No character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has the staying power of Loki.
Launching this Wednesday, June 9 on Disney+, the
six-episode “Loki” follows a past version of the character, however, this is
not a prequel.
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| Credit: Courtesy of Marvel (MCU) | Twitter |
This Loki is the man who successfully stole the
Tesseract, also known as the Space Stone, when the Avengers traveled to the
past in 2019's “Avengers: Endgame.” So, when the show starts, Loki will find
himself being forced to work with the Time Variance Authority or TVA – an organization dedicated to protecting the
proper flow of time, to help restore the main timeline Loki broke when he fled
with the Tesseract back in 2012.
So, what gives Loki who has been both villain and
antihero, such permanency in the MCU? Aside from his acting skills and
commitment to the role of Loki, Hiddleston is also just an effortlessly
charming individual, and some of that natural charisma creeps into his
performance. As a result of that combination, it is making the character, Loki,
a richer and more complex character.
When Loki learned the truth of his origins in the
first Thor film, Loki’s anger towards his family and the betrayal he felt put
him on a path to finding his purpose, which resulted in him becoming the insolent
and manipulative, power-hungry antagonist of the first Avengers movie.
The new series “Loki” follows this branched-reality
version of the character and will not erase the character’s original narrative
arc. This is what makes the show such an interesting new chapter of the
antihero.
By the time the show premieres, Loki has not gone
through any sort of character evolution.
While the beats of such a character arc are hardly new
territory for Hollywood, you could argue they have been done to death at this
point, the potential for greatness still exists as Loki remains pleasantly
unpredictable.
This means anything can happen, and with Hiddleston
promising a show that is unlike anything Marvel has ever done, there’s no
reason to believe Loki the man and “Loki” the show won’t continue to endure and
evolve even beyond this first season.
“Loki” will premiere on Wednesday, June 9 on Disney+.