The god of Mischief Returns : Loki on Disney+ Preview
Welcome back to HLS Entertainment today we are going over EVERYTHING you need to know before watching the newest Disney+ MCU show "Loki" that comes out on Wednesday June 9th. We are going to go over new and old places, peoples, and events. Everything you need to know or at least to be reminded of, as well as possible plot breakdown and theories on how this god of mischief's brand new show will go. This WILL have spoilers so be warned.
The MCU has already had two incredible Disney+ shows in "WandaVision" and "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" and they were both VERY different in style and genre. It is no secret that the MCU slate of movies and shows was shifted because of filming being shut down during covid. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was supposed to be the very first Disney+ show and was going to be released early fall 2020. But, Covid hit, sets shut down, and time tables shifted, but what impact did that have?
I believe the man in the hat Kevin Fiege had planned on easing us into the wild and wacky stories that they get to tell in long form on Disney+. TFatWS was originally planned as this easing the audience in, "oh yeah this is just like the movies" with big action, but being able to explore more personal stories and details. Meanwhile WandaVision was to come next, and using sitcom tropes throughout the decades really made us wade into deeper waters of weird, wacky and zany (and we loved it). Now we are on the last days before Loki, I believe they are about to kick the door down and this show can go anywhere and do anything. Expect the unexpected, this is going to get weird.
Now why should you listen to my predictions for this show? Because I am MCU obsessed? So is everyone else, because I have some insider resource script leaks? Nope, I tend to stay away but can't help myself with set photos. It is because of my track record calling these shows, Falcon and Winter Soldier and WandaVision. Take a look back on what I called, and determine for yourself if you want to know what I might predict because it could be a spoiler, or you know just a fun theorizing read because who does not love reading theories about their favorite things.
Each Disney+ show has had very distinct themes, WandaVision - Grief / What it means to be alive and to have life, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - Race / Legacy what the Shield means and Loki will be no different. I believe the themes of Loki will be identity and conspiracy, what makes you you? What makes Loki Loki? Man in the hat Kevin Fiege has also described this show as Marvel Studios' first foray into the crime thriller genre, and I believe the mystery will be woven before our eyes.
New (Really Old) Places to Know
TVA - Time Variance Authority
One word comes up over and over if you look up any description of the TVA, bureaucracy. This is the governing body whose entire purpose is to protect the flow of this reality's timeline. That means they try to stop people from meddling with time travel and causing splinters in the time stream. That means they also are essentially time cops, time judges and time executioners. Full of red tape and rules, this does not seem like a place the god of mischief would fit right in.
Pompeii - etc.
This show could very well jump allll over the history of Earth and the entire Universe so just be ready for this show to go anywhere anytime. Such as it appears in the trailer that they go to Volcano Day in Pompeii in 79 AD. Funny enough we actually know this is an event Loki was not alive for because we know he and Thor are approximately the same age and Thor is about 1500 years old.
Character Breakdowns
People we know are confirmed to appear
Loki - Tom Hiddleston
Loki seems to be the only character in this show that has ever been in any previous Marvel Studios property but let us give him his rundown.
First Appearance: Thor (2010)
Appears In: Thor 1-3, Avengers 1,3,4
"Deaths": 3, that we know of
Last Appearance: Depends on which Loki you mean, Loki is the first character we have seen two definitively different versions of. Mainline MCU redeemed Loki died at the hand of Thanos in the beginning of Avengers Infinity War. BUT the Loki we will be following in this show is the Loki 2012 post Battle of New York Loki who escapes with the Tesseract in Avengers Endgame.
Loki is technically not an Asgardian like his brother Thor is, Loki is actually the son of the Frost Giant King Laufey (deceased, killed by Loki). We assume it is some enchantment by Odin that makes Loki look Asgardian as we see him get picked up by Odin and his body changes structure and color, or possibly this is just some young Loki magic being shown off it is never explained. I say all of that to set up the point, what Loki LOOKS like has never been important, he is a shapeshifter and trickster. We have seen/heard of him disguise himself dozens of different ways, as Odin, Captain America, Asgardian Guard, a snake, a good brother, Lady Sif etc..
This show will explore who Loki truly is.. and his appearance is not what defines him. Expect to see multiple "Variants" of the god of mischief.
Mobius M. Mobius - Owen Wilson
Mobius M. Mobius is a brand new character to the MCU but not to the comics. Mr. Mobius is a investigator/prosecutor/judge in his appearances in the comics and I expect his role within the TVA will be the same. He seems to be one of the investigators trying to find people breaking the rules of time. I know weird confusing just let it happen. You'll catch up.
