Loki, Season 2 Finale, Episode 6: “The last thing I want is a throne”. Who would’ve imagined MCU’s most notorious villain saying these words? But Loki was never supposed to be an ordinary character. And with the second season of the show, showrunner Michael Waldron has given the titular character the most depth of anyone in the avenue of the saturated multiverse. The phrase “glorious burden” has always been associated with Loki’s narcissistic introduction as himself in the earlier Marvel movies. But in the final episode of its sophomore (and probably final) season, the words take on a heavier meaning as things begin to get recontextualized.
Loki (Season 2 Finale) Episode 6 “Glorious Burden” Recap:
Co-directed by Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, the sixth and the final episode of Loki (Season 2) sees its titular lead finally in complete control of his chaotic time-slipping. He now must embark on a desperate journey through his past to grill the shadows of his friends (as well as his enemies) to seek answers just in time before he lets the infinite timelines implode upon each other. However, what this final journey entails for him is also a confrontation that challenges his personal desires. Will Loki be able to reassure himself the way he has been reassuring others regarding the importance of free-will? Or will he sacrifice one of his best friends to reclaim his infamous title of being the God of mischief? Let’s find out as we take a deep dive into the episode.
How Does Loki Save The Multiverse?
After knowing how to control his time-slipping, Loki realizes that the only chance for him to stabilize the Temporal Loom is if he learns the science required for it himself. Thus, after giving multiple tries in letting Victor Timely’s Throughput Multiplier fix things for good, Loki eventually decides on spending literal centuries learning all he could. Much to his surprise, he discovers how the problem would persist no matter how many redos unless He Who Remains and the TVA were allowed to exist as they had always been.
However, after confronting Kang at the same place where Sylvie had killed him at the end of Season 1, Loki decides to break the loop and ‘change the equation’ himself. He not only intentionally destroys the Temporal Loom, but later also goes onto save all the branched timelines using his godly powers. By the end of the episode, Loki doesn’t only sacrifice himself for the greater good, but in doing so becomes a new god – one who fixes the Temporal Loom for the entire multiverse.
Loki’s New Role as the God of Stories Explained
As Loki walks toward the loom while taking full charge of everything, we watch him in his brand-new horned crown. After having fixed the branched timelines, we see him sitting upon a throne. It brings the character’s tragic arc a full circle, as Loki now sits risking the chance of a new multiversal war with the hope that something better will arise out of the Sacred Timeline as it was once fashioned by He Who Remains. Thus, Loki becomes a new god in the MCU, and it’s heavily implied that he might as well be the God of Stories.
This would make sense considering how his reinvention in the original comics also felt the same. We’ve come a long way from seeing the God of Mischief reconcile with the bittersweet horrors of who he once was. Finally for once, Loki’s done something that’s brought good to everyone. Moreover, as things stand in the moment, the entirety of the MCU multiverse along with all its branched timelines are now being held together by Loki himself.
Loki (Season 2) Episode 6 “Glorious Burden” Ending Explained:
Loki season 2’s finale is very cheekily called “Glorious Purpose”, calling back to the classic line way back from 2012’s The Avengers. We know how Loki had once claimed he was burned during his attempt to claim both the Tesseract and Earth. More than a decade later, we see Loki recognize and ruminate what the actual burden of a ‘glorious purpose’ actually seems like.
It’s this emotional catharsis that eventually motivates Loki’s decision to give up his friends and claim this new role. By taking on the heavy burden of holding the entire multiverse together, he transcends the expectations set by his friendship by protecting everyone. We can safely say that the ending feels incredibly satisfying in culminating the wide array of sub plots the show had been setting up.
What is the Multiversal Tree? What Does it Refer to?
By becoming the God of Stories, Loki is now himself a living Temporal Loom that holds all the branches together. In one of the final shots of the episode, we get a wide shot showing how the timelines have successfully merged into a single multiversal tree. Not only does this imagery recall the Asgardian tree Yggdrasil as well as the Nine Realms, but it may also be interpreted as a potential Easter egg for Loki’s role going ahead in Avengers: Secret Wars.
What Happened to Ravonna Renslayer? Who is Alioth?
After spending most of the season in pursuing Ravonna Renslayer’s motives, one may feel that her eventual arc here feels incomplete. In one of the closing moments of the season, we see Ravonna waking up in the Void at the End of Time. Is she trapped there? Or does a new opportunity await her? That remains to be seen.
In fact, more hardcore fans of the comics would notice how the large roar coming from something off-screen as Ravonna wakes up may very well be Alioth. As it was revealed back in season one, Alioth is the massive temporal guardian whose power He Who Remains had harnessed during the first Multiversal War. Given the all-consuming nature of the Void, his presence certainly doesn’t bode well for Ravonna’s MCU future.
Why Does Morbius Leave the TVA? What is Sylvie upto?
For now, as things stand, Morbius chooses to take a temporary hiatus from work at the TVA. He finally visits and observes his original life on the Sacred Timeline – the glimpse which we had gotten in the earlier episode. Choosing to let ‘time pass by’ on its own course, Mobius is now ready to look at everything the TVA is working to protect in the multiverse. However, given Owen Wilson’s reported involvement in 2024’s “Deadpool 3”, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him back at the TVA.
Concurrently, we also see Sylvie looking forward to enjoying her newfound freedom. Will she resort to the good old mundane life she had embraced earlier this season working at McDonald’s in Broxton? Well, as long as she still has the temporal device of He Who Remains, she could easily go on a journey across various timelines. As she declares to Mobius at the end of the episode before partying, she’d now be free to do “whatever she wants”. Thanks to Loki’s earnest sacrifice, everyone seems to be back at their life now. That’s until there comes a new breach in the timeline. For now, let’s cherish one of MCU’s strongest projects in years.
