Loki’s New Official MCU Title Creates A Huge Problem For Every Upcoming Marvel Movie

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Loki season 2.

The Asgardian God of Mischief has been a mainstay in the MCU ever since his memorable introduction in Phase 1, but Loki season 2 just redefined the one-time villain with a bold new power that could cause problems for the MCU as a whole. Loki’s magic and frost giant physiology have always made him a formidable power in Marvel’s movie franchise. However, he’s never been on the same level as the strongest heroes and villains in the Marvel universe.

Loki season 2 seems to be changing that as Loki embraces a new role for himself and develops a wild new ability, far more potent than any he’s wielded before. On the one hand, this is excellent news. With Kang set to challenge the multiverse in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, the side of good will need all the help they can get. However, on a meta level, such a powerful character seems set to ruin the stakes for future MCU movies and TV shows.

Related: How Many Episodes Are In Loki Season 2 & When The Finale Releases

Loki Is Now The God Of Stories & Incredibly Powerful

Loki season 2 has been working through another character change for its titular god, this time having him come to terms with his desire for friendship and a meaningful role in the universe. In Loki season 2, episode 5, Loki is confronted with his continued failure as his plan to reform the TVA is interrupted by a temporal apocalypse. In the moments before his death, Loki decides that he can “rewrite the story,” seemingly referring to his own multiversal destiny and his surrounding destruction. The phrase has a deeper meaning, as it clearly connects to Loki’s role in Marvel Comics as the God of Stories.

Loki season 2, episode 5 also grants Loki a new power. Throughout the season, Loki has struggled with time slipping. This phenomenon sees Loki uncontrollably bouncing around time, but, with his new resolve and determination, he finally gains control of time slipping intentionally. With that, he immediately jumps back to before the Temporal Loom is destroyed. The ability to instantly travel anywhere in space-time is on a power level hitherto unseen in the God of Mischief, and it’s got huge ramifications.

Loki’s New Power Dwarfs Every MCU Threat So Far

The potential problem with Loki’s new power is that it risks making every other threat in the MCU trivial. The MCU already requires suspension of disbelief in regards to why the Avengers don’t simply show up in every solo movie to end the present threat much quicker, but that’ll be an even bigger problem with a Loki who can travel through space and time at the drop of a hat. Furthermore, with the power of the TVA, Loki can also be acutely aware of everything of concern happening in the multiverse, so the excuse can’t even be used that he isn’t always aware of trouble.

Interestingly, this problem was already introduced to the MCU once in 2023 with the controversial introduction of G’iah, a Super Skrull with almost every superpower in the MCU. However, Loki dwarfs even her strength. Moving forward, every MCU movie and show will have the lingering background question of “Why isn’t Loki helping?” This may get even more difficult to ignore as the MCU narrows its narrative focus on the rise of Kang as the franchise draws closer to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

How The MCU Can Avoid Its Loki Power Level Problem

There are a few different avenues the MCU can still take to make Loki’s incredible new power less of a problem. The first is that his experiences with the earlier version of the TVA may lead him to take a less hands-on approach with his powers. Loki saw firsthand how destructive active intervention in the timelines can be, even with good intentions. As such, he may be determined to only step in at the last moment if avoiding involvement would threaten the timeline on a grand scale. In a way, this makes him similar to The Watcher from What If…? who only stepped in when Infinity Ultron threatened reality itself.

Alternatively, Loki may not keep this power in full after the events of the Loki season 2 finale. Given how quickly Loki season 2 has introduced massive twists and turns, it’s not out of the question that Loki loses his time-slipping ability once the Temporal Loom is stabilized. He’d still be powerful with the resources of the TVA at hand (if that’s the direction the finale goes), but he’d be slightly more limited in what he can do. Regardless, hopefully, the MCU will provide some justification to qualm concerns about Loki becoming too powerful for future threats yet to come.

Key Release Dates