We know nearly nothing about his background outside the TVA or how he became a part of the TVA, I am sure this show will either give us some sort of background or purposely be as ambiguous as the comics having TVA agents just being this mob of bureaucracy.
Owen Wilson is bringing this character to life and is expected to be a co-lead alongside Tom Hiddleston's Loki.
TVA Agent - Wunmi Mosaku
Wunmi Mosaku is playing a TVA Agent who we do not know her name / designation anything, I am sure she will be given some code number or name. She seems to be the one who captured Loki and refuses to trust him or let him out of her sight.
This show is filled with characters we know little to nothing about (how exciting) that could be by design setting up a surprise or because like I said previously, that they are meant to just blend into the bland mob of bureaucracy.
I adore this actress and I am so happy to have her in the MCU. She was just recently playing Ruby in HBO's "Lovecraft Country" and staring in the Netflix horror/thriller "His House", two amazing projects I can not recommend enough.
TVA Agent/Judge - Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Gugu Mbatha-Raw is playing another character we have no idea what their name is, but we can piece together she is a judge for the TVA. This separates her from Mr. Mobius and Wunmi's TVA agent, as she seems to be a higher ranking official than others shown. Though it is rumored she could be Ravonna Renslayer a love interest of a certain time traveling conqueror...
Gugu Mbatha-Raw is a wonderful actress that you might recognize from Black Mirror's famous San Junipero episode! Also because I am sure there is crossover in fandoms, for the Doctor Who fans out there like myself you might be kicking yourself recognizing her but having no clue from where, she plays Martha's younger sister Tish back in season three of new Who.
He Who Remains / Old/King Loki - Richard E Grant
Richard E Grant, the first of two actors who we have not seen in any trailers or promotional coverage of the show. We know nothing about who he is playing but he is obviously a well renown actor who seemingly loves working in genre projects as he has been in everything from, Logan, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones etc..
But the question is who will he play? As shown above, I have two different ideas. Richard E Grant could be playing another Variant of Loki but an older crazed or even King of Asgard Loki, as he and Tom Hiddleston do share similar looks.
But who I really think he is playing is the man behind the scenes pulling the strings, He Who Remains. He Who Remains is the very last Director of the TVA in the very last remaining universe at the end of time. He creates two important entities, the Time Keepers and the Time Twisters. The Time Twisters were created to teach the next universe, things go bad they try to destroy the universes going back into time, but we will get to that later. The Time Keepers were created to protect the time stream and three were sent back in time and they can be interpreted as the deities of the TVA the board above the bureaucracy. I think an important aspect of this show could be whether they are even real at all.
Lady Loki - Sophia Di Martino
Sophia Di Martino, learn and know the name she might just be huge going forward for our favorite green clad mini Frost Giant. Her filmography is not the deepest and the only thing I have actually seen her in his Yesterday (delightful movie filled with Beatles music) and that was in a small role.
Yet her impact on the MCU might be HUGE. Well I say we have not seen her in the trailers but we really have, she is the hooded mysterious character, and the blonde sitting on the rock that many people mistook for Black Widow. According to set pictures combined with speculation, Sophia Di Martino will be playing Lady Loki. But is she a Variant? Or is this the mainline MCU Loki reincarnated into another body? The trailers and promotions for this show seem to set her up as the villain or at least antagonist against the TVA but I feel like there will be more to that mystery.
Okay let us discuss, can they introduce the very common in comic idea that the Loki we saw get his neck snapped by Thanos come back in another body? Or does that open up way too many deep questions (like about Frigga and Odin). Or is this simply going to be another Loki Variant? But in the comics Loki's spirit once took over the body meant for Lady Sif and became Lady Loki, is this what happened to Loki's spirit after he went to the galaxy's worst chiropractor?
One thing to remember as we talk about possible Loki Variants, expect many more to show up including a kid Loki, Aidan Gallagher practically already plays this role on Umbrella Academy and would be BRILLANT as Kid Loki in the MCU by the way.
Florence Schaffner - Erika Coleman
Florence Schaffner is another casting of something I love this show is doing, giving actors who have only a few credits to their name a shot in a huge show potentially in a huge role. This is a weird one, finding a picture of Erika Coleman in any of the trailers was more difficult than I thought because I think she might end larger role, but why is she listed on IMDb as Florence Schaffner? Florence Schaffner was one of the flight attendants on the infamous DB Cooper high jacking, this could simply be a nod to the real life story or this could be something more.
Miss Minutes
Miss Minutes, helpful AI for the TVA... or evil AI that is controlled by someone pulling the strings?? Okay I actually do not have anything for this, just a healthy mistrust of AI's since first watching Terminator. Miss Minutes is more than likely just a cute exposition machine.
