Marvel Studios’ “Loki” features the God of Mischief as he steps out of his brother’s shadow in a new Disney+ series that takes place after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
There are spoilers in this review that pertain specifically to “Avengers: Endgame” so if you have not yet seen that film, stop reading as it is virtually impossible to critique “Loki” without referencing that movie’s chain of events. You have been warned!
As “Avengers: Endgame” begins, one of Marvel’s most beloved characters, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), is quickly killed off by the film’s central antagonist, Thanos. However, later on, Tony Stark successfully creates a time machine that allows our heroes to travel back in time to the events of the first Avengers movie when Loki and the Chitauri attacked New York City. By the end of that film, Loki is captured and brought back to Asgard by his brother Thor to stand trial for his crimes. In “Endgame,” the Avengers try, unsuccessfully, to intercept the Tesseract before Thor and Loki return to Asgard and in the ensuing chaos, the captured Loki quickly grabs the Tesseract and disappears, never to be seen again.
That is where “Loki” begins. After using the Tesseract to escape from New York, he winds up in the Mongolian Desert, and just when he thinks he is free, a portal opens, and heavily armored soldiers appear. They proceed to take him to the mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA), an organization that was established by the Time-Keepers, semi-immortal protectors who have almost unlimited powers to control time. Here, he is introduced to Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson), an operative who is familiar with Loki and what he has done throughout his life.
Mobius informs Loki that he caused an alternate timeline when he used the Tesseract to escape New York City and that his fate had already played out, with the culmination of his death in “Endgame,” which he proceeds to show him on a virtual projector. Loki now realizes that he cannot return to the timeline from which he escaped but Mobius offers him the opportunity to redeem himself, one where he will avoid death and will be given the chance to live a new life, provided of course, that his assistance results in the successful completion of said mission.
He reluctantly agrees and when asked what he must do, Mobius tells him that they are trying to locate an Asgardian who has been traveling through time and causing the TVA irreparable damage by creating multiple timelines where the person can appear and disappear at will, generating all kinds of deadly mayhem. Naturally, Loki is intrigued as to who the fellow Asgardian could be but when Mobius tells him that it is him, or a variant of him, Loki must try to stay one step ahead of his counterpart and help Mobius catch him, if he is to be spared death and given a new chance to continue being the God of Mischief.
What we must remember while watching “Loki,” is that he is not the same character who evolved over the years, and who tried to save Thor in “Endgame,” he is the Loki who just suffered great defeat and humiliation in New York by the Avengers so when he tells Mobius that he can be trusted, we automatically know that he can’t but after witnessing the death of his mother and himself in the alternate timeline, it emphatically affects him, so Loki’s thoughts and motives are questionable at best. Naturally, we hope he’ll do the right thing, but this is Loki after all, and he didn’t inherit the mantle of “God of Mischief” by being a self-righteous goody-two-shoes.
While I enjoyed “WandaVision” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Loki” has to be my favorite Marvel series to date. “WandaVision” was unique and fantastic in its overall presentation, paying homage to sitcoms of the past, while remaining clearly within the confines of the MCU. “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” continued the exploits of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes and while it was enjoyable, it was a pretty straightforward action series that added nothing new to its narrative. “Loki” feels much more cinematic in scope than its two predecessors but it also retains much of the humor that derived from “Thor: Ragnarok,” thanks to director Taika Waititi and his eccentric and oddball sense of humor.
Tom Hiddleston masterfully preserves the crazy aspect of Loki, complete with devilish grin, and an overabundance of insincere flattery, but we also witness another side of him, one where his emotions occasionally get the better of him, allowing us to sporadically peek into the mind of a mischievous deity who is known more for his incivility and defiance than his empathy. This aspect makes us question his every thought and action, which is good as we are left in the dark as to his real motives, and that is what you need in order to have a successful show. Owen Wilson’s Agent Mobius is the perfect contrast for Loki, his by-the-book bureaucrat is authoritative and what he says goes so in order for Loki to remain alive, he must adhere to Mobius’ orders and obey his rules. “Loki” is a great addition to the MCU and I look forward to more small-screen adventures to come.
Available to stream exclusively on Disney+ Wednesday, June 9th
