Why Loki Really Doesn't Want To Return To The Main MCU Timeline

At the end of the Loki premiere episode, "Glorious Purpose," the God of Mischief realized he no longer could return to the main MCU timeline. On the surface, this could be read as him no longer wanted to after learning that no matter what he did, he was always bound to lose in that timeline. Yet there's a deeper and more touching reason for his realization. Instead of a self-serving decision, his choice to stay with the Time Variance Authority (TVA) is motivated by his connection to his family.

Despite the character's death in Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel Studios found a way to continue Loki's story via the events of Avengers: Endgame. During the heroes' time heist, Loki escaped with the Tesseract, veering from the proper flow of events and violating the "Sacred Timeline," subsequently finding himself arrested by the TVA. This means that the version of the antihero in Loki is pre-redemption as he has yet to go through the journey that changed him as a person in the main timeline. Nonetheless, the Asgardian prince learned his ultimate fate thanks to Agent Mobius M. Mobius, who showed him what the future was like for him in the Sacred Timeline, ending in his death.

The realization stunned Loki and brought him to heel. Instead of his insistence on escaping the TVA, he lost interest in the idea when realizing he could no longer return to the main MCU reality. It seems like an in-character decision, understandable considering that he had just found out his botched alliance with Thanos in The Avengers would spell his death several years later in Infinity War. But more than keeping himself safe, Loki didn't see any reason to go back to that timeline knowing his whole family would also die. First, he saw his mother, Frigga, get murdered in Thor: The Dark World. The shame of learning he led her killers right to her might alone have been enough reason for him to stay with the TVA. Second, the trickster learned of Odin's death in Thor: Ragnarok. Despite Odin and Loki's less-than-ideal relationship, the All-Father acknowledging his love for both his sons before his passing made it more painful. Finally, on the heels of his own end at the hands of Thanos, he was led to believe that Thor had also died when the Asgardian refugee ship exploded. Since Loki's file ended with the explosion, there's no mention of the God of Thunder surviving thanks to the Guardians of the Galaxy's help.

Discovering not just his fate, but his family's fate, in the Sacred Timeline was enough to make Loki drop his defenses and finally be honest with Mobius. In the end, the trickster, who was adamant about keeping up an arrogant, flippant front, eventually admitted why is the way he is. Loki explained that he's essentially projecting a ruthless persona by stoking fear in the hopes of regaining control over his life. He was so badly misunderstood and, after the events of the original Thor, felt like even more of an outcast. Yet his reaction to their deaths proves that despite his attempts to sabotage Thor and Odin, as well as his cold treatment of Frigga, he loves them.

In hindsight, this is what makes Loki an endearing character in the end. His tantrums and hissy fits have been cries for help; he desperately wanted to be seen and appreciated, especially by his family. It didn't help that Odin always pitted his sons against each other, knowing full well that Loki would never be king or ever seen as equal. In showing his life, Loki fast-tracked and compressed the character's redemption arc from the Infinity Saga, but that doesn't mean that the God of Mischief is now fully reformed. He's still chaotic and naughty, but since the TVA is hunting down an evil variant of himself, the organization can use some of Loki's mischievousness.

Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

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