Loki season 2 ended with the God of Mischief becoming the God of Stories. Now, the Asgardian sits at the centre of the Multiverse, powering up the Yggdrasil-shaped mass of endless alternate realities.
While Loki's actions opened the door to the return of Kang's many Variants and another Multiversal War, Marvel Studios has since shifted focus to Doctor Doom. He'll presumably travel to what used to be the Citadel at the End of Time to take Loki's powers, and it seems likely that Incursions may be a result of the anti-hero being unable to sustain this new Multiverse.
In the newly released Marvel Studios' Loki: Season Two - The Art of The Series book, it's revealed that, to drive home just how powerful Thor's brother is, there were plans for him to meet the Living Tribunal.
The Living Tribunal is a powerful cosmological entity known for exacting impartial yet brutal judgments; he was mentioned in Doctor Strange and later appeared as a statue in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Loki. This would have made for one heck of a cameo.
"We knew from the get-go that Loki was going to become very powerful at the end," artist Jackson Sze says in the book. "Whether that was as the God of Stories or somehow connected to the Multiverse. In my images, I was borrowing the visual language that the What If...? series has created for the Multiverse and kind of put Loki in charge of that."
"And then we were thinking, 'What would be some of the biggest beings in Marvel Comics that Loki could interact with?' They don't come much bigger than the Living Tribunal in Adam [Ross'] images. We were going as cosmic as we dared to, but also, there was some talk about maybe revisiting Loki's past." You can see that at the 8:15 mark in the video below.
Earlier this year, Tom Hiddleston was asked whether he always knew that the plan was for Loki to return in Avengers: Doomsday (you'll recall that he repeatedly suggested season 2 might be his MCU farewell while promoting the show).
"I didn't know that, so I was sincere in my conviction that I thought it was the end [Laughs]. I wasn't lying to you, I promise," the actor confirmed. "I didn't know then what the plan was. I'm trying to think how long I've known...it's very exciting."
Hiddleston was pushed on whether he's happy with what's in store for Loki as the villain-turned-hero's journey continues, and after a pause, replied, "[Laughs] Yes. I do know some things. It’s an extraordinary privilege to still be on the team, and there are more stories to tell. I feel like the character has grown as I’ve grown. It’s genuinely an honour to still be in the squad."
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars underwent full rewrites, so we won't simply see Doctor Doom take Kang's place. Whereas Kang likely wanted a Multiversal War, Victor will probably be looking to "save" the Multiverse by creating Battleworld...which he'll rule over, of course.
Discussing the Iron Man star's return as Doom, Hiddleston said, "It is remarkable. Absolutely extraordinary. I didn't know that until the rest of the world knew that. That was something completely under wraps until it wasn't. I texted Kevin Feige with exclamation marks and then thought I'd better qualify that. I said, 'RDJ?!'"
"Robert is synonymous with the MCU. He's at the centre of it," he continued. "It must be very thrilling to come back and play with some different colours."
See inside the Marvel Studios' Loki: Season Two - The Art of The Series book in the player below.
Loki Season 2 picks up in the aftermath of the shocking season one finale when Loki finds himself in a battle for the soul of the Time Variance Authority. Along with Mobius, Hunter B-15 and a team of new and returning characters, Loki navigates an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous multiverse in search of Sylvie, Judge Renslayer, Miss Minutes and the truth of what it means to possess free will and glorious purpose.