The closer we get to the official premiere of any upcoming Marvel movies (or Marvel TV shows, in this particular case), the more we can confidently say we know about them. Of course, for every confirmed detail we have about the forthcoming Loki TV show on Disney+, there is almost as much that remains unknown about the highly anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe spin-off series that places Tom Hiddleston in the spotlight as the God of Mischief this time. The mischievous reputation of Thor’s adoptive brother is actually one specific detail I do have a question about.
However, that is far from the only thing I and countless others have been wondering about the Loki TV show, which will be available to stream exclusively on Disney+, starting Wednesday, June 9, 2021. Until then, we can only speculate over who is playing who in the Loki cast, how the series will tie into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, what the future holds for the show’s still relatively mysterious storyline in the long run, and just how long that run could be. Well, speculate is exactly what we intend to do while pondering the following five questions we have about the show, starting with where Loki falls in the battle between good and evil this time.
Who Is The Real Villain Of Loki?
In one of the newest trailers for Loki, we received even deeper insight into what has happened to our title character since The Avengers-era Loki escaped with the Tesseract during the Time Heist from Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Not only is he now a prisoner of the Time Variance Authority (which keeps tabs on various alternate timelines in the multiverse) for stealing the Infinity Stone and screwing up reality, but Owen Wilson’s character, Mobius M. Mobius, has enlisted his help to repair the damages.
It would be easy to assume that Loki is going to go against any promises given, as with every other time he's done this, but the series could see this circa 2012 Loki redeem himself after his Avengers: Infinity War counterpart attempted to outsmart Thanos. Based on his reputation in the comics, I would not be surprised if the true antagonist is really Mobius M. Mobius, or even if there is another character he and Loki will be forced to team up against.
Who Are Sophia Di Martino And Richard E. Grant Playing In The Loki Cast?
I'd be willing to bet the real villain is Time Variance Authority judge Ravonna Renslayer, whom Loki star Gugu Mbatha-Raw was revealed to be playing, along with Lovecraft Country’s Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15, who calls TVA’s Justice Peace from the comics to mind. Of course, there are still a good few from the Loki cast whose roles remain a mystery.
Neither Academy Award-nominee and Star Wars actor Richard E. Grant nor Into the Badlands actress Sophia Di Martino have had their Loki characters revealed, but many have speculated the latter is playing a female variant of the God of Mischief called Lady Loki. Could this, combined with Grant’s side-by-side photo of him and Tom Hiddleston on his Twitter, be evidence that the 63-year-old Brit is also playing a variation of Loki, but from the future? It is an intriguing theory, but, right now, I am even more interested in pondering over the actors who have not been credited to appear on the series.
Will Doctor Strange Cameo In Loki?
In the months leading up to the premiere (and even during the run main run) of WandaVision on Disney+, fans keep wondering if, how, and when Benedict Cumberbatch would make an appearance, knowing that the events of the inventively bizarre sitcom homage would lead into Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange sequel, which is due for a 2022 release. Well, the Doctor Strange cameo never happened, but that is no reason to lose hope just yet.
We also know that Loki will have a direct connection to Doctor Strange 2, which the series’ multiverse theme definitely makes clear. So, the chance to see the Sorcerer Supreme show up in this show is not out of the question and, perhaps, even more likely than the WandaVision cameo may have seemed.
Will We See Any Other Marvel Character Cameos?
That being said, I am also curious about the likelihood of additional MCU all-stars making a Loki cameo. I mean, it cannot be too hard to imagine Chris Hemsworth dropping by as Thor for a previously unseen flashback with his onscreen sibling, or something like that. In fact, they could take advantage of TVA’s time manipulation factor and bring Anthony Hopkins back as Odin or give us another scene-stealing moment with Cate Blanchett in her Thor: Ragnarok role as Hela.
Even if Loki were to end up being scarce on MCU character cameos, the show could be a great opportunity to bring a few other comic book favorites into the mix, outside of what has already been confirmed. For instance, Mobius M. Mobius was first introduced in an issue of Fantastic Four, so why not make Owen Wilson’s role the catalyst for their MCU debut before their announced Fantastic Four reboot movie? Even if that doesn’t happen in Season 1, maybe it could be part of another season.
Will There Be A Loki Season 2?
However, a Loki Season 2 is not something I can comment on with full confidence, either, although many have tried. Like the other previously released Marvel TV shows on Disney+, namely WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, there has been much talk of what potential the series has to continue past its announced six episodes.
Various news outlets have released reports suggesting Season 2 for Loki is already in development with a shooting schedule in place and everything, but with no official confirmation coming from the people at Marvel. However, Kevin Feige has not ruled out second seasons for Marvel’s Disney+ shows, which means there could see much more of Tom Hiddleston’s episodic adventures in the near future. We’ll let you in on that when we know that for sure, though.
I, for one, am perfectly fine staying in the dark as much as possible until Loki finally hits Disney+. Actually, I feel like I know too much about the show’s very fascinating plot already, and almost wish I could hire the Time Variance Authority to go back and prevent me from having any of this information, if they would allow it. Luckily, for all the remaining secrets surrounding the TV show, we can always count on Marvel to keep a tight lid.
