Loki"s Season 2 Fate Repeats A 12-Year-Long Thor Power Trick

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Summary

Loki's story in the MCU evolved from villain to hero through personal connections, sacrificing himself to save Thor and protect the Infinity Stones.
Thor and Loki's powers are limited by their personal and emotional connections, adding depth to their stories and preventing them from becoming overpowered.
The complex relationship between Thor and Loki, filled with competition and attempts to stop each other, makes their story even sadder, as they never got the chance to fully reconcile before Loki's death.

Loki season 2 concludes the story of the God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston), and his fate repeats an old Thor power trick. Loki made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside his brother, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), in Kenneth Brannagh’s Thor, where he served as the main antagonist. Loki became one of the most popular villains in the MCU’s first Phases, but with time, the God of Mischief evolved in ways that led him to be remembered as a hero rather than a villain, as he sacrificed himself in order to save Thor and keep Thanos from getting one of the Infinity Stones at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War.
Loki’s popularity was such that he was given another chance in the MCU in Avengers: Endgame, where his 2012 version escaped thanks to the Tesseract, leading to the events of his TV series. Loki followed the God of Mischief’s adventures through time and space with his new friends from the Time Variance of Authority, which led to his encounter with He Who Remains. Loki season 2 brought Loki’s story full circle by turning him into the God of Stories, and his fate ended up repeating a 12-year-long Thor power trick by focusing on his personal connections.
Thor & Loki's Powers Have The Same MCU Limits

As Gods, Thor and Loki are some of the most powerful superheroes the MCU has seen, but they were both very limited in how much they could use their powers. Throughout their time in the MCU, Thor and Loki’s powers were prevented from looking overpowered through the same trick: their stories were focused on their personal connections, which were then used to “weaken” them. In Thor’s first MCU adventure, the main focus was his “unworthy” arc, where he was exiled to Earth by Odin, made unworthy of wielding Mjolnir, and couldn’t use his powers until he proved himself to be worthy. This took Thor on a personal journey where his bond with Jane, Selvig, and Darcy was key to his much-needed change.
The rest of Thor’s arcs have also been more personal, highlighting the emotional limitations of his abilities. The same happened with Loki in his return with his solo TV series, as Loki could have easily used his powers at various times throughout the series, yet the focus of his new story was his bond with Mobius, Sylvie, Hunter B-15, Casey, and O.B., with Loki admitting it was the first time he had friends. As Loki was unwilling to sacrifice his friends and the rest of the multiverse, he made the ultimate sacrifice by saving all the timelines and becoming the God of Stories, which dooms him to spend eternity alone. Thor and Loki, then, were limited by their personal and emotional connections, which also gave more depth to their stories.
Why The MCU's Thor & Loki Power Trick Makes Endgame Even Sadder

Thor and Loki had a complex relationship, as even though they cared about each other, they were constantly competing against each other or trying to stop the other. When Thor and Loki’s relationship seemed to be on its way to being fixed, Loki was killed by Thanos. Even worse, variant Loki never got to even try to fix his relationship with Thor as he never saw him again after escaping with the Tesseract, so they never got to realize that they were more alike than they thought. It’s unknown if Thor and Loki will reunite at some point in the rest of the MCU, but their power trick makes their story together even sadder.
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