With the release of Loki’s Disney+ series fans are already anticipating where the show could possibly go.
Loki, the Disney+ series, has finally arrived and the trickster god is already creating chaos around. Marvel comics and the MCU fans have been eagerly waiting for 2021 just for Loki, the God of Mischief, to have a story solely centered on him. The chaotic and most loved character has always been seen in a supporting role up until now and most notably has always been an antagonist or an uneasy ally to the heroes.
In his eponymous series, a version of Loki from earlier in the MCU timeline escapes and becomes the protagonist of his own story. Loki being the highly anticipated show has made the expectations of fans way high. There are many things fans have wanted to see from Lo ki, and the MCU, for quite some time, and things that hint at big changes in the MCU going forward.
- Owen Wilson
The MCU has always been great at casting and thinking outside the box when it comes to traditional casting. Jeff Goldblum, Kurt Russell, and Kathryn Hahn are just a few examples of actors one might not immediately imagine when thinking of MCU stars, but they all delivered the roles perfectly as they were given. Comedy superstar Owen Wilson can now be added to that list.
Owen Wilson plays the role of TVA agent Mr. Mobius M. Mobius, faithful to the source by keeping that tell-tale mustache. But Mobius is more than just a comic character. His role as Mobius M. Mobius in Lo ki looks like pitch-perfect casting and from clips and trailers and he seems to have lots of chemistry with Tom Hiddleston. His involvement and seemingly perfect performance have fans excited to see more.
- The TVA
The Time Variance Authority was introduced by Walt Simonson in Thor#372 in 1986 but wasn’t fully figured out as a concept until afterward. The TVA, or Time Variance Authority, is a new organization being introduced in Lo ki but has been in the comics for decades. They exist outside the known bounds of space and time to protect and preserve the timelines in the comics, whereas audiences are mainly only aware of one main timeline in the MCU.
The Time Variance Authority is a bureaucratic organization overseen by a mysterious trio called The Timekeepers that exists to protect the sacred timeline, that is, the predetermined chain of events for everyone in existence. These TVA officials have been tasked to maintain the sacred timeline which merges the multiverse. Anyone who veers off this timeline is called a Variant.
The TVA looks like it is being portrayed accurately and faithfully in the comics while also making it a district entity for this series. The bureaucratic and office-like setting combined with sci-fi elements calls to mind The Umbrella Academy and there is no doubt Loki will be just as popular as the hit Netflix show.
- Judge Renslayer
Gugu Mbatha-Raw portrays Ravonna Renslayer in Loki, who is a high-ranking judge in the TVA. Created by the Time-Keepers, Renslayer decides the punishments given to beings who break or split the “Sacred Timeline”, as she did when a variant of Loki was brought before her for trial.
Mbatha-Raw is an extremely talented actress who fans will remember from her breakout role in the “San Junipero” episode of Black Mirror but has yet to truly crossover into the mainstream.
This role has the potential to be her biggest shot yet, and based on the comics, has a lot of material for her to play with. She is also the lover of Kang the Conqueror who is rumored to be teased in this series as well. A role worthy of Mbatha-Raw’s talents and big MCU connections make this character one to watch.
- Wunmi Mosaku
The Nigerian-British actress, Wunmi Mosaku, who fans are familiar with from her outstanding performance on HBO’s Lovecraft Country. In the horror series, Mosaku portrayed Ruby Baptiste, a Black woman living in 1950’s Chicago. Her character dealt with issues of race, not to mention the occult and supernatural horrors that permeate the series.
Mosaku’s performance was a knockout and cemented her as a talent to watch, so her involvement in Loki, as Hunter B-15, in any capacity is a win for the show and fans are eager to see what she brings to the series.
Wunmi Mosaku is also seen portraying Kahina Ziri in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This makes her one of the few actresses to date to have appeared in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe.
- MCU Ramification
Marvel aims for Loki to have “wide-reaching ramifications across the MCU”, according to series writer Michael Waldron.
“That would just be crazy conjecture,” said Waldron. “All of these stories, in their own way, are interconnected, and have ramifications. I think that certainly our aim with the Loki series was for it to have wide-reaching ramifications across the MCU moving forward. So, you know, was I having to clean up some of the messes that I made [with Loki]? Maybe so.”
Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, has also stated that Loki is the MCU Disney+ show with the most ramifications going forward, which delighted many fans. Shows like WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier were hits with audiences and critics alike.
Unlike something such as “WandaVision,” it’s way more obvious how “Loki” will impact the greater MCU.
- Kid Loki
For a while now, we have been speculating that the upcoming Loki show on Disney+ will feature alternate versions of the titular character. With Tom Hiddleston back in the role, there’s also been significant evidence that some of the other actors tied to the project will be playing different versions or let’s say variants of everyone’s favorite trickster from across the multiverse.
It has also been heavily rumored that Kid Loki might appear in the series. As Loki’s different versions many actors are said to be attached to the project like Richard E. Grant and Sophie Di Martino playing Lady Loki. Now we have another piece of evidence from Instagram that suggests Kid Loki will be coming to the series, played by newcomer Jack Anthony Veal.
In the comics, Kid Loki is a version of Loki that was reborn after the real Loki sacrificed himself to try and save Asgard.
- Kang The Conqueror References
There’s been a big question among the MCU’s fanbase ever since Avengers: Endgame hit theaters about who could possibly be the next Thanos—a major villain teased over several projects before eventually reaching an epic showdown. One big villain we know for sure is coming—the time-traveling Kang the Conqueror—was just introduced in the first episode of Disney+’s Loki, without so much as even his name being uttered.
Another Lovecraft Country alumni to join the MCU is that series’ star, Johnathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. He is not confirmed to appear in Loki, but there are many hints that he will at least be referenced in the series. Not only is Judge Renslayer a huge hint, but Loki is all about timelines and time travel, which is Kang’s specialty.
If you look at the Timekeepers—the one in the center is clearly Kang, and the animated face even looks a bit like Majors, as opposed to one of the many artist renderings from his various Marvel Comic depictions. A villain from the future, Kang travels to different timelines and dimensions to conquer and alter them, while different versions of him appear throughout various timelines, such as Iron Lad who is an original member of the Young Avengers. These clues are anticipated easter eggs in Loki and will no doubt pay off in the future of the MCU.
- More Time Travel
Time Travel, in MCU, has really been utilised in its full potential since the 2019’s Avengers:Endgame, where the heroes travel to fan-favorite and pivotal moments in MCU history, in order to change their present. This provided a plethora of great moments with characters like Thor, Nebula, and Tony Stark, and provided the setup for Loki itself. In Loki it is obvious that with use of time travel anything, anytime and anywhere is possible. Even the real historical events like the eruption of Vesuvius seem to play into the series and seeing how they blend world history with comic book sci-fi fantasy will be a blast.
- Lady Loki
Lady Loki has been a fan-favorite character ever since she debuted in the comics, and it is not hard to see why. Lady Loki is one of the most notable of Loki’s forms and whose gender fluidity has become a crucial aspect of the character’s canon. This female version of the trickster is just as charming, snake-tongued, and gorgeous as one would expect. Lady Loki should come as no surprise to fans of the MCU or even Norse mythology, as Loki is a shapeshifter known to take on many forms.
Recently on social media, Marvel released a promotional image for Loki stating his gender as fluid, prompting many fans to take this as confirmation Lady Loki was all but confirmed to appear in the series. As confirmed in Episode 2, Lady Loki is played by the actress Sophia Di Martino.
- More Mischievous Loki
Throughout his arc in the MCU, Loki went from a conniving, backstabbing villain to a loving, selfless brother, with a few stops at “anti-hero” along the way. But seeing as how the show’s version of Loki is plucked from the events directly after the epic climactic battle in 2012’s The Avengers, he is still very much still in a deceitful, duplicitous state of being, which fans love.
The unpredictability of his character is part of the appeal and makes watching the films he is featured in even more engaging. We never know what variant he portrays or what he’ll do next, who he’ll help or betray, what cause he’ll join for his own self-serving purposes is all part of the fun of Loki. It is this one character fans can never miss watching on screen.
