Tom Hiddleston has been playing the MCU's God of Mischief since 2011's Thor. Over a decade on, the British actor seemingly bid farewell to the role in Loki season 2 when the trickster fully redeemed himself by taking a seat at the centre of the Multiverse as a "battery," of sorts.
The Asgardian now powers countless realities, and even though we expect Loki to return in an upcoming Avengers movie, Hiddleston had admitted that saying goodbye to the character was a cathartic experience.
"I just felt this wash of relief because it had been a very meaningful experience. That sense of...the exhale." he says in the video below, "It’s changed the whole course of my life, no question."
"Our brilliant directors found me and said, 'What do you think you might want to say?'" Hiddleston notes, once again elaborating on the meaning behind Loki's final line. "I remember at the end of Thor, the last thing he says is, 'I could have done it, Father - for you. For all of us.'"
"It’s full of need, desperation, yearning for acceptance, and misguided intention. It’s full of his own broken heart. I thought, 'I wonder if I should say that again?' But it has a completely different meaning, which is full of love, sacrifice, selflessness, and generosity."
"I just felt this wash of relief because it had been a very meaningful experience," he concludes.
As for what the way Loki's story ended means for him Hiddleston adds, "In his last moment, he gets agency. He gets to decide what his life has represented up until this point. His final utterance is one of profound love and generosity. That the journey of a thousand miles has led us here. It was very satisfying and moving for me too, because it’s been such a long journey."
"I always saw Loki as a broken soul with a shattered heart, deeply damaged by the fact that he was unwanted. He’s mischievous and playful on the surface, but it’s masking all this pain. What I’ve loved about this series is tracing my way back to that vulnerable soul and healing that damage. Showing that pain can be transformed into courage and strength."
With Incursions destroying realities and a Multiversal War looming, Loki is bound to be freed eventually and will likely be key in helping save the day in Avengers: Secret Wars. However, we have to imagine that will serve as his final send-off.
Marvel Studios is thought to be developing Thor 5, of course, so it's possible that movie will reunite the God of Thunder and his formerly villainous brother for another team-up.
Watch the full interview with Hiddleston below.