Loki season 2 has proven to be a massive hit on Disney+, coming in with the most-viewed Marvel trailer yet, and over 10 million views after its season premiere. The message is clear: fans want more Loki.
But what will happen after that heartbreaking season 2 finale? Will the story pave the way for the next Avengers film, Avengers: the Kang Dynasty? Will it tie into the upcoming Deadpool 3, which is rumored to involve the Time Variance Authority? Or could there possibly be a Loki season 3 in the works?
Here’s what we know!
Loki Producer Kevin Wright is down for Loki season 3—but don’t get your hopes up
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Loki executive producer Kevin Wright was candid about his hopes for telling future Loki stories. Although he was careful not to “reveal” a third season, he was also forthright about his hopes that Loki, and other Marvel shows, could be extended into more than one season each.
How do we do these efficiently, but also so that we can have seasons three, four, five … ? The whole idea of long form is you want these to be sustaining, and I think we’re starting to find that in Loki and deliver on it. So I would certainly love to keep telling stories in this little corner of the universe we’ve made.
However, Wright also told Collider that Loki seasons 1 and 2 are, collectively, a self-contained story with a definite end.
We felt pretty strongly, all of us involved, that Season 2 was about [ending the story that season 1 started], but that there are many other books on the shelf for this character and for this world. But this felt like it wanted to be the conclusion of these great things that we set up in Season 1. We don’t want to constantly leave people with drastic cliffhangers for our finales.
Of course, one producer’s ideas for a story don’t necessarily lead to firm plans. There’s also the fact that Marvel is rethinking its TV strategy on a larger scale, which could theoretically lead to a third season of Loki.
Marvel is rethinking its signature limited series format
After Loki season 2 premiered—and immediately following the end of the Writers Guild of America strike—The Hollywood Reporter reported on the studio’s plans to follow more traditional TV practices for its Disney+ series in the future. That means hiring showrunners who can oversee a show from start to finish, and focusing on longer seasons. In fact, THR states that “the studio plans on leaning into the idea of multiseason serialized TV, stepping away from the limited-series format that has defined it. Marvel wants to create shows that run several seasons, where characters can take time to develop relationships with the audience rather than feeling as if they are there as a setup for a big crossover event.”
Will Marvel apply that new strategy to Loki? It’s impossible to say quite yet—and with more than a two-year gap between seasons 1 and 2, it’s hard to say when a season 3 would even come out—but Loki fans can keep their fingers crossed.
Even if a third season doesn’t come out, though, there are several ways Loki could return to the MCU.
What’s next for Loki in Marvel’s Multiverse Saga?
This section contains spoilers for the Loki season 2 finale.
At the end of Loki season 2, Loki effectively becomes the new He Who Remains, controlling the threads of time from his throne within Yggdrasil. Mobius and the others go off to live their lives while Loki protects all of time from a lonely throne.
In his new role, Loki is a combination of two major iterations of his character in the comics: the God of Stories and Avenger Prime. The God of Stories is the master of narrative and storytelling—a fitting role for someone who controls time. Avenger Prime is a version of Loki who assembles a team of multiversal Avengers.
With both upcoming Avengers films, The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, centering on the multiverse, I bet we haven’t seen the last of Loki. In fact, we may not even have to wait until the Avengers assemble. Deadpool 3 will reportedly feature the TVA in its new mission to protect time from Kang, and rumor has it that Loki and Mobius will make appearances. Plus, What If…? season 2 is coming around Christmas, so we may get a little dose of Loki then.
In the meantime, say a little prayer for the new God of Stories. He must be pretty lonely in that golden throne.
(featured image: Disney+)
