Loki cancelled: New Marvel update reveals that Loki season 3 is unlikely

The God of Mischief is currently entertaining us all with his second Disney Plus season, but a new revelation suggests that Loki season 3 might not happen.

Loki has been a huge success for Marvel Studios and Disney Plus. The show premiered as the third of the Marvel Cinematic Universe shows produced for the streamer and it proved to be a ratings hit in that new Wednesday morning timeslot, becoming the MCU’s most successful original show.

It made history soon afterwards, being the first live-action MCU series on Disney Plus to get renewed for a second season, with the announcement coming in the midst of its season finale’s end credits. That second season has premiered on the streamer two years after its predecessor, and it’s already getting rave reviews from critics, with some believing it to be one of the MCU’s best ever projects.

While it seems like a third season should be on the horizon due to season 2’s success, a new update suggests that season 3 may have never been on the cards, as Marvel have reportedly envisioned it as a two-part story from the beginning.

Loki is a two-part story for Marvel

Loki‘s future could be in doubt as it sounds like the show was never meant to continue past its second season.

In a recent interview with Arabic Marvel (which was translated to English by The Cosmic Circus), Moon Knight director and executive producer Mohamed Diab discussed that show’s future, revealing that Marvel had determined “from the first day” that Moon Knight would have one six-episode season as almost all of its projects are six episodes in length. He also references that exceptions are made for special projects such as Loki, adding that it’s the only show the studio “said will be in two parts from the first day”. You can read the full quotation here:

"“Marvel had determined it from the first day. Marvel’s series projects are all six episodes except for special projects like ‘WandaVision.’ The usual format is six episodes. ‘Loki’ is the only series they said will be in two parts from the first day.”"

The idea of Marvel making a decision on the amount of seasons they are planning for each show before greenlighting them makes sense given that each project has to fit into the wider scope of the MCU. This also lines up with the fact that the studio had quietly renewed Loki for a second season before the season 1 finale aired. So, taking that into account, this implies that Loki was always intended to be a two-chapter story, suggesting that season 2 could indeed be its last.

Furthermore, it’s worth remembering that Loki producer Kevin Wright discussed the potential of the God of Mischief reuniting with his brother Thor on the show, revealing that it has always been the “goal of these two seasons” to get him to a place where that would be possible. And if we’re talking about completing Loki’s redemption by the end of season 2, there might not be a need for a third season, especially with its central villain getting introduced into the wider MCU as the primary villain of The Multiverse Saga.

Is there still hope for Loki season 3?

While Marvel Studios has seemingly stood by its original plans with all of its miniseries thus far, only choosing to continue those it deems capable of producing a second season worthy of its premise, all hope is not lost for those hoping for a third season of Loki.

The only other Marvel Studios show to continue on past its first season thus far has been animated series What If…? which, like Loki it seems, was commissioned for two seasons from the get-go. However, What If…? has since been renewed for a third season. So not all original plans are final.

Furthermore, Marvel is in a state of flux right now, with the studio reportedly reshaping how it looks at television after the mixed response to its various Disney Plus projects, as it now plans on moving away from miniseries and shifting towards serialized multi-season TV shows. There would be no better place to begin than with Loki, which is the only live-action show they have so far that fits their new planned direction.

If Loki season 2 really is envisioned as the end of the series, it would be right to let it end there. However, the success of the multi-season format has already worked on it, and its popularity speaks for itself, so it’s safe to say that if it’s going to become the blueprint for the next chapter of Marvel TV, it might as well be there to lead it and see how it all turns out.

Irrespective of whether the studio sticks to its original two-season plan or renews it for a third season, it’s highly likely that we’ll see the God of Mischief in the MCU once again given the importance of his own story, Kang the Conqueror’s arrival, and the multiverse itself.