Loki has been a hit for Marvel Studios, and to declare it their best series yet wouldn't be an exaggeration. It's also unquestionably one of the greatest stories ever told in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the recent announcemnet that we're getting a season two might be the best news of 2021.
Now, we're going to rank each instalment of the series from worst to best (just as we did for WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier - find those here and here).
All six episodes of Loki were fantastic, so don't take "worst" too literally here! However, one of them had to finish last, and we're sure you'll soon understand why we've ranked them this way.
To check out this ranking of Loki's first season, all you guys need to do is hit the "Next" button below!
6. Lamentis
As a proper introduction to Sylvie, "Lamentis" worked really well and quickly established a fun, meaningful dynamic between her and the God of Mischief.
The reveal that Loki is bisexual was a big step forward for the MCU in terms of portraying its characters in a way that reflects the world we live in today, while the action-packed final battle was a blast. However, there were times when this felt a little too much like low-budget sci-fi, and the journey to the train (and the trip on it for that matter) didn't feel up to the usual level of quality from this shared world.
Honestly, this episode felt too short and simply didn't have enough time to fully explore the ideas it presented. Loki seemingly gets drunk and acts like a fool for the sake of it, but would it not have landed harder if he'd done so because he was mourning the life he lost? On the plus side, we definitely got to see Sophia Di Martino shine!
5. The Variant
Building on the ideas from the first episode, "The Variant" familiarised us with the role of the Time Variance Authority in the MCU and did a fantastic job of building on Loki's budding friendship with Mobius.
Given how the episode ended, it's a testament to Loki that the series was able to make us care about these two so quickly and we'd have honestly been happy with six instalments of the God of Mischief just helping Mobius solve problems on the timeline. However, it was our trip to the future that delivered some of this episode's best moments.
The "Female Loki" reveal was one we expected after seeing those set photos, but it was still a great reveal that kept us guessing all week. We're a little disappointed that Sylvie's attack on the Sacred Timeline didn't have larger ramifications (not touching oh that hurt "Lamentis"), but this was a great episode of television.
4. Glorious Purpose
The show's premiere wasted no time in having Loki get pulled from the timeline by the TVA, and as he discovered more about this weird organisation, so did we. That alone helped make this episode compelling viewing, but the real meat of "Glorious Purpose" was when the God of Mischief was interrogated by Mobius.
Yes, there was a lot of exposition, but this deep dive into what makes Loki tick added new depths to the character and why, up until this point in his MCU history, he'd done the things he had.
Bringing him up to speed with everything that happened after the Battle of New York was smart as it essentially gave this Loki the same redemption arc as his predecessor, which was a relief when this was so important to the character's journey. That last-minute reveal that he'd been enlisted to bring in another Loki for the TVA was also a superb tease for what would come next.
3. Journey Into Mystery
Some of you might be unhappy to see "Journey Into Mystery" not land the top spot, but as much as we loved this episode (and it was bloody brilliant), it didn't quite have the same impact as the next two on this list.
In terms of fan-pleasing moments, however, everything from Kid Loki's debut to the hilarity that surrounded Alligator Loki's place in the MCU was appreciated, while Richard E. Grant absolutely nailed it as the "Classic Loki" (his "Glorious Purpose!" moment was nothing short of perfect). This was a bonkers 45 minutes of television, and the MCU is definitely all the better for it.
We can't help but wish we'd seen a little more of President Loki after how heavily he factored into the marketing, but everything from Loki's emotional reunion with Mobius to the way he managed to team up with Sylvie to defeat Alioth really struck a chord with us.
2. For All Time. Always.
Let's face it, things could have gone horribly wrong for Loki in its finale. Had another Loki Variant been revealed as the show's big bad - or Miss Minutes, for that matter - "For All Time. Always." could have been a real disappointment. Thankfully, that wasn't the case, and this episode tied things up in a way that left us both satisfied and desperate for more.
Jonathan Majors' debut as Kang the Conqueror (well, one of him) was nothing short of perfection. While we had high hopes for the actor in the MCU, this episode proved he has what it takes to go from charming to terrifying and utterly mad in a matter of seconds. All of those qualities are a must for Kang, and where his story goes next is sure to be a lot of fun.
Tom Hiddleston and Di Martino were also on top form, and a terrific cliffhanger has left Loki in an exciting new place. Literally. Simply put, this is the best finale Marvel Studios has delivered thus far.
1. The Nexus Event
Some of you might be surprised to see "The Nexus Event" take the top spot, but the writing (courtesy of Eric Martin) was so strong here that we think it's entirely deserving.
That moment between Loki and Sylvie on Lamentis-1 felt huge, but it was another hard-hitting exchange between the God of Mischief and Mobius that saw The Avengers villain take a big step forward in terms of character progression, perfectly setting the stage for the final two chapters. However, there was a lot that shocked us too, with the Time-Keepers reveal at the top of the list!
Learning that they were just mindless androids definitely wasn't among our predictions, and the fact that this followed Mobius' apparent death left us feeling a whole range of emotions. Of course, the biggest surprise came when Loki himself was pruned, and that set the stage for one helluva mid-credits scene.