This MCU fan theory claims the TVA was created by Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, not Kang: Here’s the proof

The MCU is no stranger to wild fan theories, but one of the most intriguing ones suggests that the TVA (Time Variance Authority) wasn’t actually created by Kang — it was Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four who pulled the strings.

It sounds bold, maybe even outlandish, but some clues buried in plain sight have kept this idea alive for a while now.

Since Loki first aired, viewers accepted the idea that the TVA - Time Variance Authority, was the brainchild of Kang the Conqueror, or more specifically, a variant called He Who Remains.

But now, some fans have started asking questions. The tech doesn’t quite match Kang’s futuristic style. The monitors look like something out of a retro space lab. And in the trailer for Fantastic Four: First Steps, there’s a lab (possibly Reed Richards's) filled with eerily similar visuals.

This has led to a surprising theory: What if the TVA wasn’t created by Kang at all, but by Reed Richards - the brilliant leader of the Fantastic Four? It sounds like a stretch until you start lining up the evidence.

Between background props, visual echoes, and quiet character connections, this theory has gained traction for good reason. Let’s walk through the puzzle pieces and see how it actually makes a surprising amount of sense.

Did Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four create the TVA (Time Variance Authority) in MCU before Kang took over? Here’s the Case

Reed Richards' tech looks a lot like TVA tech

If you watched the Fantastic Four: First Steps teaser more than once, you probably noticed something strange: Reed’s lab doesn’t look like a cutting-edge future space. It looks lived in - vintage even. Bulky terminals, analog interfaces, orange glows.

It’s not what most would expect from the guy who helped launch Marvel’s first family into the multiverse. But here’s the thing: it does look like the TVA. More than just a passing resemblance. The TVA’s headquarters in Loki have those exact glowing orange screens, buzzing terminals, and clunky dials.

The layouts of the consoles feel like they were designed by the same hand or at least built off the same blueprint. If the TVA really was created by Kang, wouldn't it reflect his smooth, Citadel-style aesthetic?

The TVA isn’t clean and elegant. It’s dusty, old, and full of knobs. It feels patched together. And that leads fans to ask: What if it wasn’t Kang’s design? What if it were Reed Richards?

A comic connection that actually supports the Reed Richards & Kang - theory

In the comics, Reed Richards and Kang aren’t just passing acquaintances - they’re connected by blood. Kang’s real name is Nathaniel Richards, a possible descendant of Reed himself. That’s already an MCU-friendly way to tie together their fates.

But what’s more interesting is that Reed Richards has a long history of working on multiverse tech. He created The Bridge, a device that let him observe alternate realities. He’s often depicted as someone obsessed with charting the timeline and understanding divergence - exactly the TVA’s job.

If Reed built this kind of tech first in the MCU, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to imagine Kang (or one of his variants) discovering it later. Maybe Kang didn’t invent the TVA. Maybe he just took it over. Maybe he erased its original purpose, rewrote its history, and declared himself the founder.

That would explain something said in Loki Season 2 - Ravonna Renslayer mentions Kang “rebuilding” the TVA. Not creating. Rebuilding. That one word might be the biggest clue of all.

“He rebuilt it.” So who built it first?

It’s easy to dismiss one line of dialogue. But in Marvel scripts, those lines often carry weight. When Ravonna said that He Who Remains “rebuilt” the TVA, it changed the entire backstory without most people noticing. That line suggests the TVA already existed in some form before Kang took control.

So if Kang wasn’t the original creator, then who was?

Reed Richards fits the gap - he has the genius, the timeline tech, and the motive. He could’ve built the TVA as a way to monitor multiversal activity or prevent threats. Maybe his TVA wasn’t about pruning or judging. Maybe it was about observing and protecting.

If Kang arrived later, he might have corrupted the mission - turning it from a peaceful watchtower into a bureaucracy with a reset button. Erasing all memory of Reed and writing himself into the origin story.

Marvel’s Loki never gave us a deep look at the TVA’s founding. And that may not be a plot hole - it might be intentional.

The visuals speak louder than exposition

It’s one thing for a theory to exist in words. But fans noticed that the Fantastic Four teaser basically hands out clues on a silver platter.

Reed Richards's lab contains side monitors that look nearly identical to the TVA interface. Same shapes, same layout, same orange-tinted data display. And it’s not just one screen - it’s the whole room.

If this were a coincidence, Marvel’s set designers would’ve had to accidentally recreate one of the most specific environments in the entire MCU. That seems unlikely. What’s more likely is that the TVA’s look wasn’t invented by Kang—it was inherited. And we’re just now being shown the missing piece of the timeline.

When Loki looks around at TVA equipment, we assume it’s Kang’s. But what if it’s Reed’s all along?

This isn’t Marvel’s first time hiding big twists in plain sight. They’ve done it with Hydra, the Skrulls, and even Nick Fury. They let fans figure it out months in advance, then drop the reveal later. That might be what’s happening here.

What this means for the future of the MCU

If the TVA was originally Reed’s invention, it connects Fantastic Four directly to the Loki storyline without forcing anything. It makes Kang’s arrival more personal; he didn’t just want control of time. He wanted to destroy the legacy of someone who came before. Someone related to him. Someone he may have feared.

It also makes the TVA more than just a place. It becomes a symbol of a fight between ideologies. Reed may have seen the multiverse as something to understand. Kang sees it as something to conquer.

And for the future of the MCU, that opens up a much richer dynamic. When the Fantastic Four finally confront Kang in Avengers: Secret Wars, it won’t just be about heroes vs villains. It’ll be family. Legacy. And a stolen empire.

Final thoughts

The idea that Reed Richards created the TVA instead of Kang isn’t just fan fiction. It’s supported by background design, comic lineage, and a carefully worded line of dialogue.

If the theory is true, then Marvel has set up something much bigger than we thought - one where Kang isn’t a genius, but a thief. And Reed Richards is more than just another hero. He’s the man who built time itself.

Until Marvel gives us the final word, all we can do is rewatch the trailers, scan the tech, and wait for the moment when truth breaks through the timeline.