It is safe to say that Marvel is far from its peak as it continues to produce blockbuster failures, like their most recent project, “The Marvels,” which has the lowest box office record in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). However, the release of “Loki” may be the ultimate contributor to the revival of Marvel. The first few episodes of “Loki” felt inconsequential to the overall universe and just an attempt for Marvel to make money off of the fan-favorite villain. However, it has been made evidently clear, especially through this second season, that this show is a vital setup for the rest of Phase Five of Marvel, as well as a beautiful end to our beloved anti-hero’s character arc.

The main reason many fans adore Loki is because he strays away from the typical villain archetype. Since his first appearance in the MCU, the God of Mischief’s egotistical nature was very apparent, but it masks his fear of being alone and amounting to nothing. Throughout his time in this universe, there are slivers of hope for Loki to finally do the right thing and actually succeed at it. The second season, and specifically the final episode, serves as proof that Loki can be the hero so many people wished for him.

Season two does an excellent job of providing fans with a satisfying, full-circle end for this iconic character. The name of the final episode, “Glorious Purpose,” alludes to Loki’s most iconic line. He introduces himself to Nick Fury in the first Avengers movie with the line “I am Loki, of Asgard and I am burdened with glorious purpose.” With such pompous sentiment, Loki believed for so long that he was meant for eternal glory and to be king. He carries on this sentiment in the first season, but it subsides as he builds meaningful connections with the people he meets throughout his journey in the time variance authority.

Loki’s selflessness reaches its full potential in this final episode, with Tom Hiddleston giving an impressive performance that diverges from the fun, mischievous Loki viewers were used to. In one scene, the writers cleverly go back to the first episode of the entire show, where Loki’s Time Variance Authority (TVA) sidekick, Mobius, tells him “most purpose is more burden than glory” — and episode six proves just that. The epic finale leaves viewers in awe as Loki takes control of the time branches in an effort to save his friends from pruning all in a visually pleasing way. In order to do this, Loki must spend his time as the new “King of Stories” alone, which is his biggest fear come true, but does so anyway.

Hiddleston’s acting is tear-jerking and heartwarming, especially when shown Loki’s expression as he fixes the multiverse which is a mixture of sadness as he leaves his friends, but relief that they are saved. Loki shows his full humanity which Hiddleston always subtly implied in all his performances for this character.

Hiddleston isn’t the only outstanding actor this season. Owen Wilson returns as Mobius, maintaining the wholesomeness and comic relief that so many viewers enjoyed from the first season. Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan plays a brand-new character, OB, who like Mobius provides yet another lovable appearance filled with laughs and fondness. Additionally, Jonathan Majors returns as He Who Remains, the ruler of the TVA and Victor Timely, a variant of the TVA ruler. Majors’ outstanding range makes it easy to forget that these two characters were played by the same actor. Both He Who Remains and Victor are charismatic and fun to watch as they are variants of one another. Majors’ ability to subtly instill fear in one performance and love in another is truly mesmerizing to watch.

The grand visuals and score of the show are not at all surprising coming from an MCU movie with a Disney budget. The smaller special effects are carefully done and realistic. Every time a time branch is pruned and the characters turn to spaghetti, the visuals do not look cheap and their bodies are seamlessly “spaghettified.” Marvel also does a great job presenting otherworldly scenes. The bridge that leads to the temporal loom is mystical and vibrant, reminiscent of other impressive effects that Marvel fans have seen in the past. The music accompanying these epic scenes is creative and well-chosen. The composer, Natalie Holt, uses inspiration from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s as the show travels back in time. For the final scene, she composed 17 versions of the song and the final product works perfectly alongside the visuals for a great ending to Loki’s character.

Although visually it is clear when Loki travels through time, whether it is through the clothing or the lighting in the scenes, it is difficult to distinguish when the time jumps are closer together. The season starts with Loki time jumping to a different version of the TVA and that is made clear when it is revealed that the workers do not know who Loki is. Later on, Loki and Mobius go back in time to track down Victor and it is easy to understand with the rustic and muted background. However, in the final episode, as Loki goes through his own version of “Groundhog Day,” it becomes hard to keep track of. The plethora of time jumps do add humor, hoping that this time Loki and his friends will succeed in saving the multiverse — but ultimately, becomes too much for one episode.

The most important and exciting part of season two is how it contributes to the overarching universe. The series explains and sets up the concept of a multiverse, which will be a major topic of conversation in this phase of the MCU. Additionally, it introduces the biggest villain since Thanos — Kang the Conqueror, also known as He Who Remains — but it only alludes to the scale of detriment that will ultimately befall Loki’s friends and all of the current superheroes in Marvel. Although there is an impending doom on its way to the TVA, at least our cherished Loki has met his glorious purpose.