The second season of “Loki” comes back stronger and more dazzling than before with captivating relationships, unexpected plot twists, and a powerful, bittersweet finale–containing just the right amount of that old Marvel magic. Wrapped on Nov. 10 on Disney+, this reinstallment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)’s favorite anti-hero-slash-villain continues a decade-long character arc for Tom Hiddleston’s titular character—who finally finds his glorious purpose.
The new season picks up quickly where it left off with Loki (Tom Hiddleston) appearing at the Time Variance Authority (TVA) of a different era, following the death of “He Who Remains” (Jonathan Majors) at the hands of Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino).
Without the protection of “He Who Remains,” the sacred timeline begins to branch and create the “multiverse.” And with Sylvie lost across time and Loki being the only one who remembers what happened at the End of Time, no one is ready to believe the words of a pruned variant, especially one who can’t seem to stay in the same universe for longer than a second.
Loki rushes between realities in several attempts to save the TVA, to save the multiverse, and most importantly, to save Sylvie, a female variant of himself whom he came to love. After multiple do-overs, going back in time again and again only to repeatedly fail and realize their method wasn’t working, Loki finds the only solution to save everything is to sacrifice himself–an unprecedented conclusion for the trickster god.
The final moments of the show saw Loki using his powers to revive and hold together the entire multiverse before disappearing at the End of Time, replacing both “He Who Remains” and the “temporal loom,” the device previously used to contain the sacred timeline–taking on the ultimate burden and fulfilling his glorious purpose.
Ascending the throne
From being introduced as Thor’s brother in the 2011 film to now saving the multiverse, Loki has been through everything—the God of Mischief has died and resurrected too many times to count, going from Thor’s angsty little brother to an ill-tempered villain obsessed with being king to a reluctant, full-fledged hero in his own right.
On the character’s evolution, Hiddleston shared in an interview with Jimmy Fallon, “In the finale, there are echoes and resonances of every version of Loki I’ve played.” Having the best character development in MCU history, no one could have predicted the trajectory of his character arc.
Throughout the first season, many were compelled by Loki’s significant character development from the self-serving, comedic trickster to an individual capable of selflessness and sacrifice. In this season, audiences see more of this evolution as Loki becomes a character worthy of the title “God.”
With how he navigated his role alongside Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson), his deep connections with tech-wiz Ouroboros (Ke Huy Quan), TVA employee Casey (Eugene Cordero), Agent B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku), and Loki-variant Sylvie, and the constant grappling between right and wrong, Hiddleston’s Loki showed viewers a different side of the complex character.
Marvel madness
Despite all the love fans have for the character and the franchise, “Loki” is ultimately one of multiple cogs in the MCU storyline. The series finale sets the stage for a multiversal war and opens multiple doors for phase five of the franchise. The series finale clears up multiple unanswered questions amidst the complicated plot line of the show, including the consequences of killing “He Who Remains,” the identity of the fourth timekeeper missing from the statues, and the future of the multiverse.
Having only six episodes, the show’s fast pace made up for the time needed to explain plot mechanics and fully flesh out new characters, making the series a bit confusing and shallow at times. Moreover, with the series-long plot about stabilizing the “temporal loom,” there were many repetitive moments of lengthy exposition and dialogue filled with sci-fi words like “throughput multiplier” and “temporal radiation.”
Nonetheless, “Loki” provided great entertainment and a meaningful end to the character as he became Yggdrasil, the keeper of life and time over an infinite cosmology. It’s a beautiful, surprisingly moving moment and a tremendous piece of storytelling that ties back to the beginning of the MCU, bringing Loki’s story full circle.
Whether you’re a Marvel fan or not, “Loki” is an entertaining watch for anyone who needs a good laugh or a thrilling and rich plotline. Catch all episodes of Loki’s story on Disney+.
