Disney+ has become a massive success, thanks largely in part to its almost complete catalog
of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, as well as introductions of some fantastic original
series. Now, Tom Hiddleston is returning to the MCU as Loki, and here's everything we
know about his Disney+ series so far.
It's been almost two years since the announcement of the "Loki" series, which has dragged on
forever as we've awaited the highly anticipated project. For quite a while, it looked like
we'd be getting the series debut on June 11, in keeping with the tradition of launching
Disney+ series on Friday. In May of 2021, though, star Tom Hiddleston announced that
the six-episode series will actually debut June 9, making it the first Wednesday debut
on the streaming service.
"Wednesdays are the new Fridays."
For now, it doesn't look like Disney+ will be changing their episode drop times, so diehard
fans in the United States will have to continue to wake up early or stay up late for the 3
a.m. Eastern premieres. Regardless of the time, "Loki'' will be the show of the summer
for sure, and if its Disney+ predecessors are any indication, it should be a massive
hit for Marvel Studios.
Will there be a second season? Maybe. Deadline all but confirmed a "Loki" Season 2 when reporting
on producer Michael Waldron signing a new deal with Marvel Studios. Waldron is the executive
producer on "Loki" and will be penning the script for the "Star Wars" film that studio
head Kevin Feige is producing. He's also expected to return for Season 2 of the Disney+ series
as a part of his contract. This could also mean that initial reports of a 12-episode
"Loki" series were actually indicating 12 episodes total, spread out across two seasons.
Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore also seemed to confirm more Loki adventures, as he explained
in an interview with SlashFilm:
"I think there's a lot of storytelling in 'Loki' that's really irreverent and clever
and cool, but also lends itself to multiple seasons in a way where it's not a one-off."
In other words, while no one has straight-up officially said there will be a Loki "Season
2," it's looking very likely. And we can't wait to watch all six episodes to get a better
understanding of where the show could go.
A series about Loki just wouldn't work without Tom Hiddleston, so we're happy to report that
the charming actor will be reprising his role as the God of Mischief. But when it comes
to who'll be starring alongside him, there are some pretty stellar names on the cast
list, including one beloved comedy star.
Owen Wilson has been confirmed to be portraying Mobius M. Mobius, a manager in the Time Variance
Authority. In the comics, Mobius is a TVA bureaucrat in charge of taking care of time.
And if you disrupt the proper flow, he'll make sure to throw the book at you, even if
you're a member of a powerful superhero team or an Asgarian legend, as the case may be.
As for the series, from what we can tell by the trailer, Mobius appears to be a major
character in "Loki" who'll be working alongside the trickster god to fix the timelines he
interrupted when stealing the Tesseract.
Interestingly, this isn't the first time that Hiddleston and Wilson have acted alongside
each other... and in a project involving time travel, no less. The two stars appeared together
in 2011's "Midnight in Paris," which found Wilson as a modern-day tourist accidentally
stumbling into 1920s Paris, where he encounters Hiddleston's F. Scott Fitzgerald.
So who else is filling out the cast of "Loki?" Well, it looks like Gugu Mbatha-Raw will be
playing a powerful member of the Time Variance Authority known as Judge Renslayer. From the
trailers, we can tell she's obviously a force to be reckoned with, sitting behind a large,
imposing desk and looking down on Loki. And chances are good that Judge Renslayer is actually
Ravonna Renslayer, a character who hails from the 40th century and is romantically linked
with Kang the Conqueror, a character who'll be showing up in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania"
very soon..
"Loki" will also feature Erika Coleman as Florence Schaffner. If that name sounds familiar,
it's because Schaffner was a real-life flight attendant involved in the infamous D.B. Cooper
hijacking. And based on the trailers, it looks like ol' D.B. might actually be everybody's
favorite trickster god.
We also know that Wunmi Mosaku will be playing a heavily armored TVA officer, and we see
her escort Loki through a portal in one of the trailers. Mosaku will be joined by Sasha
Lane, who also seems to be playing an armored TVA agent who'll most likely be giving Loki
a hard time.