Character(s) to look out for that MIGHT appear
Kang... be prepared for Kang, he is in the upper echelon of Marvel villains with the characters like Thanos, Galactus, Ultron etc. as he has routinely taken the Avengers out by himself. His real name is Nathaniel Richards and is assumed descendant of Reed Richards Mr Fantastic. There is simply just too much to know about Kang and his many different aliases, so I am going to give you a list of them to keep an ear out for: Immortus, Iron Lad, Rama-Tut, Victor Timely, Nathaniel Richards, Scarlet Centurion. If you hear any one of these your ears should perk up.
We know Jonathan Majors has been cast as Kang for the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and the assumption is that that will be his first appearance. I do not think so, I think he shows up within this show in some capacity.
Jonathan Majors is best known for HBO's incredible show Lovecraft Country, in which he was the lead star and acted alongside another Loki actor Wunmi Mosaku.
Plot Breakdown and Theories
This is where I say SPOILERS as I am about to dive right on into how I believe this six episode series will play out, but if we are all being honest this is the wackiest wildest show Marvel Studios might ever do. This show could go somewhere absolutely no one predicts but I am going to do my best to cover all the possible variant Loki show timelines. This is going to be a bullet point style breakdown as to how I see the plot going, then we will move into some crazy theories.
-Opens with Endgame
-Flash giant sequence Loki lands in Mongolia confused as to not being able to control Tesseract
-Wunmi and TVA show up snatch Loki bring him to the TVA
-Loki goes through processing, labeled as a Loki Variant
-Sent through the court system gets sentenced to either die or work for the TVA
-Mobius is assigned to him, has studied all of Loki thinks he would be an asset to the TVA
-Mobius explains to Loki what the TVA agents do, shows Loki his main MCU timeline life all the way to being killed by Thanos, recruits him to actually do good with the TVA
-This includes fixing all of the timeline fractures caused by Loki leaving with the Tesseract, I imagine this is where Loki points out this is clearly the Avengers fault not his
-Mobius also explains when he picks up the Tesseract and escapes it broke the timeline, splintering himself throughout time in different Variants of himself. His use of the Infinity Stone in that moment might be the reason why the timeline splits.
-It is revealed someone is messing with the timeline/committing murders throughout time
-Loki goes with Mobius and other TVA agents on missions and tries to escape gets recaptured (probably more than once)
-Forced to either help or die and more than likely perturbed by the idea of multiple Loki's out there he pleads to continue helping the TVA. The missions they go on include stopping multiple different Variants of Loki throughout time (sets up this show could go on forever doing things like this)
-Other timelines include timelines when the Avengers failed to stop Loki in NYC, Loki becomes king of Asgard, etc. all of his variants are causing "death, destruction, the literal ends of worlds" - Mobius
-One specific Variant is causing a lot of issues for the TVA - Lady Loki
That is how I believe the general gist of the show goes, setting up a crime thriller procedural of catching "villain of the week" a different Variant of Loki in a timey wimey episodic format. But let us get to some of the more crazy things that *COULD* happen.
* The three Time Keepers, shown above, will be called into question by Loki as he is calling all of this nonsense, where we will get the reveal that they are real and Richard E Grant is playing He Who Remains at the end of time and sent them back to guard time. This realization will cause Loki to actually want to step up and be of service to help protect their timeline
* This show culminates with Loki chasing Lady Loki through multiple different realities, with him ending up letting her go as she is revealed to be the true mainline Loki in a new body, possibly letting her go because Loki knows Kang is the real one behind all of this
*Why is Loki getting the blame for the timeline breaking? Gugu Mbatha-Raw's character being Ravonna Renslayer it is revealed that she has been working with Kang to keep the TVA off his trail for centuries and is now using Loki's escape from Endgame as a scapegoat for something Kang did.
* This show will show alternate Variants of not only Loki but other MCU characters, specifically Heimdall (maybe Frigga/Odin or even Thor but I think they want Loki to be out of his brothers shadow)
*Kid Loki will be set up as a possible future member of the Young Avengers
*This show's crux of Loki turning good will show that he as a baby was the reason Odin turned from a conqueror to a benevolent king
*This show is going to be dealing with conspiracy theories we know this. Maybe this show sets up Loki (and his Variants) are the true source of so many unexplained mysteries like DB Cooper, the Polybius game, Zodiac Killer and other unsolved/unexplainable parts of our Earth history
Whew that was a lot. Thank you so much for reading! Please share with your friends on social media, I love clicks more than Loki loves backstabbing. Please follow me on Twitter @HaroldLStokes to stay updated on more blogs covering all things MCU, DCEU, Film, Football and more!
