Next MCU Exit: Is Tom Hiddleston's Time At Marvel Over After Loki?
Everything we've heard from the star, writer and executive producer of Loki suggests that the God of Mischief's arc in the MCU may have come to an end.
Summary
- The Loki Season 2 finale seemed to conclude the arc of Tom Hiddleston's character.
- While there have been no official updates from Marvel, some interviews let us speculate if this is true.
- Loki's writer, Eric Martin, says that Season 2 finishes the story they wanted to tell.
- Executive Producer Kevin Wright leaves the door open for the return of the God of Mischief.
- Tom Hiddleston hints that his journey in Marvel has come to an end.
- Whoever you believe, Loki's role in the future is unlikely to be more than a brief cameo.
The Loki Season 2 finale was anything but boring. The episode took viewers on a rollercoaster ride of high emotions and a bittersweet ending. Loki managed to save the multiverse, but at the ultimate cost.
He sacrificed his own human side and desires to become the true God, sitting at the center of the multiverse, holding all the branches and timelines in his hands to give billions of living beings free will.
Some fictional concepts were hard to grasp, but the biggest question many viewers had after the finale was whether this was the last we would see of Loki. There is an undeniable sense of sad finality to Loki's final moments, suggesting that the God of Mischief may never return to our screens.
Marvel hasn't given any updates on the future of Loki, either the series or the character, but we can speculate based on what the show's creators and Tom Hiddleston have said.
Writer Eric Martin says the story is complete
Given Loki's success on Disney+, a Season 3 renewal would be a no-brainer, but the show's writer, Eric Martin, said in an interview with CinemaBlend that the creative team had already told everything they wanted, suggesting that the sequel is out of the question.
'We approached this as like two halves of a book. Season one, first half. Season two, we close the book on Loki and the TVA,' Martin said. 'Where it goes beyond that, I don't know. I just wanted to tell a full and complete story across those two seasons.'
Kevin Wright gives more optimistic update
Loki executive producer Kevin Wright echoed Martin's message when he spoke to Deadline in October. But he left the door open for Tom Hiddleston to return to the MCU.
'There are certainly things that Tom and I and other casts have talked about of where we see this going,' he said. 'That these are two chapters of the same book, and that season two is finishing that book, and there are other stories to be told there, but I think they would be new books, if that's not too coy.'
Tom Hiddleston hints at his exit
Of course, the main source of information about Loki's fate is Tom Hiddleston. In his post-finale interview with Jimmy Fallon, the star strongly hinted that his journey in Marvel has come to an end.
'It's the conclusion to Season 2. It's also a conclusion to Season 1 and Season 2. It's also a conclusion to 6 films, 12 episodes and 14 years of my life,' the actor said. 'I was 29 when I was cast. I'm 42 now. It's been a journey.'
These words certainly sound like no Loki Season 3 and no continuation of Loki's arc. And to be honest, with the development he's been given, it's hard to imagine what the God of Mischief might do next. The multiverse will simply die without his attention.
Kevin Wright's optimistic update certainly gives us a thread of hope that we might still be able to catch a glimpse of the green-eyed villain-turned-superhero in the future. But even then, his role is unlikely to be more than a brief cameo.
Sources: CinemaBlend, Deadline, The Tonight Show.