In Loki's closing moments, Sylvie sent her fellow Variant into the timeline and killed He Who Remains. With that, the Multiverse was restored, and the God of Mischief found himself in a version of the TVA ruled over by Kang the Conqueror.
That was where we left things, though a season 2 announcement made it clear the cliffhanger wouldn't go unresolved. However, details shared from the Loki: The Art of the Series book confirms that Marvel Studios once had much different plans for the Loki finale.
Marvel Studios Visual Development Concept Illustrator Wesley Burt explains, "These [suit designs] were going to be for our sendoff for Loki...it was going to be his suit change at the end. He's grown and changed, and he's more at peace at this point. He was going to depart off on to some of his own adventures in a different realm."
"Some of the designs were incorporating a bit of the TVA uniform that he had been wearing throughout the season - like a customized version of it - and then some are based on various Lokis from different comics," he continued. "The ones in the billowy white and black robes were both like an enlightened, yoga-practicing Loki, or something like that."
You can see the full gallery of concept art by following the link in the Tweet below, but the big takeaway here is that Marvel Studios at one point planned to end Loki's story with this Disney+ series.
Clearly, he was set to avoid being pruned by the TVA and left to go free in another timeline, having adventures in a very cool new costume. That's not to say he couldn't have returned, of course, though we do have to wonder what changed. Could it have been Kang's debut and bigger plans for the Asgardian mischief-maker?
It's worth noting that these comments wouldn't have found their way into the book without Marvel Studios' approval, so don't go expecting this to be how Loki season 2 wraps up! That's expected to premiere on Disney+ sometime next year.