Loki Creator Won’t Reveal Scrapped Season 1 Ending Because It Still Might Happen
Loki season 1 ended on a cliffhanger that had fans begging for more, but we almost got something different.
“Never say never” at Marvel. It’s a phrase we regularly hear from those who’ve worked with Marvel in the past and indeed from those who are still working with the studio.
This week, it’s the turn of Michael Waldron to roll out the phrase. In a recent Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) for his new Hulu series Chad Powers, Waldron was also naturally grilled on his various MCU projects, from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to Avengers: Doomsday. Fans were also curious to hear some behind-the-scenes details on Loki, which Waldron created for Marvel and where he served as head writer on season 1 before The Endless duo of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead took over in season 2.
The season 1 finale of Loki ended with Loki and Sylvie confronting He Who Remains at the Citadel at the End of Time and learning that he created the Sacred Timeline to prevent multiversal chaos. Sylvie killed him despite Loki’s pleas, which caused the timeline to fracture, unleashing countless branching realities and setting up the multiverse. The episode ended on a cliffhanger: Loki returned to the TVA, only to find that Mobius and the TVA no longer recognized him.
“I remember you once mentioned in an interview that you originally had slightly different ideas for how season 1 of Loki would’ve ended before deciding on the final version,” one person posted during the AMA. “Is there any chance you could share a bit more about that? It’s been a few years now, and not gonna lie, I’ve always been curious about that and wondered what might’ve happened to Loki, Sylvie, He Who Remains, and the TVA if there had never been a season 2.”
Waldron came close to finally revealing the different ending of Loki’s first season, but eventually hesitated: “I actually typed out the answer but never say never, especially in the MCU,” he wrote. “Maybe one day you’ll get to see it instead of read it.”
Marvel’s Loki: The Art of the Series previously revealed that the enduring character was once heading for a happier end. Season 1 was thought to wrap up the story and no season 2 was originally planned. The finale would have included a sendoff for Loki, where he departed “off on to some of his own adventures in a different realm.” But in Marvel Studios’ infinite wisdom (and likely after checking the sky-high Disney+ viewing numbers), they changed course and renewed Loki for another season.
We’ll see Loki again next year in Avengers: Doomsday, though it’s not yet clear if this will be the Disney+ series version of the character, or another multiversal variant. How will things end for him this time?
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Kirsten Howard has paid their dues. Yes sir, the check is in the mail.