Loki Season 2 Finale: What Is Yggdrasil, the World Tree?

Loki season 2 spoilers follow! Marvel Studios didn’t shy away from Yggdrasil, the World tree when it came to their Norse character’s dense world at all. Not only did this pilar of actual Norse mythology make it into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was  referenced in 2011’s Thor and then again in Captain America: The First Avenger. Yggdrasil the World Tree would even go on to become a key piece of Thor: The Dark World‘s plot, and now with the Loki season 2 finale Marvel Studios has changed what the Yggdrasil the World Tree even means at all.

Yggdrasil as seen in the credits for Thor (2011)

Yggdrasil, the World Tree Explained

In short, Yggdrasil is how the Norse mythology in Marvel explains how the Nine Realms work together, connecting all of life but also both life and death. Thor: The Dark World confirmed that the nine realms are essentially stacked on top of each other in space time, like the branches of a tree going up or down. Among the nine realms that appear include:

• Yggdrasil are Asgard (home of the gods) – as seen in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Endgame, and more
• Midgard (Earth) – As seen in…every MCU Movie…
• Jotunheim (home of the frost giants) – As seen in Thor
• Svartalfheim (home of the dark elves) – As seen in Thor: The Dark World
• Vanaheim (home of the Vanir) – As seen in Thor: The Dark World
• Nidavellir (home of the Dwarves) – As seen in Avengers: Infinity War
• Niflheim  – Unseen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
• Muspelheim (Home of Surtur and the fire demons) As seen in Thor: Ragnarok
• Alfheim (home of the Light Elves) – Unseen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Norse Mythology speaks about the nine realms (essentially revealed to be different planets in the larger context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe) as being on the Yggdrasil as a way to explain their relationship to each other, but Loki season 2 takes it a step further and recontextualizes Yggdrasil in the MCU in a major way.

Loki season 2 Yggdrasil explained

At the end of Loki season 2, Loki has taken it upon himself to fix the sacred timeline and hold the entire Marvel Cinematic Multiverse in his hands. As a result, at the very center of the sacred timeline sits none other than Loki himself, now the God of stories and the very being that holds the entire timeline together. When Loki season 2 reveals this image however it pulls back, revealing that we’ve been looking at the sacred timeline and its branches as we know them entirely the wrong way. Instead of lines intersecting on their side, the camera tilts and reveals that the two sides of the sacred timeline (again, featuring Loki at the center of it all) is actually Yggdrasil, the World Tree.

Yggdrasil as seen in Loki season 2.

So how can this work for the entire multiverse too be made up of Yggdrasil while the 616 universe is ALSO made up of Yggdrasil. If anything, the World Tree being a structure of alignment for various realms shouldn’t be considered a thing for just one Universe. Think of the version of Yggdrasil that Loki is now seated inside of that, which holds the entire multiverse, as a house, and each timeline or universe is its own room. Each of these have their own version of Yggdrasil in a way (at least 616 does) since the Nine Realms in the 616 universe are basically just other planets. 

Loki season 2 has not only redefined what Yggdrasil, the World Tree means on the whole in its own mythology, but made the meaning even deeper by putting one of its key characters at the center of it all.

Marvel Studios fan-favorite Tom Hiddleston stars in Loki Season 2, returning as the titular God of Mischief for another round of time-traveling hijinx on Disney+. Loki is once again joined by Mobius (Owen Wilson) as the two attempt to keep the timelines intact. After the events of Season 1 saw his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) kill He Who Remains and unleash the wrath of Kang the Conqueror upon the Multiverse, Loki must once again embark on an adventure to keep reality from collapsing. Loki was last seen in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where he and Mobius were keeping tabs on one of Kang’s mysterious variants. Loki Season 2 will continue the story of the Multiverse Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.