The Marvel Cinematic Universe is still full of surprises, including the upcoming Loki Disney+ series starring Tom Hiddleston as Loki, who was last seen in Avengers: Endgame and will be back for more Asgardian trickster fun. The Loki series won't debut on Disney+ until 2021, which means we have enough time to figure out how Endgame set up Loki - because technically, Thor's little brother shouldn't be alive right now.

The Loki TV series is one of four arriving on the soon-to-be-launched Disney+ streaming service. In addition to Loki, there will be The Falcon and the Winter SoldierWandaVision, and Hawkeye. All of the Marvel/Disney+ series will be debuting on the platform through 2021, and are considered a part of the larger MCU Phase 4 narrative which was announced at San Diego Comic-Con this year. Unlike the rest of the Marvel/Disney+ lineup, Loki will focus solely on Loki and will follow him as he travels through time.

Related: What The Loki TV Series' Weird Logo Means

Loki is going to take this MCU villain on an entirely new set of adventures. Where is he going? What is his purpose over the course of the first season? We can't say for sure. But what we do know is how this version of Loki managed to survive Avengers: Endgame and live to get his own Disney+ series.

Loki Died In Avengers: Infinity War For Real

Thor mourns Loki's death

First thing's first: the Loki we know —  the one we've watched grow and develop and become a more likable mix of friend and foe — is dead. That lovable anti-hero who was last seen in Thor: Ragnarok? Gone. Thanos killed this version of Loki in Avengers: Infinity War. This was further confirmed during Marvel Studios' presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, where Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and star Tom Hiddleston discussed the Loki Disney+ series.

Loki's death was one of the first brutal blows dealt in Infinity War, a sign Thanos was not messing around when it came to achieving his goal of eliminating half of all life in the universe. The unfortunate event happened after an attempt to save Thor from dying at the hands of Thanos went awry. In the sequence, Thanos demanded to know the whereabouts of the Tesseract, which contained the Space Stone. Loki proved Thor's assumption the Tesseract was destroyed in Asgard during Ragnarok was wrong after Loki made the Tesseract materialize, pretending to offer it to Thanos. A surprise attack and quick tussle with Hulk only made Thanos angrier. After Loki attempted to quickly switch sides, Thanos proceeded to strangle him. Loki's final words proved prophetic as he told Thanos: "You will never be a god."

2012 Loki Created A New Timeline In Avengers: Endgame

Tom Hiddleston as Loki in The Avengers

The version of Loki that will be front and center in Loki is most similar to the one seen in 2012's The Avengers. The Loki in question is first seeing in the 2012 timeline in Endgame, which involves Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, and Ant-Man returning to that specific year so they can infiltrate the Battle of New York in order to retrieve the Time, Mind, and Space Stones. All of the events during the Battle of New York sequence were going in the same order it had the first time around in The Avengers. Things went awry when Ant-Man's plan to get the Space Stone-containing Tesseract away from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Alexander Pierce was botched. Ant-Man shrunk down to size to mess with 2012 Tony Stark's heart device in order to induce a heart attack that would have everyone focused on him, allowing the present-day Tony to steal the Tesseract. Thanks to an unfortunately-timed appearance by the Hulk, however, the focus was pulled away from Tony, the case got kicked towards Loki, and he was given the a chance to grab the Tesseract and escape.

So, how is Loki meant to time travel in Loki if he has the Space Stone? The Space Stone only allows the user total control over space, meaning they can simply change location but they cannot change their point in time. The Space Stone user opens a door to another point in space, even an interdimensional one, allowing them to travel to the desired destination. Since Marvel Studios has already made its intentions known to explore the multiverse in another big upcoming project — the Doctor Strange sequel Doctor Stranger in the Multiverse of Madness — it's possible the concept of the multiverse will be seen via this new 2012-era Loki's travels. He could end up opening doors, so to speak, to different multiverses and manage to also tap into different points in time while doing so. There's no rule assigned to the Space Stone's powers that, for example, the user could only travel to different versions of 2012 New York across the multiverseWith no access to the Time Stone or technology allowing him to get into the Quantum Realm, this could be the way Loki's protagonist travels around space and time.

Loki In The TV Show Is An Unredeemed God of Mischief

Loki holding the Tesseract in Thor

Building a TV show about a version of Loki other than the one who died in Avengers: Infinity War is a bold choice. It means we'll see a different Loki in his Disney+ series, one more inclined to villainy for the sake of it and in need of some serious character development. This will open up the door to a ton of new storytelling avenues.

By the time Ragnarok rolled around, the adopted Asgardian had developed as a character, accepting more empathy into his heart and occasionally acting from a pragmatic place. Yes, he was still mostly a selfish jerk who would sell a friend up the river for something better or use his shapeshifting powers to get what he wants, but it was easier to see those flashes of empathy from Loki in Thor: The Dark WorldRagnarok and Infinity War than in previous films. The Loki featured in Loki will be a man still driven by his mostly evil impulses who will likely have to redevelop as a comparatively more empathetic character throughout the course of the series.

Given the fact that Loki will be jumping through time in Loki, it's worth contemplating if he will manage to return to the normal timeline — the one at the end of Avengers: Endgame — and somehow work his way into the events of Thor: Love and Thunder. Loki doesn't have the Time Stone nor does he have knowledge of or access to the Quantum Realm, so jumping back into the normal timeline would be tougher to pull off. We also don't know if he would even want to do it. But it wouldn't feel like a Thor movie without Loki, nor would it feel right to have him keep bouncing around in a separate timeline where he isn't connected to familiar people he already has relationships with. Bringing him back to the regular timeline in Thor 4 feels like the right thing to do.

Next: What To Expect From The Loki TV Show

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