A few weeks have passed since Loki season 2 ended. One MCU film has been released in theatres as well since then. But we are still stuck on Loki and his glorious purpose.
The ending of Loki season 2 completed the circle of Loki’s character development and yet opened up more questions that who knows when will be answered.
In the season 2 finale of Loki season 2, Tom Hiddleston’s titular character saves the branched timelines and weaves them together using his powers. In doing so, he becomes the God of Stories, who resides on his Yggdrasil throne. So, Loki now sits at the center of reality and has finally found his glorious purpose.
What Was The End of Loki Season 2?
Tom Hiddleston’s Loki has always been a being who has yearned to rule. In Avengers, he had asked the humans- “Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state?” Implying that his glorious purpose was to subjugate others and exert his power over them.
Over two seasons, we followed a variant of Loki suffering the worst humiliations possible as he learned about the universe and the multiverse with the TVA.
It all came to a head in the finale of season 2, where he had to jump into action and make multiverse-altering decisions with Sylvie and Mobius.
We saw the TVA and Loki grapple with the influx of new branched timelines that the death of He Who Remains created. This sudden pressure strained the TVA’s Temporal Loom, which was planned to weave several branches into a Sacred Timeline.
Even though Loki did try to stabilize the Temporal Loom, he ultimately learned that no matter how many times he tried, nothing would work without the TVA and He Who Remains.
So Loki took a gigantic step by breaking the Loom, which was just a failsafe, and intentionally destroyed it while saving the branched timelines with his powers.
His actions were against anything He Who Remains had engineered, and that worked. So he became a new god and a Temporal Loom for the timelines that make up the old Sacred Timeline.
What Is Loki’s New Role In The MCU?
In the finale of season 2, Loki wears a new green horned crown and sits on a throne. The branches have now become the Yggdrasil, the center of reality and the connection between the nine realms.
Loki controls a significant portion of the new timelines and prevents them from breaking out. Ultimately, he risked a new multiversal war happening on the chance that something better would replace the old Sacred Timeline made by He Who Remains.
So Loki is now a new god, the God of Stories, just like in the original comics. But is this a new beginning for him in the MCU with Loki season 3? Or an end for Tom Hiddleston’s time as the character?
What Does Loki’s Glorious Purpose Mean?
Loki season 2’s finale is called “Glorious Purpose,” which refers to his most significant line from 2012’s Avengers. He had said immediately to Nick Fury and Erik Selvig after coming through the portal:
“I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose.”
This was how he had introduced himself in the film. But by the time Loki season 2’s finale came about, he understood that his glorious purpose was something else.
He realized it was not about wielding power over the weak. Instead, it was a burden. Loki gave up his life to hold the multiverse together. It is one of the truest glorious purposes in the entire multiverse and beyond.
In doing so, he became the God of Stories.
This title was bestowed to him in the Al Ewing and Lee Garbett comic book, “Loki: Agent of Asgard.” In this story, Loki tried to break away from his fate, which only reduced him to the title of God of Lies even when he was a hero in every sense of the word.
In chapter 13 of the comic book, Loki comes to a realization and tells Verity Willis:
“A lie is a story told, and we can rewrite our stories. All of us.”
Episode 5 of Loki season 2 references the same. It means that Loki now understands that his lies are stories, too, and they create realities. These, in turn, make the multiverse.
Stories will always be told no matter what happens, and he will always be there on his new throne- as the one who will always remain, controlling it all.
It will be interesting to see how this aspect of the new Loki gets explored as we go further in the MCU. After all, Loki sitting on the Yggdrasil means he is at the center of the MCU. So, will he be the one who saves the multiverse from Kang?
That is if Kang even remains in the MCU.
All the seasons of Loki are streaming on Disney+.
Where do you think we will see Loki next? Is this the final appearance of Tom Hiddleston as Loki?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
