Loki’s season finale titled For All Time. Always, released on Disney+ today and fans are ecstatic about what the episode has set up for Phase 4 of the MCU. The series has impressed fans throughout its six episode run, but the finale episode was perhaps the series’ biggest episode yet. On top of revealing that Loki will return in a second season, the episode set major plot details and might have introduced viewers to the MCU’s next “big bad.”
Picking up exactly where episode 5, Journey Into Mystery, left off we saw Loki and Sylvie enter a citadel at the end of time. There had been rumors, theories and speculation as to who would be found to be in charge of the TVA and the infinite time lines, and while “He Who Remains” was never named directly, Marvel fans will likely recognize the character as Kang. Or at least a variant of the character.
The Marvel villain’s iconic green and purple attire are instantly recognizable. And as “He Who Remains” explains the multiverse and the dangers that go along with it to Loki and Sylvie, he speaks about evil variants of himself, dead set on conquering all timelines. Kang the Conqueror is a known rival to the Avengers. There are also known to be several alternate versions of the characters, including “Immortus,” a future version of Kang who works directly with the Time Keepers. This is likely the version of the character seen in Loki.
“He Who Remains” explains to Loki and Sylvie that he alone is responsible for maintaining peace throughout the Multiverse and that his death would unleash evils far beyond comprehension and bring chaos to the the multiple timelines. While this is enough to convince Loki, Sylvie is unwavering in her determination and ultimately kills the ruler. In an instant, we see multiple time lines branching from the sacred timeline.
Back at the TVA we see Loki running frantically, panicked at the implications of what Sylvie has done. He finds Mobius and quickly attempts to explain what has happened, but Mobius seems to not know who Loki is. A confused Mobius asked, “Who are you?” And in that moment we realize that the Multiverse has begun. This is not the same Mobius that Loki has worked with throughout the series.
So, what does this mean for the MCU moving forward? Well, first and foremost it essentially confirms what we’ve known all along. Spider-Man: No Way Home will feature the Spider-Verse and bring in alternate versions of everybody’s favorite web slinger. Alfred Molina recently confirmed that he’s returning as Doc Ock, the fan favorite villain from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. And Jamie Foxx long ago announced his return as Electro, the not so fan favorite villain from Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Fans who stay tuned after the credits hoping for a post credit scene didn’t get one, but they did get confirmation that Loki would return in a second season. This makes Loki the first Marvel/Disney+ series to get confirmed for a season 2. The second season is likely at least a year away from release, making it nearly impossible to speculate on plot details, but it will certainly involve the repercussions of Loki and Sylvie’s actions and the Multiverse itself.
