than one. After multiple failed attempts at fixing the Temporal Loom, Loki made the ultimate sacrifice. He decided to destroy the device altogether and offer up his own body as a new Temporal Loom. Now Loki himself is the being holding the multiverse together, allowing for different branches to exist at a time.
However, fans have rightfully pointed out that Loki’s new position is very similar to that of another extra-dimensional being introduced in the MCU — the Watcher. First introduced in What If…?, the Watcher does as his name implies, and watches the multiverse unfold, sworn to never intervene. Both beings are immensely powerful and influential, but MCU fanatics are often found debating which being is superior in terms of strength.
Loki, the savior
Loki’s power by the end of season 2 cannot be understated. By making himself the new Temporal Loom, he did what He Who Remained couldn’t, and created a safe Multiverse where branches are allowed to grow and flourish. This not only requires an incredible amount of power to perform, but also to maintain. Evidently, this makes Loki one of the most powerful beings the MCU has ever witnessed.
His sacrifice and new role led to the creation of a new World’s Tree, or Yggdrasil, similar to the one that holds Asgard, Midgard, and all of the nine realms together. Although Loki can no longer leave the Citadel at the End of Time, he now wields unfathomable power. Furthermore, his status as the lynchpin for the multiverse, albeit still shrouded in mystery, is proof of his undeniable strength.
Uatu, the Watcher
Introduced in What If…?, Uatu is a member of a race of fifth-dimensional beings. All Watchers swear an oath to never intervene in any of the realities that they monitor. Existing at the Nexus of All Realities, the Watcher may seem passive at first, especially since he simply observes the events of the multiverse. However, when Ultron threatens the multiverse, we see what Uatu is truly capable of.
With the threat of Ultron taking over the entire multiverse, the Watcher decides to assemble a team, pulling out people from various realities and dubbing them the Guardians of the Multiverse. This means that the Watcher has always had the power to greatly change and affect the events that happen in the realities that he oversees.
So, who is more powerful?
While the question may seem tough, as both Loki and Uatu are very powerful beings, it is pretty clear that the Watcher is superior in strength. For example, the Watcher trumps over Loki in terms of brute strength. Furthermore, as a cosmic being, he possesses strength, durability, and abilities beyond any other being we have seen in the MCU so far. Watchers are also immortal, so aging and dying is out of the question, unlike Loki, who is still aging, albeit slowly. We even see him take direct hits from Ultron with the infinity stones and survive.
the Watcher is also superior to Loki in terms of the sheer nature of his powers. Uatu can pluck people out of their universes and place them into others. Additionally, he also has the ability to see the entire timeline for any given reality. This means that he knows all the histories and futures of every reality and can directly influence them, but only chooses not to. All of this ultimately makes the Watcher the more powerful being.