Warning - This article contains spoilers from Episode 5 of Loki.
The post-credits scene of Loki's fourth episode teased a land full of Loki Variants, and much of the show's fifth installment, "Journey Into Mystery," focused on these different Loki's captured by the Time Variance Authority and subsequently pruned, which was revealed to be a method of exiling them to a desolate land at the end of time known as The Void.
While there, some of the Nexus events that led to these Loki Variants getting captured by the TVA were revealed, including one revealing an alternate scenario of how Loki's final confrontation in Avengers: Infinity War played out.
After successfully avoiding death at the hands of the Mad Titan, Richard E. Grant's version of Loki escaped to an isolated planet to ponder his place in the universe. He managed to spend many years there without causing so much as a blip on the TVA's radar, but it was when he was eventually overcome with loneliness and began to yearn for a reunion with Thor that the TVA finally showed up and arrested him.
Loki's head writer has now revealed how Marvel Studios decided on Classic Loki's backstory...
LOKI BEYOND INFINITY WAR
In an interview with Marvel, Loki head writer Michael Waldron referred to Classic Loki's backstory as a "thought experiment" when pondering the question of “What if Loki did in fact survive the events of Avengers: Infinity War?”
Waldron also used this question as a way to explore how this Loki would be able to live for many years without the TVA discovering him:
“And I thought, ‘Well, what if that did happen? And if it did, in fact, how could he have aged up? How could he have lived out his years in a way that the TVA would never come find him?”
Waldron also spoke on how Classic Loki's story plays into one of the show's overarching themes, that of being alone versus desiring companionship, as well as how this defines Loki as a character and provides "a real lesson" for the Variant the series has been following:
“It was that tragic thing where he finally realizes ‘I'm meant to be alone.' It is just so sad. There's a real lesson there for our Loki in that he's going to reject that notion-- that this tiger can change his stripes, and he refuses to be alone. [Loki] wants to do the right thing. [He] wants to see if he can have real companionship in his life.”
A LESSON FOR LOKI
Throughout the series, the show has challenged Loki's supposed "true nature" and posed the question of "What makes a Loki, a Loki?" several times. Unlike most of the other Loki Variants shown in "Journey Into Mystery," both of the two main ones the show has focused on - Loki and Sylvie - have been exploring the idea of companionship and what that might look like for them.
While Sylvie still seems fairly closed off, she opened up quite a bit to Loki in this episode (and seemingly Mobius during their car ride as well). Loki, on the other hand, has now been shown to be comfortable enough to begin to confess his feelings for Sylvie in the previous episode, and go in for a hug with Mobius rather than the handshake the latter offered this week. The mainline Loki even referred to the TVA agent as "friend" before the two said goodbye to each other.
Classic Loki also proved his ability to connect with others, deciding to team up with Loki and Sylvie at the end of the episode and ultimately sacrificing his life so the two could continue their mission. It's notable that it was the power of all three of them that led to their collective success.
With only one episode left, there will surely be a confrontation between Loki and whoever the person in charge of the TVA ends up being. The idea of free will - which Loki seemed to be vehemently opposed to at the beginning of the series - will likely come into it, and perhaps future Loki variants will be able to have the freedom to do whatever they want - even in developing relationships with others.
The final episode of Loki will be available on Disney+ on July 14.
