Marvel's summer hit 'Loki' continues to suprise
Photo: Marvel Studios Loki show poster
by Jonathan Giron, Staff writer
The God of Mischief, played by Tom Hiddleston, hit televisions at home rather than the big screen with Marvel’s new show Loki. On June 9, 2021, the show premiered on Disney Plus+, allowing fans to enjoy in the safety of their homes. This excited Marvel Cinematic Universe fans as Hiddleston finally had a lead role and could further develop Loki’s character. With high ratings from critics and a 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, there’s no question the cunning villain Loki getting his own time in the spotlight has captured the attention and enthusiasm of MCU fans.
Loki is part of the continuing line of shows following the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame., with the show’s plot taking place directly after the spiraling events of that film, introducing us to a new storyline in the MCU.
Loki begins with the scene from Endgame in which he steals the Tesseract and uses it to escape from the Avengers. Then, after one glorious minute of freedom, the Time Variance Authority, an all-powerful organization that controls everything in the universe, takes Loki from his timeline to the TVA. This moment kicks off the six episode action-packed series.
Early on, we are introduced to the TVA’s job of protecting the sacred timeline, the series of events that must happen in the one, sacred universe, from breaking off into madness. Sometimes people, known as “variants,” would veer off their predetermined path, which creates a branch timeline. It is the TVA’s job to stop branch timelines from growing due to variants to prevent chaos in the multiverse.
This was a huge bombshell dropped on Marvel fans as it now meant that every event in Endgame and all other Marvel movies was a fixed outcome ensured by the TVA. It was a great way to start the show off and keep Marvel fans on the edge of their seats for the rest of the show. I loved how each episode ended on a cliffhanger. They had fans desiring more after each episode.
Now, let’s focus on the personalities. Loki brought a lot of new characters that intrigued fans, and especially me. Mobius, a TVA agent, has a special friendship with Loki, and they are the first relationship we see in the show. He is played by actor Owen Wilson, who did an excellent job as the character and fit the role perfectly. His relaxed yet serious and intelligent demeanor perfectly balances out Loki’s wild, cunning and talkative personality, providing Marvel fans with a ton of good laughs and funny moments.
From the design of the planets to the architecture of the TVA, it was all absolutely stunning
Something I don't feel is talked about enough in online forums or in my own experience around campus is the graphics and artwork in the show. From the design of the planets to the architecture of the TVA, it was all absolutely stunning. It really felt like I was in the scenes with them; for those 40 to 60 minute long episodes, it was like being in a whole new world. Also, even though many fans were watching the show on TVs, phones and laptops, that still didn't take away from the bold graphics. I personally watched the show on my Macbook and the colors and artistry did not disappoint.
Although I see Loki as a great success, there are some critiques that should be brought up. Many vital facts or essential details that were put into the show may have been evident for Marvel fans; however for new people, the show might have come off as confusing. Without previous knowledge from watching other films in the MCU, some areas of the show could have been vague. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Loki and believe it's a wonderful show for any Marvel fan. Even though the series was released during a pandemic, Marvel continues to surprise its supporters time after time. And just when we thought they were done surprising us, they announced that there is going to be a season two. As they edge him away from the mischievous villain he once was, I can’t wait to see which direction Marvel decides to take Loki’s character.