After throwing the Marvel multiverse wide open with its first season, Loki is coming back to Disney+ for another round of episodes. We had the wonderful opportunity to see the first four episodes of Loki season 2, and are excited to share our review with The Cosmic Circus readers.
[Warning: early impressions and possibly mild spoilers for Loki season 2 are below.]
Should viewers rewatch Loki season 1 first?
For those who like to do rewatches of past content before new installments come out, revisiting the first season of Loki before the second one starts is a definite recommendation. And if you haven’t seen season 1, you certainly should do so before watching season 2.
For one thing, Loki’s season 2 premiere picks right up where the first season’s finale left off. In addition, those who enjoy callbacks, and the like, will find joy in some fun little moments the show sneaks in here and there. Some of which may end up being important to the overall narrative!
It’s looking as though Loki will once again serve as an explanation for happenings in the overall story of the MCU. However, like the first season, it seems this will probably provide a sort of backstory as to why things are the way they are in future multiverse-focused projects, rather than being required viewing in order to be able to follow them.
That said, Marvel fans should definitely watch the show, because so far it’s the MCU project that best handles the multiverse concept. This is both in terms of coherency and lived-up-to-potential for where things are taken.
Loveable, quirky characters, wackiness, and multiversal shenanigans
As has been teased in promotional material for the show, Loki season 2 takes the wackiness to a whole new level. Fortunately, it does so in a way that feels seamless and appropriate for the story and characters. Most of these characters are loveable and quirky, so it’s only fitting that there’s plenty of fun to be had along the way.
One storyline in particular is sure to have fans freaking out at the TV, and hopefully, the internet will make sure the meme potential is lived up to. But this tale also has serious stakes with potentially massive consequences, and the show doesn’t let its audience forget this for too long.
There’s a simultaneous sense of ease and unease. The audience is presumably familiar with the TVA at this point, but there are new sections and characters within that pop-up to add new flavor to the proceedings and shake things up.
The character with perhaps the most interesting (and probably by the end, emotionally poignant) storyline of all is Owen Wilson’s Mobius. His interactions with Loki and others are still great, but now viewers will get to have more of a look into his own mindset about certain matters. And yes, as has been said in promotional footage for the show, we can all rest assured that “our Loki will be with our Mobius.”
Loki season 2 further cements the notion that, given the characters’ closeness to the multiversal action (and perhaps the strong handling of the “timey wimey” concepts by the creative team) this TVA team really should be the central heart of the Multiverse Saga. In some minds, they are right now, but it’s clear the Avengers will soon be getting involved and the focus will surely shift to them.
This group working outside of the timeline itself has more personal stakes in multiversal conflict than anyone else at this point (save for Janet Van Dyne). This is especially felt after watching them directly deal with it for two seasons. It’s going to be difficult for Marvel to forge personal stakes for any Avengers that may end up on the team to a similar level.
Seeing Tom Hiddleston’s Loki take what he learned during season 1 and put it into practice is fun. While some other characters haven’t gotten as much focus as they perhaps should have yet, Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie and newcomer to the series Ke Huy Quan’s Ouroboros (AKA OB) get some nice moments.
Another newcomer to Loki who has not gotten as much buzz yet is Rafael Casal. His role has not been showcased very much in the season 2 trailers, but he’s an important player in the story. He helps move things forward and brings out new sides to characters fans are already familiar with.
The elephant in the room: Jonathan Majors
Unfortunately, Loki season 2 comes with an elephant in the room that must be discussed. Jonathan Majors (who, since his most recent MCU appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, has run into some legal problems, to put it mildly) is back. So far, his scenes appear to have been unaltered. He doesn’t show up until the third week (as do a couple of other key characters) but he does get ample screen time in that episode, as well as a not-insignificant amount in the next one.
It’s not yet clear how big, if any, a role his character will play in the final two episodes of Loki, but it seems like Marvel is taking the “just rolling with what we’ve got” approach with his character. At least for this series, and possibly at least partially because of the writers’ and actors’ strikes over the past several months.
That being said, while there are no scenes of violence or sexual harassment on the part of Majors’ character, certain scenes in the third episode may be uncomfortable for some viewers to watch knowing what’s been going on with the actor.
While Jonathan Majors has certainly played an interesting part in the series, most of the other characters stand out more so far, with some playing much larger parts in these first four episodes than expected.
Loki season 2 already has a high bar set for it
The trailers for Loki season 2 show a lot more than the first season’s did. Knowing how much of the footage in them isn’t present in the first four episodes of season 2, means there’s a lot left to cover in the final stretch of the season.
While it’s mostly been a fun and wacky ride so far, there’s definitely quite a bit of unresolved emotional stakes and payoff to get to, so the last two episodes really need to bring what the kids call “the feels” in order for the second season to truly surpass its predecessor.
On the negative side, it is notable that all of the timeline scenes so far take place on Earth. That’s a little disappointing considering this show takes place in the MCU which has been shown to span countless galaxies and realms. It’s really the main area in which this show leaves a lot of potential on the table. Although, there’s a possible explanation for the focus on Earth that stems from He Who Remains. This really seemed like it might come up at one point, but still hasn’t as of season 2 episode 4.
What’s certain is these upcoming four episodes of Loki are sure to spawn a lot of theorizing and discussion among Marvel fans. All the while, bringing a nice helping of laughter and the occasional bout of bizarreness along the way.
The time for more Loki is almost here!
Loki season 2 releases weekly on Disney+ on this Thursday October 5th! Are you excited for more Loki, Sylvie, Mobius, and Miss Minutes? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus or in The Cosmic Circus Discord.
[This review was written by Guest Author Laura Link]
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