Loki does not miss a beat as the fan favorite character returns for a second season with Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan joining the cast.
I’ll have a lot more to say about the second season below the photo. If you choose to read no further until the season premieres in the evening on October 5, please make sure to watch the credits. The first episode features a mid-credit scene. From what I can tell, the next three episodes do not contain any mid or post-credit scenes.
Eric Martin takes over for Kate Herron as head writer during the season season. That’s not to say that Herron is not completely forgotten. There’s a nice easter egg that pays homage to Herron’s involvement in bringing Loki to TV a few years ago.
When we last caught up with our friends at the Time Variance Authority, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) were confronting He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) at the End of Time. Sylvie’s decision to murder He Who Remains would have devastating effects on the sacred timeline. But again, Marvel’s current phase of storytelling is the Multiversal Saga. This series was just the introduction. The nice thing about this season and Loki in general is there’s no need to watch the entire MCU. If you want to, that’s great. However, the season is an overall fun time with the right mix of humor, sci-fi and drama.
When the second season starts, the TVA is still reeling from Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Miss Minutes (Tara Strong) going MIA. Never mind Sylvie’s role in all of this–she just wants to start her like all over again. She finds herself at a McDonalds in 1982 of all places but okay. I guess you one works at a fast food restaurant if they want to lay low in the timeline. Anyway, Loki keeps getting pulled in every which direction while trying to find Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson). It’s a result of the fight with Sylvie and this is where O.B. (Ke Huy Quan) comes into play. The Oscar winner is certainly one of the best new additions to the cast as a quirky repair guy. But anyway, Loki and Mobius must push the TVA to right the ship if they want to save the timeline.
As a character, Loki is in a very different position in season 2. Honestly, he is much closer now to where he was in Thor: Ragnarok. The fear going into the first season was that Marvel would undo all of the character development. This does not appear to be the case especially here in the second season. If I had to guess, Loki is more of an anti-hero in the series.
There’s certainly a larger story at play but I have some questions as to how the legal issues surrounding Jonathan Majors will impact it going forward. Obviously, season 2 was filmed last year before Majors was arrested. As of right now, Kang is the main villain of the Multiversal Saga. In any event, Victor Timely (Jonathan Majors) plays a key role during the second season. Majors plays Timely–introduced in what I believe is the same scene at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania–very differently from how he portrayed Kang. His acting range is on display and I would have said his range would take him very far if not for the recent arrest. It’s too early to tell as to if Marvel will choose to replace the actor. We really have to wait for the criminal trial to play out.
Fan screenings were held in a number of cities last night where Marvel Studios screened the first two episodes. Press have had an opportunity to watch the first four episodes. Ultimately, there are six episodes in the second season. It is certainly not enough of Loki but it is par for the course with Marvel. After struggling through Secret Invasion this summer, it’s really nice to have Thor’s brother back for a month and a half. I certainly hope that Marvel is able to nail the landing.
The nice thing about this season and Loki in general is there’s no need to watch the entire MCU. If you want to, that’s fine. Season 2 of Loki is written and delivered in a way that avoids being plagued by the recent issues pertaining to franchise fatigue. It is not really dependent on watching a gazillion series and movies. Even as Marvel is featuring more films with the multiverse, they are not a requirement in watching Loki, let alone understanding the inner workings of the TVA. Loki is just a plain old good time! Plus, it’s got Ke Huy Quan so who am I to complain?!?
CREATED FOR TELEVISION: Michael Waldron
HEAD WRITER: Eric Martin
DIRECTORS: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Dan Deleeuw, Kasra Farahani
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Kevin R. Wright, Tom Hiddleston, Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Eric Martin, Michael Waldron
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Trevor Waterson
CAST: Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Eugene Cordero, Rafael Casal, Tara Strong, Kate Dickie, Liz Carr, Neil Ellice, with Jonathan Majors, Ke Huy Quan, and Owen Wilson
Disney+ will launch season 2 of Marvel Studio’s Loki on October 5, 2023 at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT with new episodes premiering weekly. Episodes 1-4: Grade: 4/5
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