Loki season 2 finale almost went in a different direction – and we're glad it didn't

Tom Hiddleston as Loki in Loki season 2
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

The Loki season 2 finale featured one of Marvel's most emotional – and dramatic – climaxes in recent memory. The final episode saw Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief break the TVA's Time Loom and take on the role of holding the timelines together himself using his powers. He's finally got a seat on a throne, but at the cost of never seeing Sylvie, Mobius, or anyone else he cares about again. 

However, that wasn't always going to quite the way things wrapped up, as revealed in the newly released documentary Marvel Studios: Assembled – The Making of Loki season 2 on Disney Plus

"There was a draft of the script of the very end, the very end. Something wasn't sitting right with both of us about it," co-director Aaron Moorhead explained (around the 50:50 mark). "And the issue was, this draft didn't have Loki destroying the Loom. He saved the Loom from imploding and then ascended the throne. We all knew something was up, we just didn't know what. 'Cause it was like, well he's trying to save the Loom, he gets the throne, all of this."

He continued: "But the problem was, is that he didn't have the sacrifice and we realized, why doesn't he destroy the Loom and then have to take over the Loom's massive responsibility? He doesn't get anything out of it. It seems so obvious now, it seems like exactly the right choice. But that was a watershed moment in the development of it, when we realized Loki needs to destroy and become the Loom."

Fans agree that the sacrifice makes the series finale much more satisfying – and so do we. "That would have been a worse ending. It takes a good creator to realize that," wrote one Reddit user, responding to Moorhead's revelation. "From the myths he is the Worldbreaker, so this ending is on point," said another, referencing the version of Loki in Norse mythology.

It seems like this could be the end of Loki on our screens, too. "It all comes full circle," Hiddleston said after the finale aired, adding: "It's the conclusion to season 2, it's also the conclusion to seasons 1 and 2. It's also the conclusion to six films and 12 episodes and 14 years of my life. 14 years. I was 29 when I was cast, I'm 42 now. It's been a journey."

All episodes of Loki season 2 are streaming now on Disney Plus. For more on the MCU, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.