In the opening minutes of Avengers (2012), Loki declares to Nick Fury that he is burdened with a “glorious purpose”. This is the first we see of Loki after his defeat at the hands of Thor after the God of Mischief had tried to take over the throne of Asgard. His fall, which was presumed to be his death, was proven to be a ruse, as the god was alive and ready to launch an assault on Midgard.
Whatever Loki has done in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has almost always left him concerned with the acquisition of a throne. While he might not have been ready in the past, Loki has found his rightful throne in the grand scheme of things with Loki’s Season 2 finale. And it echoes his first attempt to prove himself to Odin, as misguided as it was.
Also Read: What Happened to Loki in Season 2 Finale: MCU’s The God of Stories Explained
Loki finally understood what ruling means
Who would have thought that between Thor and Loki, Loki would be more fit to rule? When Loki tried to Take over Asgard in Thor (2011), it was because he felt inadequate as he was the child of Jotenheim’s ruler, in the halls of Asgard. However, it was Odin who recognized that Loki was not ready to rule. As Thor caught Loki while the duo dangled off the edge of the broken Bifrost, Loki looked up to see their father, Odin, holding on to Thor to keep them from falling. Here Loki called out to the Asgardian monarch, saying:
“I could have done it, Father. For you, for all of us.”
Odin, perhaps looking into the future, simply says “No, Loki”. Prompting the god to let go of the sceptre, and fall into the abyss below. Perhaps, the king of the gods was right, given how we see Loki handle himself once he is on the throne (disguised as Odin) in Thor: Ragnarok.
More than a decade later, “No” and “Loki” are uttered yet again, and the God of Mischief readies himself to go into another abyss. However, the Loki who is looking to ascend the throne here is quite different from the one who tried to steal the Throne of Asgard. Here, to his friends Mobius and Sylvie, Loki says:
“I know what I want. I know what kind of god I need to be. For you. For all of us”
Following this, the god of mischief destroys the Temporal Loom, physically binding all the timelines that branch together, while ascending to a golden throne, in the heart of what appears to be a tree, hearkening back to Yggdrasil, the Worlds Tree in Norse Mythology.
What does this mean for Loki’s future?
Ever since Loki made his posthumous debut in Loki (2021) fans have been speculating when Loki will reunite with his brother Thor, who has embarked on a completely separate trajectory from his adopted sibling. As of the writing of this article, there are no active plans for Loki season 3, but that does not necessarily mean that this is the last we have seen of the God of Mischief.
As established by the wider MCU so far, Variants are running rampant through the Multiversal Cosmos, following their destinies and creating their branch timelines. It is quite possible that other Marvel entries, such as Avengers: Secret Wars, could present us with a Variant of Loki who is still alive and well, and also reformed.
Perhaps there is a universe where Loki survived the events of Infinity War and actively assisted in the effort against Thanos. Or, there could be Lokis who have been successful in laying waste to Midgard, or Asgard as well. The possibilities, because of what the MCU has set up, are endless. It all comes down to what Kevin Feige has in mind while correcting the course of the franchise.
