Loki Season 2's Big Thor Change Came 1 Year Too Late For The MCU

Loki season 2 made one significant change to Thor’s MCU backstory, though this change came a year later than when it could have been best utilized.

Loki season 2 made one huge change to Thor’s MCU backstory that could have been used better a year earlier. Since Loki was placed on a second redemption arc in his own Disney+ show, many have been wondering about a Thor-Loki MCU reunion. This was one of the elements that many wished to take place in the MCU’s future, especially given the now-heroic nature of Loki and how proud his brother would be of him. However, Loki season 2’s ending somewhat removed this possibility by giving Loki a lonely new position as the guardian of the multiversal Yggdrasil.

Despite the reduced possibility of Loki and Thor reuniting in the MCU now, the former’s Disney+ show still included several Easter eggs to the God of Thunder. One of these Thor Easter eggs was found in Loki season 2, episode 3. This reference confirmed a major change to Thor’s MCU past, one that could have been utilized a year earlier to provide Thor: Love and Thunder with some much-needed depth.

Loki Season 2’s Thor Change Would’ve Been Majorly Helpful For Thor 4

The retcon in question regarding Thor’s past was the revelation that he was known on Earth before 2011. Loki season 2, episode 3 showed the titular character and his trust ally Mobius finding statues of Odin, Thor, and Balder. This part of the MCU timeline was set hundreds of years before 2011’s Thor, proving the character was deified on Earth before his own film. Interestingly, this Thor change could have been utilized in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Pre-MCU, Thor was a much more warmongering character which would have made for an interesting character dynamic in a solo movie. Not only would this storyline have allowed Thor 4 to explore a darker, morally gray aspect of the character, but it could have been used to tie him closer to the film’s villain: Gorr the God Butcher. It could have been revealed that Thor’s war-filled past affected Gorr, thus spurring the latter into a vengeful rage against the gods. This would have simultaneously improved both Thor and Gorr as characters, tied the two closer together for a more meaningful villain-hero relationship, and highlighted Thor’s growth in the MCU.

Why Thor 4 Avoided Its Strongest Storyline

Despite this potential storyline being incredibly strong in theory, there are reasons why Thor: Love and Thunder did not utilize it. The more meta reason is that Thor’s past was not revealed until a year later with Loki season 2. However, in terms of the film itself, it is clear that Thor 4 was a more light-hearted film which this potentially dark storyline would not have reflected.

Furthermore, focusing on Thor’s past before the MCU may have been redundant. Much of the character’s MCU journey has been about Thor overcoming his past issues, with his development in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame solidifying this beyond doubt. As such, revisiting aspects of Thor’s life before this change would feel unnecessary, explaining why Loki season 2’s biggest Thor change was not utilized a year earlier in Thor: Love and Thunder.