Where to watch Loki is simple to answer: both seasons stream on Disney Plus in the US. Start it after Avengers: Endgame, because the series opens with a moment from that film and follows the version of Loki who escapes with the Tesseract. It is essential for the Multiverse Saga, since it sets up the TVA, branching timelines and the threat of Kang.
Loki is a Disney Plus original, and in the US all 12 episodes across its two seasons are on the service. That also covers the films around it, from Endgame to the later multiverse stories, so a full run needs only one subscription. If you are outside the US, the watch box on this page shows availability in your country.
Avengers: Endgame is the one requirement. During its time-travel heist, the team revisits the Battle of New York, and in the chaos a captured Loki gets his hands on the Tesseract and vanishes. The series starts the second he lands somewhere he did not expect.
The Loki you follow here is that earlier version of the character, the villain from The Avengers. He has not lived through the events of Thor: The Dark World or Thor: Ragnarok, which is part of the fun. If you have seen those films, you will notice how much ground he has to cover. If you have not, the show still works, because it treats him as a fresh start.
| Title | Why it helps | Needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Avengers: Endgame | The series starts from its heist | Yes |
| The Avengers | Introduces this version of Loki | Recommended |
| Thor films | Show the Loki he could have become | Optional |
Loki premiered in June 2021. Most of it takes place outside normal time, so its spot on a chronological list is a matter of choice. We place it after Endgame, with only the standalone series Helstrom in between, and before What If...?, the animated anthology about alternate realities, which makes a natural follow-up once the multiverse is open. Our Marvel Phase 4 in order guide shows the rest of that phase, and the Multiverse Saga in order page follows the thread through Phases 4 to 6.
The Time Variance Authority is a bureaucracy that exists outside time and polices a single approved timeline. Anyone who strays from that path is a "variant," and variants are erased. Loki, having broken the timeline in spectacular fashion, is arrested and brought before the TVA.
Instead of being deleted, he gets an offer from agent Mobius: help the TVA catch another variant who has been ambushing its soldiers across history. The show plays like a buddy-cop story in a retro office with endless paperwork, then grows into something much larger. The big idea is simple to hold onto: one timeline is protected, every branch is pruned, and someone is deciding which is which. Season 1 asks who that someone is.
The scene worth knowing about is easy to miss. Keep watching through the credits of season 1, episode 4, because a short scene there sets up the next episode and is easy to miss if autoplay jumps ahead. Turn autoplay off for that one, or simply let the credits run.
This is where the Multiverse Saga really starts. The series explains how branching timelines work in the MCU, introduces the TVA, and ends season 1 with the first appearance of a figure tied to Kang, who returns in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The multiverse cracked open by that finale is the backdrop for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the TVA later turns up again in Deadpool & Wolverine. It is one of the few series on our essential Marvel movies and shows list.
Tom Hiddleston returns as Loki. Sophia Di Martino plays Sylvie, the variant at the center of the TVA's manhunt. Owen Wilson is Mobius M. Mobius, a TVA analyst with a soft spot for jet skis. Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays Judge Ravonna Renslayer, Wunmi Mosaku is the hard-nosed Hunter B-15, and Eugene Cordero plays Casey, the friendly TVA clerk who never seems to leave his desk. Michael Waldron created the series.
There are 2 seasons and 12 episodes, about 50 minutes each, so the whole show takes around 10 hours. Watch them back to back if you can. Season 2 picks up right where the first one ends, with no time skip, so a long gap only makes the opening episodes harder to follow. If you need a break, take it before season 1 rather than in the middle.
In the US, both seasons of Loki stream on Disney Plus. There are 12 episodes in total, about 10 hours of viewing, and the watch box on this page lists options in other countries.
Avengers: Endgame is essential, because the series continues from a scene in that film. The Avengers also helps, since the Loki in the series is the version from that movie. Thor: Ragnarok is useful for comparison but not required.
No. The Loki in this series is the version from The Avengers, so he has not lived through the later Thor films. Seeing them adds context and contrast, but the show explains everything it needs.
Yes, at least one that matters. Season 1, episode 4 has a short scene after its credits that leads into the next episode, so let the credits play before moving on.
The Time Variance Authority is an organization outside time that protects one approved timeline and removes anyone who strays from it. Loki is captured by the TVA at the start of the series and then recruited to help it.
Yes. Season 2 begins right where season 1 ends, without a time jump. Watching them close together makes the opening of season 2 much easier to follow.
The TVA exists outside normal time, so there is no exact date. We place it after Avengers: Endgame, since it starts from Endgame's time-travel heist, and before What If...? Only the standalone series Helstrom sits between Endgame and Loki on our list.
Yes. It introduces the TVA, explains branching timelines and sets up Kang, which matters for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and the wider Multiverse Saga.
Yes. In season 1, Sylvie asks whether Loki's past partners were princesses or princes, and he answers that it was a bit of both, confirming he is bisexual. It is a brief moment, but an important one for the character.
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