Marvel’s God of Mischief is back to complete his mission to stop He Who Remains from taking over the sacred timeline. He must reunite with fellow TVA agents to help stop the destruction of other timelines that would lead to the deaths of billions of people. In the process, Loki finally learns the lessons his adopted father Odin tried to teach him, and his brother Thor, when they were children and finally earns his place on a throne, something he always wanted but only acquired once it was no longer his desire.
Years Long Journey
Loki was first introduced to Marvel Cinematic Universe fans way back in 2011’s Thor. In that film, it is revealed how duplicitous he set up his brother for Thor’s eventual expulsion from Asgard and then worked with his actual father to invade Asgard before revealing he just wanted his adopted father’s approval.
From there, Loki continued down a villainous path until events turned him into an anti-hero. After a stint working for Thanos during the Battle of New York, it was after his return to Asgard that Loki began the first steps toward redemption. He was still a trickster who would take advantage of his brother’s simplicity. However, he worked with Thor to defeat Malekith following Malekith’s murder of their mother, Frigga.
Loki would impersonate Odin, help Thor find a dying Odin, be expelled from Asgard with Thor, help Thor escape from the Grand Master and take part in Ragnarok, the destruction of Asgard, to stop his adopted sister Hela from destroying the family’s legacy. However, Thanos would bring an end to this version of Loki at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War.
The TVA
This version of Loki found his way outside of time thanks to the time heist in Avengers: Endgame. The version that was still working for Thanos is able to escape but is quickly captured by the TVA whose job is to remove variants and preserve the sacred timeline. Loki learns about the journey his other self took and decides to work with the TVA to stop one of his own variants from causing havoc.
Over time, he and his female variant, Sylvie, learn about He Who Remains, a variant of the Marvel villain, Kang, who is controlling all the timelines and trying to prevent the multiverse. Eventually, Sylvie kills Kang, setting in motion a time rift that leads to Loki jumping through time trying to save the TVA and the sacred timeline.
Working Together
Loki’s reunions with Mobius, Sylvie, Casey and Hunter B-15 allow him to pursue his mission as he continues down his redemption arc. The god who entered the MCU as a villain before becoming an anti-hero is becoming more and more heroic with each decision he makes. Loki, who would previously use people without a care in the world, is now thinking of others and willing to protect Victory Timely, the man whose variant would become He Who Remains, because this man from the 1800s clearly isn’t the time villain Loki and Sylvie met at the end of season one.
Loki teamed up with Timely and Ouroboros to try to figure out how to save time, as the TVA was constantly collapsing on itself. Meanwhile, Loki learned how to move through time so he could learn centuries of information and pass it on to each of his allies at the exact moments. This isn’t something the Loki from Thor would’ve ever considered.
Positives
Loki finally gets what he’s always wanted, but it comes when he no longer wants it. The son of Frost Giants who should’ve been king of Jotunheim wanted to be king of Asgard but was never deemed worthy. In the end, he ends up on the throne at the end of time, holding all timelines together, but he gets this throne by not wanting to sit on it but accepting that someone has to sit on it. Loki sacrifices the new life he has come to love and appreciate to ensure that all of his friends are able to keep their lives. It’s a heroic gesture from Marvel’s best villain and the perfect end to his redemption arc.
While we saw many great allies in season one, the addition of Ouroboros steals the show. OB, as Loki calls him, knows everything about the TVA and wrote the rule on time, but even he doesn’t understand it. Still, Ke Huy Quan’s performance is infectious as viewers can’t help but root for OB to figure everything out and help Loki every step of the way.
Negatives
No mention of any show involving Jonathan Majors is complete without addressing and acknowledging the controversy surrounding the actor. Majors is facing charges in connection with a domestic violence incident. This is causing massive problems for Disney and Marvel as Majors was expected to be a major (no pun intended) part of the multiverse saga having appeared in both seasons of Loki as well as being the main villain of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Majors is a talented actor which shows in his performances as Kang the Conqueror, He Who Remains and Victor Timely. Disney and Marvel have kept their collective mouths shut on his future with the franchise until the court case plays out. This is the smart play given what happened during the Johnny Depp accusations. Marvel can’t ignore the allegations, but they can’t rush to judgment either. Marvel will find a way to work around having to replace Majors as the primary villain if necessary, but they don’t need to start a firestorm until the court case is resolved.
The other negative is this is clearly the end of Tom Hiddleston’s run as Loki. For the past 12 years, he has embodied this role on screen. It is the perfect exit for him, which is a positive, but much like the exits of Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., it’s still sad to see him go.
Conclusion
Loki is often viewed as the pinnacle of Marvel television series on Disney+. When the first season was released in 2021, it ran wild with viewers. Season two has fewer viewers due to a multitude of reasons: two years between seasons, Covid restrictions being lifted so people are watching less TV, and superhero fatigue all come to mind quickly. Still, this series served as an excellent palette cleanser following the less than stellar reception for the last Marvel show on Disney+, Secret Invasion.
Check out all episode of Loki streaming right now on Disney+.
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