Loki is without a doubt one of the most despicable – and delightful – characters in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. His mischief has definitely caused problems for the heroes of the MCU, but his quick wit and surprisingly sincere attitude have endeared him to fans. With his shifting attitude, it’s fair to say the Asgardian trickster has gone through a bit of an identity crisis, and this is something Michael Waldron hopes to explore in Disney+’s Loki.
Waldron, who serves as showrunner, head writer and producer on the upcoming MCU TV series, was drawn to the lack of control in Loki’s life. This search for purpose is also something the former Rick and Morty scribe views as a lingering thread throughout Loki’s 10-year MCU arc. Here’s what he had to say:
I think it's the struggle with identity, who you are, who you want to be. I'm really drawn to characters who are fighting for control. Certainly, you see that with Loki over the first 10 years of movies, he's out of control at pivotal parts of his life, he was adopted and everything and that manifests itself through anger and spite towards his family.
Waldron’s comments on The Writers Panel podcast are a solid summation of Loki’s makeup as a character. In his MCU debut back in 2011’s Thor, the young prince sought to exile his brother, have his adopted father Odin murdered and take the throne for himself. His failure to do so -- paired with his increased jealousy of his brother – would then manifest into a failed alien invasion in The Avengers. And while he and Thor found common ground in later films, Loki was never truly happy and met his ultimate demise at the hands of Thanos.
Disney+’s Loki will shift the focus to the 2012 iteration of the God of Mischief, who escaped with the Tesseract during Avengers: Endgame. This version also hasn’t had the heroic moments he’s achieved in Thor: The Dark World, Ragnarok or Avengers: Infinity War. Specific plot details are scarce, but it’s been suggested that the antihero will use the cube to travel to different time periods, including the 1970s.
Sending Loki through time will allow Michael Waldron and his team to have some fun, especially when it comes to Loki’s interactions with historical events. However, one has to wonder if sprawling through different eras will truly help Loki find that identity and control he’s been lacking in his life.
His adventures could end up giving him a renewed sense of purpose and lead him down a new path, yet they could just as easily cause him to lose himself even further. We’ll just have to wait and see what Michael Waldron has cooked up for Tom Hiddleston’s fan favorite character.
Loki is currently scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in early 2021.
