The season finale of Loki season 2 saw our green-robed protagonist face a difficult decision, one that really tests just how far he’s come since betraying his brother and attempting to take over Earth all the way back in 2011’s Thor.
Warning: spoilers ahead for all episodes of Loki.
Having now grasped that he can travel through time, only to realise that fixing the Temporal Loom would play into He Who Remains’ hands. Despite realizing he now only wants to be with his group of friends at the TVA (or you could go so far as to say found family), Loki makes the choice to walk up to the Loom, using his power to destroy it—but save the timelines.
He walks into what should be a skin-flaying mess, but does it kill him? The God of Mischief certainly does make a sacrifice for his friends; here’s whether it was a fatal one or not.
Is this the final end for Loki?
Put simply, no. But could death have been a preferable alternative to what actually happened.
Using his green magic, Loki destroys the Loom, which causes the vibrant orange timelines around him to stay dying and turning a decaying shade of gray. He reaches out to grasp one, turning it green and (seemingly) saving it. With one last look at his friends, who all stare at him in shock, he walks through a gap apparently in the fabric of the universe (or time? It’s unclear) and disappears.
This is not the end for him, however. We see a decrepit version of He Who Remains’ throne, slowly taken over by a shining gold—Loki’s secondary signature colour. Loki takes his seat on the throne that he has always coveted, finally becoming arguably the most powerful being in the universe. He holds the lives of every universe in his hands—literally—and is the only person holding everything together.
It’s a bittersweet end for him, though, as this Loki, after all the growth of his two seasons of a titular show and within the MCU films, no longer wants to rule. As he told Sylvie in episode 5, all he really wants now is not to be alone.
Sylvie calls him selfish at the time for wanting to keep his friends with him, but Loki’s final on-screen act is one of pure selflessness. He sits alone outside of time, holding everything together from his golden throne, but seemingly cannot ever leave, otherwise the timelines will begin to die once more (or so it’s implied).
This is deep in theory territory now, but there might be one shining light. We also see Mobius decide to leave the TVA, preferring to go to his Variant’s town and standing there. He tells Sylvie he wants to “let time pass” and as we see him standing there, it cuts to Loki, trapped inside his tree of time. Loki smiles slightly, almost as if he can see him—and perhaps he can.
As someone now in charge of all the timelines, it’s possible that he can see into those timelines. It’s a comforting thought that Loki can see his friends and even his family once more. Perhaps Mobius knew that and it’s why he let the TVA. We can only hope that the otherwise overwhelmingly bittersweet ending had one small spot of happiness.
(featured image: Disney)
