Warning! This article contains spoilers for Loki season 2, episode 5.
Summary
- After the events of Loki season 2, episode 5, the MCU has set up the adaptation of a major Marvel Comics arc, changing Loki's title and character development in a satisfying way.
- Loki gained a new superpower in controlling his time-slipping, allowing him to rewrite stories and narratives, setting up the transition from God of Mischief to God of Stories, as seen in Marvel Comics.
- Loki has outgrown his God of Mischief nickname, now realizing his mistakes and embracing his new purpose to change the universe for the better as the God of Stories, with the of his found family.
After the events of Loki season 2, episode 5, the MCU may have finally changed the titular character's title by setting up the adaptation of a huge Marvel Comics arc. Loki has served as an interesting case study for the MCU's beloved God of Mischief across its two seasons thus far. In taking a character whose redemption arc was seemingly complete by the time of his death in Avengers: Infinity War and essentially reviving him, the MCU took the huge risk of tarnishing a solid conclusion in an attempt to position him as a more integral character to the future of the franchise.
However, by the time of Loki season 2, episode 5's various Easter eggs and references to Loki's emotional story, as well as the close bond he has formed with the show's other characters, Loki gained a new MCU superpower. This power sets up a complete retcon of the titular character's God of Mischief moniker and the adaptation of a major Marvel Comics arc.
How Many Episodes Are In Loki Season 2 & When The Finale Releases
Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson Sophia Di Martino and Jonathan Majors return in Loki season 2, one of the shows that's part of the MCU's Phase 5.
Loki Season 2 Sets Up Loki: God Of Stories
The new MCU superpower Loki received by the end of Loki season 2, episode 5 was the ability to control his time-slipping. For a reason that is still unclear, Loki began slipping through time once again after the same was happening to him at the onset of Loki season 2. After finding a variant of Ouroboros on the timeline, Loki began attempting to figure out how to control this ability. At first, he focused on using his goal of protecting the TVA to control time-slipping albeit to no effect.
Eventually, Loki found that focusing on his friends and being around them allowed him to control his time-slipping. This led Loki to utter the words "I can rewrite the story" before time-slipping to before the destruction of the TVA. This sets up Loki changing his title from God of Mischief to God of Stories, a transition that happened in Marvel Comics for the character.
Marvel Comics' Loki: God Of Stories Origin Explained
While Loki: God of Stories may seem unappealing to those familiar with the God of Mischief in the MCU, the transition has occurred within Marvel Comics. In a comic book run titled Loki: Agent of Asgard, Loki underwent a significant character change by coming to with his past - and even future versions of himself - to truly transform into a more benevolent god. Upon Loki's rebirth, he fused with an artifact named the All-Seeing Eye which merged with his own magical abilities, seeing him rise as the reborn Loki: God of Stories.
His new abilities allowed Loki to perceive, manipulate, and in some cases completely rewrite stories and narratives within the Marvel universe. This gave Loki a somewhat meta role in Marvel Comics by greatly expanding his abilities to be able to rewrite reality at will. To those unfamiliar with Marvel Comics, Loki: God of Stories received a state of knowledge and power base similar to that of the Watcher from What If...? only with the will to act on those abilities in an incredibly meaningful way.
Why Loki Has Outgrown His God Of Mischief Nickname
With the bombshell ending of Loki season 2, episode 5, the character has now become Loki: God of Stories. He now has the ability, through his control of time-slipping, to completely alter story events as shown when he reversed time to before the collapse of the Temporal Loom. While this may seem somewhat overpowered, it makes perfect sense for this version of Loki to become the God of Stories as he has been shown to outgrow his God of Mischief ways. Loki's title of the God of Mischief has often been raised in the MCU's past as a reflection of his villainous nature.
However, Loki has made it more clear than ever that he has outgrown this by coming to with the mistakes of his past due to his fear of being alone. Now, Loki realizes that - with his found family beside him - he has the power to be more than a God of Mischief. Loki now has a morally correct glorious purpose which, alongside a truly good heart, means he is capable of changing the universe for the better as the God of Stories, something that Loki season 2, episode 5 made more abundantly clear than ever.
New episodes of Loki release Thursdays on Disney+.
