Loki, Season 1

He Who Remains:
I understand your moral objections to what the TVA does. And my methods are deceptive. But the mission, it never was. Without the me, without the TVA, everything burns.

Loki:
Then what are you so afraid of?

He Who Remains:
Me.

Sylvie:
And just who are you?

He Who Remains:
Oh, I've been dubbed many names by many people. A ruler, a conqueror, He Who Remains, a jerk. But it's, it's not as simple as a name. Eons ago, before the TVA, a Variant of myself lived on Earth in the 31st Century. He was a scientist, and he discovered that there were universes stacked on top of his own. At the same time, other versions of us were learning the same thing. Naturally, they made contact, and for a while there was peace. Narcissistic, self-congratulatory peace. "I love your shoes." "I love your hair." "Oh, man, nice nose." "Thanks, man." Et cetera. They shared technology and knowledge, using the best of their universes to improve the others. However, not every version of me was so pure of heart. To some of us, new worlds meant only one thing: new lands to be conquered. The peace between realities erupted into all-out war, each variant fighting to preserve their universe and annihilate the others. This was almost the end of everything and everyone.

Sylvie:
And then the Time-Keepers came along and saved us all.

He Who Remains:
Amen. No. No. Nope, this is where we diverge from the dogma. That first variant encountered a creature created from all the tears in reality, capable of consuming time and space itself. A creature you both know.

Loki:
Alioth.

He Who Remains:
Bingo! I harnessed the beast's power and began experimenting on it. I weaponized Alioth and I ended, I ended the Multiversal War. Once I isolated our timeline, all I had to do was manage the flow of time and prevent any further branches. Hence, the TVA. Hence, the Time-Keepers and a highly efficient bureaucracy. Hence, ages and ages of cosmic harmony. Hence, you're welcome. You came to kill the devil, right? Well, guess what? I keep you safe. And if you think I'm evil, well, just wait 'til you meet my variants. And that's the gambit. Stifling order or cataclysmic chaos. You may hate the dictator, but something far worse is going to fill that void if you depose of him. I've lived a million lifetimes. I've gone through every scenario. This is the only way. The TVA, it works.