Loki season 2 concluded with the God of Mischief becoming "God Loki," a seemingly omnipotent being who sits at the centre of time and powers the newly reborn Multiverse.
Realising that the only way to defeat He Who Remains and give those trapped on the Sacred Timeline the free will they deserve, Loki destroyed the Time Loom and used his newfound abilities to breathe new life into the dying branches. However, creating an unlimited Multiverse meant he had to bid what appeared to be a final farewell to his friends.
Like Atlas, Loki now carries the weight of existence itself on his shoulders; it was a surprisingly selfless decision by the former villain and one which almost certainly sets him up as a major player further down the line in this Multiverse Saga.
Talking to Josh Horowitz on his Happy Sad Confused podcast, Tom Hiddleston reflected on Loki's farewell to Mobius and Sylvie, better explaining why he chose to improvise a line we first heard the character say in 2011's Thor.
"'I know what I want. I know what kind of god I need to be. For you. For all of us.' It's the line that Loki says to Odin at the end of Thor, and he is - it's a desperate plea for approval and validation," the actor says. "It's a cry for help from a son who feels he doesn't belong, and it doesn't work, and it's heartbreaking."
"This time, it's - this Loki has lived through that moment and understands something much deeper, and it just felt like a kind of, 'I actually now understand. Now I understand what I have to do. It's not about me, it's about you.'"
It's an incredibly touching moment and one which shows just how much Hiddleston understands the Asgardian he's now been playing for well over a decade. He's played coy about an eventual return, but we know from other MCU projects that the Multiverse is collapsing under its own weight (partly thanks to Kang, and partly thanks to Incursions).
With that in mind, Loki will no doubt be freed in time for Avengers: Secret Wars!
Loki season 2 will pick up in the aftermath of the shocking season 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.
The series stars Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Eugene Cordero, Rafael Casal, Tara Strong, Kate Dickie, Liz Carr, Neil Ellice, with Jonathan Majors, Ke Huy Quan and Owen Wilson.
Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Dan Deleeuw and Kasra Farahani direct episodes. The Head Writer is Eric Martin.
All episodes of Loki season 2 are now streaming on Disney+.