Since the grand end of Avengers: Endgame, Marvel have shifted gears significantly when it comes to continuing the stories of their biggest characters and franchises. Feature-length releases continue to keep trucking along, but we now have a growing range of episodic tales spun around some of the characters that Marvel had otherwise yet to explore. The latest in this recent trend is Loki, an action-mystery blend that finally gives the fan-favourite anti-hero his own shot in the spotlight. The result is, for the most part, a great genre mashup led by a solid leading cast. It may not always justify the protracted, 6 episode runtime and it does ask for more than a few leaps of logic, but Loki is ultimately an entertaining ride that, for the most part, does justice to Marvel’s infamous trickster.
The story kicks off from the last time we saw Loki (Tom Hiddleston); escaping custody during the chaotic events of Avengers: Endgame. It is an incredibly short-lived freedom for the God of Mischief as he is quickly apprehended by a mysterious group known as the Time Variance Authority and charged with offences against their ‘Sacred Timeline’. The TVA plan to put a rather permanent fix on the problem until Loki is spared from execution by Judge Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and drafted by TVA agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) to help track down an even bigger threat to the timeline and TVA. Things begin to spiral pretty quickly after Sophia Di Martino’s mysterious character Sylvie enters the fray, bringing with her a few trademark Marvel action scenes and, in keeping with the the theme of the titular character: twists. It’s just unfortunate that the plot struggles maintain the pace all the way through to the climax, with the last episodes grinding things to a halt and dealing out more questions than answers.
It’s clear from the outset that Loki isn’t your average Marvel adventure, nor does it tread familiar ground with its plot or ideas. So much of its complex background lore and concepts are introduced in the opening episode that you’re almost as overwhelmed and confused as Loki himself. The plot also requires you to quickly get on board with the complex concepts of time travel and alternate universes, which start to create holes in the wider MCU if you poke too much. Despite this, you will be rewarded for sticking with Loki through its more complicated and lengthier scenes. Early episodes build on the groundwork laid previously in great fashion, slowly building tension and allowing for a more complex examination of Loki as a character than we have previously seen.
Amongst the action and the drama, these character arcs are really where Loki tends to shine. By essentially limiting its core cast to four key players, the series has room to build personalities and establish complex relationships. Loki is obviously the star of the show, as Hiddleston continues to deliver all of the charisma and charm that has made his character so popular over the years. This time around the story is less about Loki’s powers and abilities, but rather his complicated personality, goals and how he interacts with those around him. Key to this development is Mobius, who seems to see potential and a possible ally in Loki where others don’t. Owen Wilson may not be the first name that comes to mind when picturing a time travelling investigator from a shadowy organisation, but he slips into the role perfectly, wasting no time winning over both Loki and the audience with his dry sense of humour and endearing nature. You might even find yourself more engrossed in his great character arc than you are in Loki’s at time thanks to Wilson’s charm.
Just as key to the plot are Mbatha-Raw and Martino’s characters, who both easily go toe-to-toe with their male counterparts. Judge Renslayer is a formidable presence as the head of the TVA that commands respect from her underlings, but a soft spot for Mobius suggests that there is more to her than meets the eye, a storyline that the show doesn’t quite conclude but does unpack to a degree. Sylvie is arguable a more important character than Loki himself and Martino fully commits to bringing her to life, never crumbling under the pressure. To explore either of these two further here would spoil key moments and twists along the way, and Loki certainly doesn’t shy away from pulling the rug out from under you with varied results. It is safe to say that, in the first few episodes at least, there is a solid amount of action and a number of stunning set pieces on offer that deliver that MCU thrill, albeit on a smaller budget and scale, against vibrant backgrounds of imploding planets and meteor showers.
The final result is a clever, long-overdue exploration of one of Marvel’s most charismatic characters. Hiddleston proves that Loki is able to take the lead without sharing the spotlight with Thor or the Avengers – making it even more surprising that a number of supporting characters are able to carve out their own memorable niches by his side. While Loki does hit the right notes when it gets running, the complex plot is a lot to swallow and the last episodes unfortunately fail to capture the magic or capitalise on the events that came before. It’s been almost ten years since his debut on the big screen, and if he can manage to properly find his footing in the adventures ahead, Loki might just find his glorious purpose.
Loki stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant – streaming on Disney+ now.