Marvel Studios unveiled the first official look at Tom Hiddleston's return as Loki, aka the God of Stories, in Avengers: Doomsday. The MCU's most pivotal tale in years came with Disney+'s Loki, which explained the concepts behind the MCU Multiverse, introduced the Time Variance Authority (TVA), and set up Avengers 5's original villain, Jonathan Majors' Kang. Loki's big twist arrived in Season 2's finale as Tom Hiddleston's Loki became the God of Stories, acting as a living anchor for the Multiverse's branches on a throne at the Citadel at the End of Time.
Now that Incursions are coming to devastate the Multiverse, it's only right that Tom Hiddleston is officially reprising Loki, the God of Stories, in Avengers: Doomsday. The studio recently unveiled a stunning new Doomsday poster from concept artist Andy Park that places Loki at the heart of it all and directly under Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, signaling the villain's interest in the God of Stories.
While the rest of Doomsday's cast - including the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, New Avengers, and even Doctor Doom - is featured in full costume and color, the God of Stories stands as a white-eyed blue spirit at the heart of it all.
That decision portrays Loki as more than just a character, but rather a powerful entity who may be crucial to Doomsday's narrative. This may lend credence to reports that the God of Stories will be a "MacGuffin" in Avengers 5, with the movie acting as "a race to see who gets to Loki first."
In Loki Season 2, Episode 6, "Glorious Purpose," the God of Stories' costume appears identical to Doomsday, with the same infamous horns. As Loki had committed himself to anchoring the Multiverse for all of eternity, one has to wonder how long he has held his throne by the time Doomsday begins.
Of course, Doomsday is a Multiversal affair, and Marvel Studios is no stranger to introducing Loki Variants thanks to his Disney+ series, meaning that it is entirely possible that the God of Stories won't be Hiddleston's only role in Doomsday.
Fans have theorized that the God of Stories will replace Beyonders from Secret Wars, in which Doctor Doom sought to steal the power of the nigh-omnipotent Beyonders, who act as custodians of the Multiverse, to create Battleworld.
Much like 2015's Jonathan Hickman-written event, Doom is bound to be seeking some greater power in Avengers 5 that will allow him to "save" the Multiverse from Incurisions by stitching its surviving remnants together into Battleworld, where he rules, and it stands to reason that power will come from Loki.
The Beyonders are often confused with The Beyonder from 1984's Secret Wars; a child-like entity from outside the Multiverse who sought to study the very nature of existence. He abducted various heroes and villains to fight in his Battleworld arena for his own amusement and granted the victors their greatest desires.
The 2015 event would retcon The Beyonder to simply be an infant from this race of extradimensional god-like beings who effectively turned the Marvel universe into his sandbox of playthings. That isn't something Loki is expected to toy with in Doomsday or Secret Wars, as his days of playing with humanity are past him.
How Loki Will Be Crucial to Avengers: Doomsday & Secret Wars
Interestingly, insider Daniel Richtman (via MCU Film News) recently claimed that Tom Hilldeston will only have a "small" role as Loki in Avengers: Doomsday. While many will be hopeful for more of the God of Stories, as his Disney+ series was among the Multiverse Saga's best-received projects, the decision makes sense if Loki is more of a "MacGuffin" that the Avengers and Doctor Doom are racing to.
Still, there are bound to be alarm bells ringing for all Loki fans, who have already seen Hiddleston's iconic Asgardian die numerous times in the MCU. If Doom is to create Battleworld ahead of Avengers: Secret Wars, he would have to emerge from Doomsday victorious by stealing Loki's power, possibly setting up the former God of Mischief's fourth death in his 15 years in the MCU.
But that doesn't have to be the end for Loki, as scooper MyTimeToShineHello recently reported that Hiddleston will be back for next year's Secret Wars. That may indicate that, even if Loki loses his throne at the Citadel at the End of Time, he will still be among the Variants who collide on Battleworld, where he could be the one to reclaim his power from Doctor Doom and defeat him once and for all.
Somewhere between those events, one has to imagine that the sun will shine on the Asgardians again as Thor and Loki reunite amid the death of the Multiverse. But that moment could be rather bittersweet, as, after 15 years in the MCU, perhaps it may be time for Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth to bid farewell to their heroic roles, hanging up the towel together in the next Avengers movies.
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