In March 2020, Variety reported that Richard E. Grant — most famous for his roles in
"Withnail & I," "Gosford Park," and "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" – was joining the cast
of "Loki." Grant's role is still being kept under wraps, but we know that he'll show up
in at least one episode. There were no obvious appearances of Grant in any of the "Loki"
trailers or sneak peeks, so we'll have to wait till the show debuts on June 11 to see
what his mysterious character is up to. However, some fans suspect he might be showing up as
an older version of the titular trickster god.
Sophia Di Martino has also been confirmed for "Loki," and the actress — known for
roles in "Yesterday" and "Into the Badlands" — is playing another mysterious role in
the MCU project. Some Redditors believe she's playing either a female version of Loki or
even the evil Asgardian sorceress known as Enchantress, but neither have been confirmed
at this time.
If you're wondering about the behind-the-scenes talent, Michael Waldron wrote all six episodes
of "Loki," and he also serves as an executive producer on the series. The show is directed
by Kate Herron, who will also serve as an executive producer alongside Kevin Feige and
Stephen Broussard.
Fans of the MCU should be super excited for this experienced creative team, and some of
the "Loki" actors are paying respect to those on the other side of the camera. Gugu Mbatha-Raw
praised Herron on her MCU directorial debut in an interview with The Big Ticket podcast,
saying:.
"I feel like even though you're dealing with this big universe, she still makes it feel
very intimate. She just brings it back down to character and moments and emotions."
For almost two years, we've speculated about what the plot for "Loki" could entail, and
in true Marvel Cinematic Universe fashion, mum was the word on what the series would
be about. But with the release of trailers and sneak peeks, we have a better understanding
of what to expect from "Loki" this June.
Kevin Feige confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 that the series would take place immediately
after the trickster stole the Tesseract in "Avengers: Endgame." The trailers have confirmed
that by making off with the Space Stone, Loki screwed up a whole bunch of timelines, and
the series will watch him fix these broken timelines while being guided by the Time Variance
Authority.
"Unbelievable, wherever you go, it's just death, destruction, the literal ends of worlds!"
From the trailers, we saw Loki and Mobius in Pompeii, so we do know the pair will be
traveling back in time, as far back as 79 AD. What other eras Loki might find himself
in remains a mystery, but he's also suspected to be on Earth somewhere in 1971, based on
the D.B. Cooper hints in the trailer. Loki appears to be the famous hijacker, who held
a plane ransom for $200,000 and disappeared via parachute, never to be seen again.
What comic storylines is Loki pulling from?
MCU projects rely heavily on the source material, and "Loki" will be no exception. And we can
make our best guesses on which comic issues the series will pull from based on what we
saw in the trailers.
There definitely will be inspiration from 2016's "Vote Loki," which was a satire on
the United States presidential election of the same year. Loki can be seen in the trailer
wearing a pin that says "Vote Loki," while others around him also don the campaign accessory.
And since the Time Variance Authority will play a major role in the show, we know several
aspects will be pulled from the comics regarding the organization. The TVA first appeared in
"Thor" #371 in 1986, and the group has had encounters with a handful of famous Marvel
names including the Fantastic Four, Kang the Conqueror, and She-Hulk — characters we
all know are showing up in the MCU sooner rather than later.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one giant web of interconnecting plots, and you can
expect "Loki" to follow suit. It hasn't been confirmed at this time, but some believe Tom
Hiddleston will show up as Loki in the upcoming "Thor: Love and Thunder" film, with him ending
back up with his brother due to the events of the Disney+ series. Since the mercurial
villain is confirmed to be traveling through time and realities, he very well could return
to the main timeline on Earth — and space — with his brother.
We also expect "Loki" to connect to "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," which
will delve heavily into alternate realities that play a part in "WandaVision" and possibly
the upcoming "Spider-Man: No Way Home." In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek,
Kevin Feige noted that the events of "Loki" and the "Doctor Strange" sequel will be connected.
"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is set to premiere on March 25, 2022, with
"Thor: Love and Thunder" following on May 6, 2022. It's very possible Loki shows up
in the "Doctor Strange" sequel, possibly running into Stephen Strange or the Scarlet Witch
in another reality. If either helps bring him back to the main timeline, it's likely
the opening for Loki to waltz into the events of "Thor 4" like nothing had ever happened.
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