Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Loki Season 2 Episode 5.
Lokihas been, up until now, the only Disney+ live-action TV show to be granted a sophomore season. This can perhaps be explained with the appeal generated through its focus onTom Hiddleston’s titular character. Out of the wide variety of series that have been launched as part of Phase Four and Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,Lokitruly gives its protagonist the spotlight without letting the wider universe get in the way. Sure, the show is tackling the multiverse and introducingJonathan Majors’sKang variantsas part of the background needed for the saga’s big bad, butthe adopted Asgardian god never loses prominence. Whenever the focus shifts away from Loki, it’s done to flesh out the series’ original characters instead of trying to tackle anything or anyone else that has to do with the wider MCU. Now that Marvel isslowing down with its content output, takingLokias an example of what works should be their primary focus.
Loki, the God of Mischief, steps out of his brother’s shadow to embark on an adventure that takes place after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”
This Version of Loki Is a Fresh Take on the Asgardian God
For threeThormovies and twoAvengersfilms, Hiddleston fleshed out theSacred Timeline’s Loki, throughone of the fullest character arcsa villain-turned-anti-hero has had in the MCU. The bad news: Loki was always destined to lose and end up dying at the hands ofJosh Brolin’s Thanos. The good news: Loki always finds a way.Loki’s version of the trickster god is one that’s able to fool destiny, escaping his arrest after the Battle of New York, and living to see another day.The first season of the showputs him in a spot in which he needs to learn to mend his ways and help out the Time Variance Authority in keeping the order of the grander scheme of things. This makes Loki slowly discover a side of him that cares about other people and has the ability to love.
After witnessing what liesbeyond the end of time and being sent back by Sylvie(Sophia Di Martino) to the TVA, Loki experiments a physical instability that makes him jump back and forth involuntarily through time, a.k.a.time-slipping. At first a liability, this condition allows Loki to track his friends through several branched timelinesafter the Temporal Loom implodes. This also allows Loki to realize he can take advantage of time-slipping, moving voluntarily back and forth within his timeline, probably being the key to saving everyone. With this newly-discovered power, it’s very possibleLoki has just been turned into theMCU’s most powerful character. It sounds familiar, as we just saw this move applied toEmilia Clarke’s G’iahin this year’sSecret Invasion. The difference is Loki’s ascent to power is earned and makes sense within the narrative of the show’s focus: Loki himself.
‘Loki’ Introduces New Characters and Fleshes Them Out
Whenever the focus ofLokiis taken away from its protagonist, it’s to shine a light on its supporting characters, letting the audience get to know and care about them. Take DiMartino’s Sylvie, a female Loki variant who was taken away by the TVA and found a way to survive her pruning by hiding in apocalypses. Getting to know her struggles and her longing for a life of her own makes us root for her. Even her romance with Loki, which is basically a Loki falling for a Loki, makes us swoon over them and want them to fixtheir very notable differences. Comparing Sylvie to anti-hero John Walker, a.k.a.Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent fromThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, proves you need to explore what your character’s redeeming qualities are, before achieving redemption.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Ravonna Renslayer is currently going in an exquisite downward spiral that’s turning her into an antagonist to watch out for. Embarking on a journey of her own to uncover the TVA’s truth, she’s uncovered secrets that have been fueling her rage.Loki’s short sophomore season has given her enough to warrant what she’ll do next, contrary to other Marvel TV show villains, likeEmily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter in her Power Broker persona. The reveal of her ruling Madripoor wasn’t explored and only seemed to be used for shock value inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier. If your characters are going to become villains, enough motivations should be given to make it at least, if not plausible, appealing to the audience.
Other Marvel Disney+ Shows Should Take Note of ‘Loki’s Formula
Even though Loki as a character originated fromThor, it never tried to be a setup forThor: Love and Thunder, contrary to what we saw inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Perhaps it was a bit more infuriating, as thesetups introduced in the series, up to now, have led to nowhere. While the show is a very satisfying meta experience, something got in the way of its storytelling – particularly, everything involving the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). It’s like okay, we get it, they’re related. But why truncate Jennifer’s (Tatiana Maslany) story by forcefully including the out-of-nowhere Sakaarian spaceship in her origin, plus the last-minute introduction of Hulk’s son, Skaar (Wil Deusner) as if it had any relevance on her journey? These inclusions, while pushing forward the wider universe, undermine the main character’s arc.
This doesn’t mean all shows should follow Loki’s route. TakeHawkeye, for instance. It spread its focus betweenJeremy Renner’s archer hero andHailee Steinfeldas his successor. This could’ve been enough, but the show also got busy with introducing Echo (Alaqua Cox) toset up her upcoming series, as well as incorporatingVincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin – from theDaredevilNetflix series – fully into the MCU. While the result was great,the execution showed that Marvel is more concerned with making the universe bigger, instead of personal.
WhileLokiis a multiversal adventure, that doesn’t mean it has gratuitous cameos just for the sake of fan service. Wild theories have run amok sinceWandaVisionand the unleashing of the multiverse upon the MCU that could’ve harmed the show’s storytelling. Marvel’s specialty lies in interconnectivity, but some of its latest experiments are showing that it’s getting a bit out of hand,particularly in the Disney+ TV shows. It’s ironic (and beneficial) how a show about an agency dedicated to keep the MCU in order deals very little with the MCU itself. With a creative overhaul in its midst, Marvel can only benefit from replicatingLoki’s formula. Hopefully the show’s lesson will be learned for future projects, and they finally let their titular characters shine.
Lokiwill wrap up its second season on November 9.
