I’d be lying if I said I had hopes for Marvel after the entire downfall of comic book content in the past few years.
Quite frankly, I stopped taking them too seriously, and at one point, I just felt disconnected from the entire genre. There obviously were good projects, but most of them bored me. At this point, I’m yet to check out shows like She-Hulk and Secret Wars. Loki was different. The pace Season 1 was going with and the way they defeated Kang made me feel as if Kang really isn’t a big threat individually but annoyingly infinite, and maybe that’s where Marvel would go. Ant-Man and the Wasp kind of gave me the same impression, but Season 2 changed everything.
Before we continue, please note that the review might contain some heavy spoilers!
What made Marvel great wasn’t just comedy. It was the trauma and how that became a catalyst for characters to do what they did. Nobody cried for Tony Stark because he was sassy, but the reason his loss feels like a vast emptiness is because of how traumatized he was and how that drove him to do whatever it takes to protect the world. An interesting perspective on this was Age of Ultron when Wanda tells Steve that Ultron thinks like Tony, and Tony at times may not understand when he’s saving the world and when he’s destroying it. The character becomes even more interesting in Iron Man 3 as we see him go through PTSD from past events. That is what made Marvel great in the first place. Every character has a layer.
This season of Loki felt like it brought the old Marvel back. Every character had a story. A reason. A dream. I really love how it focused on the “why” of the characters first. Seeing Mobius think of a life and B-15 being more than just a TVA employee after being in pain for so long was refreshing. I sided with Sylvie at times because of how grounded she was and how all she wanted was to live a normal life.
And the best part, amid all this, it’s amazing how everyone seemed to miss out on the bigger picture, but the show continuously emphasized that and how the consequences played out. It was thrilling to see Kang return and explain to everyone how whatever they do, they lose, and to see Loki figure out a way to save everyone by sacrificing himself, fulfilling his glorious purpose. It was sad to see Loki be the bearer of the one who holds all time together, but it was still breathtaking to see Marvel risk this. It really did seem to have paid off very well.
At a point, it seems like Infinity War all over again when everything started vanishing, but then the story went raw and made Loki the god of time, and the visuals (Isaac Bauman, Oliver Loncraine) they portrayed that with, along with the marvelous score by Natalie Holt, made everything feel so grand! This should’ve been on the big screens.
Tom Hiddleston made me realize again why I loved Loki in the first place. Truly a very genius character with deeply rooted character development. Bravo! He made me feel every bit of pain, urgency, insecurity throughout, and I thank him for that.
Jonathan Majors was threatening. I wasn’t ever rooting for Kang, but he was brilliant! Timely as well as “He Who Remains,” both of the variants felt different and breathtaking. I really respect the hell out of Kang after the last episode, looking at his grand plan. It would be amazing to see what consequences there would be of Loki’s final decision and how there would be a war with Kangs and how threatening the others would be. For the first time, because of the content itself, I’m excited to see what Marvel does next. It’s good to know I’m not watching something just for an end credit.
The band together with Sophia Di Martino (Sylvie), Owen Wilson (Mobius), Ke Huy Quan (Ouroboros), and Wunmi Mosaku (B-15) really made the stakes worth it. Although, I’m not sure if the band being back together out of the TVA from branched timelines was a useful addition as a team because… what will they do really? Except getting wiped off existence. But it was still great to see them have a life of their own outside the TVA. It was amazing to see Sylvie try and lead a normal life and enjoy burgers along with all human struggles. Ouroboros being a fiction writer? that was damn perfect! Mobius not being sure if to go in the house and choosing to stand outside for some reason felt releiving. I am not sure what he will do but that was soothing to think about.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Ravonna) seemed like a very interesting character with Tara Strong’s Miss Minutes, who felt very sinister. I’m excited to see what her journey would be like. She did feel like a strong character but confused. So next part of her story would be interesting if she goes finding out more answers.
As for what happens next, I wish Marvel goes for more character-rooted stories and risks and consequences rather than mindless comedy. Because I feel they’d really miss out on something if they stuck to the old formulas. Also, am I the only one who thinks the timelines look like webs? See where I am going with this?
For being so excellent, I’d easily give Loki a 4.5/5 with the hope that Marvel experiments more on characters because that is what sets good stories apart from regular content.
