Seeing Loki‘s character development the first time round was rewarding enough — but as Loki season 1 showed, the only thing better than one Loki in is… well, two Lokis. Both hard stark endings, and his second one was even more poetic for star Tom Hiddleston.
In the MCU, the God of Mischief was able to front not one, but two whole seasons of his own Marvel series. The TVA and different Marvel character variants like Victor Timely contribute by widening the rules of time and space in the franchise.
But that doesn’t make his death at the hands of Marvel villain Thanos any less harrowing. As we know, Loki was strangled to death by Thanos in the opening moments of Avengers Infinity War, proving once and for all just how dangerous the Mad Titan was. Loki was defiant until the very end, telling Thanos he would “never be a God.” His ending on the show Loki was heartrending for another reason. Now, in a new podcast interview, Thor cast member Tom Hiddleston explained exactly how Loki’s final line in season 2 came about.
“I went out onto the lot at Pinewood Studios in London, and I went for a little jog,” the actor told the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “I love to run, It’s where I do my best thinking. And I was listening to some film scores. One of which was actually the score from Thor by Patrick Doyle.”
Hearing the score from his first Marvel movie ended up striking a chord with Hiddleston, as he recalled how he was “overtaken by the significance of it being the last thing I was gonna say, and the length of the journey and how significant it’s been for me in my life.” And it was through this reflection that the line just “came to” Hiddleston.
He then describes how he told Kevin Feige that he knows “what kind of God” he needed him to be, as he considered how the first Thor movie and Loki’s character development since could be summed up by his fnal line. “It’s the line that Loki says to Odin at the end of Thor, and its a desperate plea for approval and validation,” he recalled.
“It’s a cry for help from a son who feels he doesn’t belong. And it doesn’t work and it’s heartbreaking. And this time, Loki has lived through that moment and understands something much deeper. And it just felt like I actually understand now. Now I understand what I have to do. It’s not about me, it’s about you.”
Loki season 2 brings this home, with Loki accepting his role as the God of Time. Loki takes his place on a throne in Yggdrasil, and we have no doubt the showrunners were also harkening back to another significant moment for Loki, when Tony Stark tells him that he’d never sit on a throne.
Likewise, when Loki tells Thanos that he’ll never be a God, it’s extra significant because it harkens back to when Odin said a similar thing to him, and it demonstrates how Loki had developed from a resentful younger brother to a God in every sense of the word. It’s all full circle, and extremely satisfying.
Because both endings are so emotional, it almost makes us want Loki’s character to be kept there rather than undoing his development or overstaying his welcome. But we love Loki too much to rule out a return completely, so we’re keeping an eye out for Loki season 3, although they better not undo one of the MCU’s most touching moments.
For more on the MCU, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies, Marvel’s Phase 5, Marvel Phase 6, and the new movie Captain America 4.