One of my favorite New York Comic-Con experiences was being in the main hall for Marvel’s “The Avengers” panel in 2011, when they showed some footage and Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo appeared. But then Tom Hiddleston appeared, and the audience erupted. You’d think Justin Bieber or “Twilight”-era Robert Pattinson had just stormed the stage, such as the intensity of fans’ feelings for Hiddleston and Loki after only one appearance in “Thor.”
By the end of 2021, Hiddleston has cemented Loki’s legendary status with six films, a TV series, and multiple animated voice performances, much of which is due to his personal charm as well as the unique manner the God of Mischief straddles the border between good and evil. That continual strain between doing what is right and wrong (and frequently blurring the two) is what makes the son of a frost giant so “human” .
In an interview with Variety, Hiddleston confirmed this, in which he previewed what to expect in Season 2 of the Disney+ “Loki” series:
“I understand the audience sees good in Loki — they want him to get past his internal and external obstacles. They want him to repair that relationship with his brother and step into the hero that he can be.”
“I can choose my path.”
The fact that the main character in the “Loki” series is not the Loki we were used to knowing, who in “Thor: Ragnarok” was mature enough to reconcile with his brother (that Loki is sadly deceased, by Thanos). This adds a twist to the program by bringing the more ragged-edged Loki variation from the first “Avengers” to the fore, meaning that all of his self-actualizations in the previous films have been reduced to zero. However, it allows this universe Loki to be redeemed and yet again, this time with the assistance of Owen Wilson’s Mobius and Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie.
Hiddleston claimed that the relationships he developed with these two characters in season 1 pushed his more selfish, fascistic instincts to the surface:
He said ” Actually, I can choose my path and choose to do the right thing. Or I choose, at least, not to repeat the same old tricks that I repeated over and over in a cycle of trust and betrayal. It’s exciting to retain all the characteristics that makes Loki, Loki, and at the same time to play slightly different music within him.”
Loki season 2 is officially confirmed in the last moments of the first, so we can expect a few more obstacles on Loki’s new path to becoming his greatest self, but it’s gonna be a fun trip for sure.
