Loki season 2, episode 5 has arrived, and it’s full of goodies for Marvel fans. There’s Loki evolving into one of the best versions of his comics counterpart. There’s the fascinating placement of B-15 and Mobius on the timeline. There’s Casey’s former identity. And then there’s B-15’s name, which is a gift to fans of the original Loki comics.
Spoilers for Loki season 2, episode 5 ahead!
In episode 5, “Science/Fiction,” we see B-15’s life before she becomes a hunter for the Time Variance Authority. B-15 is a pediatrician in New York City, treating ailments like broken arms on stubborn tree-climbers. According to a poster released by Disney, she works at Roger Willis Children’s Clinic.
In the closing credits, we see a very brief glimpse of B-15’s work badge. Her name? Verity Willis.
Who is Verity Willis? She has a history with Loki in the comics—but she’s a very different character.
Who is Verity Willis in Loki: Agent of Asgard?
In Loki: Agent of Asgard, the story arc that sees Loki transform from the God of Lies into the God of Stories, Loki meets a young woman named Verity Willis. It turns out that Verity has a superpower: she can see through any lie. Verity can instantly tell when someone or something is lying, which makes activities like dating and reading fiction unpleasant for her. She spends her time reading books about science and math (and getting some sweet tats on her arms).
Why would the God of Lies want to partner up with a human lie detector? Loki needs Verity for a particular mission he’s completing for Queen Freyja of Asgardia, but (spoilers ahead!) the two of them quickly become close friends. In fact, Verity becomes Loki’s best friend in the universe. They grow so close that when reality collapses in the incursion that kicks off Secret Wars, Verity is the one whom Loki makes sure to rescue.
Think of Verity as a Doctor Who-like companion to Loki. She’s the audience stand-in who accompanies him on his cosmic adventures.
Is B-15 the MCU’s Verity Willis?
Will B-15 take on the same role as Verity Willis does in the comics?
Right now, it seems unlikely, since B-15 is a very different character than her comics counterpart. B-15 has already had eons of cosmic adventures of her own at the TVA. She doesn’t have the same truth-telling abilities—at least, not that we’ve seen. And Loki has already spent two seasons setting up Mobius and Sylvie as Loki’s closest friends. You never know for sure, but the name could just be an Easter egg for eagle-eyed fans.
But if that’s true, it’s okay! B-15 is an amazing character in her own right, and she deserves her own arc—whether or not she’s exactly like Verity from the comics.
(featured image: Disney+)
