After six pulse-pounding episodes, Loki concluded its first season, which saw the God of Mischief and Sylvie encounter the mastermind behind the TVA, the Time-Keepers, and the multiverse. However, despite encountering the man responsible, and Sylvie killing him, "He Who Remains" leaves Loki and Sylvie at odds with each other, and potentially starting another multiverse war.
The season finale of Loki is reminiscent of David Fincher's Se7en, where Detectives Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and Mills (Brad Pitt) find "John Doe," the killer behind the murders involving the seven deadly sins. However, the detectives are left in opposition and despair when Mills ends up killing John after the killer reveals that he murdered Mills' wife, leaving Mills in sadness and depression. Both Loki and Se7en each show that while the main villain is revealed and killed, division and consequences are left for the main protagonists.
Up until the final episode, Loki and Sylvie were starting to warm up to each other, despite their initial fights and suspicions, and Sylvie appearing to be evil and untrustworthy. Both even appear to love one another due to their common similarities and intimate chemistry, as well as their will to survive and redeem their lives in the timeline. However, once they confront “He Who Remains,” the divisiveness between Loki and Sylvie reignites.
“He Who Remains” is truly a piece of work, a combination of the Joker (due to the charisma and laughter) and Zemo from Captain America: Civil War (the ability to divide the lead characters). Most of all, the complex villain is similar to the killer John Doe from Se7en because he is able to calculate every move made by the protagonists who are pursuing him, and always remains one step ahead of the game.
There’s a moment in Se7en when John tells Detectives Mills and Somerset that they should thank him and that they would’ve never found him if he didn’t turn himself into the police. “He Who Remains” also explains to Loki and Sylvie that he already knew who they were, their histories, the sins they’ve committed, and what their path would be, in order to let them find him. Just like John Doe, Loki’s villain had a big plan to bring the primary characters together in order to set them up for failure and uncertainty.
Mills and Somerset don’t fight each other physically like Loki and Sylvie do initially, but the detectives in Fincher’s thriller have arguments and disagreements throughout their partnership concerning how they do police work, and what they can do to find the killer. Despite this, their partnership grows because both are adamant about finding the culprit and bringing him to justice. Loki and Sylvie also had different viewpoints (especially concerning the TVA) until Sylvie explained to Loki how everyone in the TVA had been compromised and are variants. However, once they came to an understanding, Loki and Sylvie worked together to encounter the person responsible for corrupting the TVA and the timeline.
Both villains manage to make the heroes in their stories seem weak and vulnerable. Loki, who was a villain most of the time in the MCU, has made a complete shift in his own series to become a wise hero trying to do the right thing not only for himself, but for the universe, and the new friends he’s made in Sylvie and Mobius. Loki is similar to Somerset from Se7en in the sense that he’s an everyman who’s seen it all, and has endured some of humanity’s most dangerous threats. While Loki does all he can to convince Sylvie not to kill “He Who Remains,” it’s Sylvie’s craving for vengeance (like Mills’ wrath towards John Doe for his wife’s murder) that clouds her judgment, not thinking about the consequences of starting another multiverse war, and causing the timeline to badly malfunction.
“John Doe” and “He Who Remains” are not only men with mysterious identities, but also methodical villains who aren’t afraid of dying because they each know that their calculated plans will succeed and lead to chaos and disorder. John Doe’s death signifies that the seven deadly sins are real and can affect any human being because everyone, good or bad, makes mistakes in life. “He Who Remains” also believes that people’s choices and actions cause conflict, leading to their demise. Each villain is convinced that his actions are justified because their worlds are filled with corruption, and their plans are formed in order to balance the globe (similar to Thanos's snap).
While the results of John Doe's death are not spelled out in the film's finale, Somerset says that he'll be around to provide Mills with whatever he needs. While there's no sequel to Se7en anytime soon, the film does provide a sliver of hope in the end that Mills will have guidance from Somerset amidst all the trauma. The first season of Loki ends on a cliffhanger, with the TVA and the timeline left in shambles after Sylvie killed "He Who Remains." However, since there will be a second season, fans can count on Loki and his newfound purpose to make things right and perhaps help both Sylvie and the TVA recover from an inevitable multiverse war.
Loki is available on Disney Plus.