WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the Season 1 finale of Loki, "For All Time. Always.," streaming now on Disney+.
The God of Mischief's journey in Loki is one of the strangest adventures to date in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From its beginning in the Time Variance Authority to its conclusion, where Loki (Tom Hiddleston) sees reality alter right before his eyes, the show proves that after six episodes, it's still got more surprises up its sleeves. But one of the most interesting aspects of the season is how much Loki's story parallels the God of Thunder's adventure in Thor: Ragnarok.
From the beginning of Loki, the parallels between the Trickster God and his brother are evident. Ragnarok sees Thor land on Sakaar and, after trying to convince potential threats of who he is, he's immediately humiliated and taken into slavery. Loki experiences something similar when the TVA greets him. He tries to explain his glorious purpose, only to be equally humiliated and incarcerated. While locked up, Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) tells Loki how time works differently in the TVA, the same way the Grandmaster tells Thor that time works differently on Sakaar.
While far more serious and stoic, Judge Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) carries a title akin to the Grandmaster, as two beings who have authority over an entire society and use their power and knowledge as they please. They also each carry their own versions of a melting stick; the Grandmaster's is more literal, while Renslayer's sends variants to the Void. The parallels also continue after Loki, much like Thor, tries to play ball with his respective higher power, then decides escape is a better option.
In Ragnarok, Thor intends to save Asgard by escaping and starting his own team, called the Revengers, consisting of Valkyrie, Loki, Hulk and eventually Korg and the other warriors. Loki tries to do something similar in his show, with the intent of ruling over and eventually destroying the TVA following his escape. The team consists of Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) acting as Valkyrie due to her totally justified aggression, Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) with the strength of Hulk and intelligence of Banner and the always optimistic Mobius as his Korg. Together, they all assist Loki's journey in one way or another until he reaches the series' true antagonist.
In Thor: Ragnarok, Hela intends to rule over Asgard and the other eight realms with an undead army and her massive wolf, Fenris. Meanwhile, Loki also features a villain with an obsession over control in He Who Remains (Johnathan Majors). In the series, he creates the TVA to maintain the Sacred Timeline, acting as its ruler. Like Ragnarok, the heroes fight their way to him and even face off with his own version of Fenris, a destructive gaseous creature known as Alioth. While the story shows signs of ending with Loki victorious, it takes a unique turn that mirrors Thor's own change of heart in Ragnarok.
In the finale of Ragnarok, Thor decides that the destruction of Asgard is the only way to save his people. While it's the right choice, it goes against everything he represents as a hero, as his hammer serves as a tool to build instead of a weapon of destruction. Conversely, Loki thinks the TVA needs to be destroyed until he realizes its existence means sparing the timeline from all-out war. Now, a being known to create chaos is choosing stability for the greater good. In this way, Loki acts a dark parallel to Thor: Ragnarok, showing how similar the two brothers' stories are. But it also shows how their lives with one another help inform their decisions at the most crucial times.
Loki Season 1 is available to stream in full on Disney+. A second season is currently in development.
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