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During his decade as Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tom Hiddleston has taken the character down a long, and winding road. The Asgardian prince and original Big Bad of the Avengers films proved he has a twitchy moral compass and a thirst for power. But despite Loki’s initial turn to villainy, he’ll face off against his ultimate nemesis on his Disney+ series.

Tom Hiddleston wears a suit and poses at the 'Avengers: Infinity War' premiere
Tom Hiddleston wears a suit and poses at the ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ premiere | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Tom Hiddleston has been hero and villain in Marvel movies since 2011

Looking back, it’s wild to consider Hiddleston originally auditioned for Thor. The actor certainly would have brought such different energy to the role than Chris Hemsworth does. While Hiddleston could have done well as the god of thunder, it’s clear to all he’s had a lot more fun with Loki. After all, he’s been fighting for good just as often as evil over his six appearances.

Roughly half the time, Loki has faced off against Thor and his fellow Avengers. But he’s not above putting aside his differences with his noble brother to avenge his mother (Thor: The Dark World) or liberate his homeworld (Thor: Ragnarok). Though he maintains his selfish nature, Loki gives up the Tesseract (and his life) to save Thor in Avengers: Infinity War.

‘Loki’ puts the god of mischief up against his complete opposite

Even after coming up against Thor, the Avengers, and Thanos (Josh Brolin) himself, Loki faces an entirely new kind of foe on his upcoming Disney+ series. Picking up from the character’s 2012 escape in Avengers: Endgame, Loki sees him get apprehended by an organization known as the Time Variance Authority. They task Loki with repairing the fabric of space-time.

“I suppose Loki picking up the Tesseract in Endgame might have caused some concern,” Hiddleston told Entertainment Weekly. “It is very exciting. The world of the TVA is a world of bureaucratic order, and of course Loki is the god of mischief and chaos. So you have the forces of order and chaos coming together, and that’s where our story starts.”

In nearly all his conflicts to date, Loki has come up against the forces of order. But this collision with the TVA effectively builds on that ideological opposition in a surprising way. Will he learn to embrace order to save the universe, or will continually tear space-time apart for his own selfish gain? Loki — which premieres on Disney+ on June 9, 2021 — holds the answer.

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Will Tom Hiddleston’s Loki stick around once the Disney+ show ends?

Beyond the six-episode run of Loki, it’s unclear whether Hiddleston has a future in the MCU. His character is perhaps as beloved as ever. And the Disney+ series gives him the chance to run amok without tying as closely into the ongoing story of Phase 4 of the MCU. But there’s no other announced plans for Loki.

The character will seemingly be absent from the forthcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. And perhaps that’s for the best, as he’s been a focal point of all three previous movies in that series. Then again, there’s always the chance Loki Season 2 could happen. More than likely, Marvel Studios is waiting to see how fans react before moving forward.

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