The following contains spoilers for episode 6 ofLoki.
Fans ofLokiwere crossing their fingers for an exciting ending to the show’s first season. On that front, the sixth episode did not disappoint. In usual Marvel fashion,“For All Time. Always”was full of third-act twists and reveals that will no doubt shapeLoki’snext season and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole.
But finales are called finales for a reason — they bring a sense of finality to their stories. Finally wrapping up storylines, finally answering questions laid out in previous episodes. WhileLoki’sfinale gives its viewers a few pieces of information, it seems to leave out pieces of plot in favor of advancing future seasons and future events in the MCU.
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A lot of ground is covered in “For All Time. Always.” — most notably, the introduction of a Thanos-level antagonist. When Loki and Sylvie break through the void and past Alioth, they end up at the Citadel at the End of Time. Once inside, they encounter a man only known as He Who Remains. Observant fans will recognize the man as Jonathan Majors, who has been cast as Kang the Conquerer inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. While there is no blatant reveal that He Who Remains is Kang, it’s safe to say fans were right about this one. Fans were also treated to an amazing moment betweenSylvie and Loki, giving a bit more clarity on their relationship and where it could be heading in the future.
Despite these crucial moments, there are a few plotlines that are given screentime, only to be dropped off for bigger issues. For example, Mobius, fresh back from the void, makes his way through the TVA to confrontRavonna Renslayerafter she pruned him. Their conversation is brief though, an apology from Renslayer is all we get before Mobius holds up a pen and throws audiences into a new reveal — a variant of Renslayer has been found by Hunter B-15. Before getting any deeper into that reveal, viewers are thrown back into the office of He Who Remains to get more information on multiverses. When viewers see Mobius and Ravonna together for the last time, it’s only a repeat of Ravonna’s allegiance to the TVA before she opens a TemPad and leaves “… in search of free will.” If fans were hoping to see a real change in Ravonna, they will have to wait for season two.
It’s no secret thatLokisits at the beginning ofMarvel’s Phase Four, along withWandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier,and the upcomingEternals. With its introduction of the TVA and timeline manipulation,Lokiappears to be what is needed for the MCU to explore the Multiverse, full of variations of beloved characters. It’s this fact that givesLokia dual purpose — to be both an entertaining, poignant show about a famous Marvel character and to accomplish set dressing for the movies and shows to follow in its path.
It’s an interesting challenge forLoki’swriters and directorsto tackle but ultimately may have led to biting more off than can be chewed.Loki’sstrength is its ambitious writing, shining even from the first episode. The show has gone to fantastical settings and brought in new faces to the MCU all in its own unique style. But by laying out so many threads of story in a season with only six episodes — each around 40 minutes long — ambition can turn into a weakness. Perhaps if there had been more episodes, like the nine produced forWandaVision, certain storylines and characters could have been explored fully and concluded in a more satisfactory way.
Still, the first season of any good show, Marvel or not, has a laundry list of things to accomplish. It’s inevitable (and probably good) for some events and storylines to be pushed away in favor of larger plot moments. If every question of the story was answered in a single season, why would there be a need for a second one?Loki’sfinale would have been completely different if instead of focusing on the existence of multiverses and Kang’s appearance, more time was dedicated to the state of the TVA moving forward or where exactly Ravonna Renslayer was heading to.
Pieces are placed at the end of the episode to remind viewers that more is coming and with it, more answers. Hopefully, though, storylines andcharacter arcsthat remained untouched inLoki’sfinale will be revisited in its second season. For now, it’s time to trust in the process and be our own personal TimeKeepers, knowing that whatever happens next is in the plan.
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