Avengers: Endgame's apparent setup of the upcoming Disney+ series Loki was completely unintentional. Last year, Endgame wrapped up the MCU's Infinity Saga in truly epic fashion with a film that united the remaining heroes to defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin) once and for all. Of course, it wouldn't be a proper finale without several callbacks to everything that came before, and the Avengers' Time Heist provided the perfect opportunity to both revisit past films and bring back some familiar faces. Among those faces was Tom Hiddleston's Loki, last seen in Avengers: Infinity War being killed by Thanos. After being introduced in 2011's Thor, Loki became a fan favorite character and was widely considered the exception to Marvel's villain problem.

Loki's popularity led Marvel to develop a spin-off series focused on the trickster god. As the third planned MCU-set series headed to Disney+, Loki is currently expected to debut on the streaming service in spring 2021. However, that date could see itself pushed due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has shut down production on the series. Like most halted film and television productions, it's unclear when it will resume, but fans' excitement hasn't lessened. Ever since the 2012 version of Loki disappeared with the Tesseract in Endgame, fans have been eager to learn what happened to him.

Related: Loki Is Alive After Avengers: Endgame (In A New MCU Timeline)

Loki's theft of the Tesseract seems like the perfect setup for his Disney+ show, but apparently it wasn't always intended to be that. While participating in a live watch party of Endgame, screenwriter Stephen McFeely was asked if the higher ups at Marvel (likely meaning Kevin Feige) had them put in the twist in order to lead into Loki. McFeely replied by saying, "No! We just thought it was a juicy way to upset the heist."

Had the Loki series not been in development, the Tesseract switch-up still would have been a solid, entertaining way to throw a wrench into the Avengers' plans. However, it would've left a plot line dangling, and many would've been frustrated at the lack of resolution. That's largely because of how beloved Loki is as a character; fans would've wanted to see where he went.

Luckily, they'll get the chance to find out next year. Loki is confirmed to feature some time-travel shenanigans, most likely courtesy of the Tesseract. Additionally, it will explore Loki's struggles with identity and control, things that have always been interesting aspects of the character that the MCU hasn't fully explored. McFeely and his writing partner Christopher Markus might not have intended Loki's Endgame moment to lead into his Disney+ series, but it's definitely great that it will.

More: What The Loki TV Series' Weird Logo Means

Source: Stephen McFeely/Twitter