I’m not sure where the idea came from the stakes can only come from significant and final deaths
Breaking Bad the stakes were about whether or not WW could hold his family together
Similar with The Sopranos (or even something like Ozark)
this season Loki was confronted with his ineptitude (essentially) and he summoned the strength to change
His reward was to get double crossed by himself- WAY more fascinating than ‘did Mobius die?’