Loki’s first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe wasn’t exactly glamorous. InThor,Tom Hiddlestonplayed an out-of-touch Asgardian prince who gets his brother banished, all in a failed attempt to claim the throne. This, while nursing daddy issues, will eventually see him disappoint his adopted father, Odin. However, the God of Mischief has come a long way since appearing to fall to his death inThor,even going as far as becoming an integral part of the Avengers and eventually earning him his own show. With a 92% fresh score from critics and 90% forLokiseason 1 on Disney+ from fans,according to Rotten Tomatoes, it appears Loki’s popularity continues.
With Loki season two set to debut on Disney+ beginning October 6, this gives us the perfect opportunity to reminisce on what madeLokian absolute success. How did an antagonistic, untrustworthy god of mischief charm an audience that usually celebrates heroes? Here are the elements that pushedLoki season one to the top of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Update July 09, 2025: This article has been updated by Valerie Parker with additional content, including more information about the upcoming second season ofLokion Disney+.
Loki the Character
For such a beloved character, Loki’s cinematic debut actually bordered on murderous and genocidal. After discovering that he’s adopted and shares the same bloodline as the enemy, Loki goes off the rails, betraying his family and committing atrocities that would see him classified as enemy number one in the firstAvengersmovie. Not to mention, Loki also tries multiple times to kill another fan favorite, his brother Thor (Chris Hemsworth). So how on Earth is Loki’s stock still on the rise?
According to Tom Hiddleston, “People always understand that Loki is a troubled soul and that he is evacuating his pain onto other people.“Speaking in an interview with ACE Comic Con back in 2019,Hiddleston further goes on to explain, “But the fans understand where the pain is coming from, so there’s empathy there. I think the first film really humanizes him, and I think makes the rest of the journey interesting. It makes you always think that he could be pulled back and redeemed.”
Related:10 Things We’d Like to See in Loki Season 2
Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is loved because his character represents humanity. He’s full of potential but cannot catch a break, something that can be seen throughout the first season of the series. From being captured by the TVA in the first few minutes of the pilot to trying to save He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) from Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) after trying to kill him himself, Loki flew the banner of humanity high. As he has no powers in the TVA, viewers were able to see a more humanlike side of the god of mischief, solidifying his status as a fan favorite even further.
It’s one thing for writers to create a perfect character and another for a talented actor to hit the spot with a magnificent performance. This is what Tom Hiddleston does with Loki. He doesn’t just bring the character to life. The British screen gem embodies the archetype so well, dare say, on the same scale as Tony Stark and Iron Man. This can be noticed throughout the series as Loki realizes thatThanos is the least of his worries. His carriage, arrogance, and wit cascade through each episode, leading audiences to forget that he was originally a villain.
After trying to escape several times, Loki is forced to work with the staff of the TVA as they search for a rogue variant causing problems across timelines. Used to being a god, Loki must cope with the indignation of not just working but working on a leash. This exposes Loki’s character, pushing him through a black hole of self-discovery and morality, a first for the character in the MCU. Loki gets to question his conduct, setting up what should be a redemption arc. Unfortunately, Loki himself breaks the trust placed in him over and over again until, eventually, he has to come to terms with his problematic nature.
There’s always bigger fish. That’s a given in any universe or multiverse. The Time Variance Authority (TVA) is the biggest fish in this Loki universe. Loki will learn this the moment he realizes the Infinity Stones can be found in drawers scattered across the TVA, even being used as paperweights. This piece of storytelling sells the TVA automatically from the first episode.
Created by He Who Remains, the TVA is the authority guarding the sacred timeline against meddling folks like Loki from creating nexus events.Led by Judge Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the TVA is governed by time lords whose true nature will be exposed as the story goes on. Loki gets arrested moments into the pilot and escapes destruction when Mobius (Owen Wilson), a TVA commander, recruits him. The duo pair up to hunt down a Loki variant that threatens the entire timeline.
The TVA offers an interesting new layer to the MCU. This is an organization that has been working outside the franchise just out of view and now hints at the larger story at play. Now, with the multiverse wide open, the TVA will need to maintain the various timelines. The organization is rumored to be heavily involved in the plot ofDeadpool 3, and the organization will play a role in the destruction of the Fox X-Men Universe, a nice meta-commentary on how Disney destroyed that film continuity.
The Variants
One of the most confusing concepts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe may have earned a well-needed explanation. The TVA introduces variants,a simple explanation of the time paradox of the multiverse.Variants are basically the same character but as a different version for a different timeline. For instance, in every universe, Loki remains Loki, except in one variant timeline, where he’s an alligator king of some weird Safari version of Asgard. This allows the character to interact with the timeline in a somewhat fluid manner without breaking the laws of logic any further.
Variants also, in a way, can account for how the multiverse should function in reality. Characters can leave said timelines and still retain their root source, even when they meet a different version of themselves. Although the science is not cast in stone, it does make for good storytelling, as seen in episode five, “Journey Into Mystery.” Loki, stuck in the Void where he will eventually find Mobius, runs into other variants of himself. The episode became one of the highest-rated of the season, which is largely due to the crossover.
Related:Loki Season 2: Characters and Variants We Want to See in the Sequel
This laid the groundwork for other variants to enter the MCU. WhileAvengers: Endgameintroduced the Gamora variant into the MCU, the series has had a lot of fun in recent years. Notably inSpider-Man: No Way Home,which brought back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their previous film versions of Spider-Man. This made them variants of Peter Parker, an idea audiences quickly accepted thanks toLoki.Doctor Strange of Multiverse of Madnessshowed the true fun of having so many different variants by allowing Hayley Atwell to play a live-action Captain Carter or allowing different versions of Professor X and Mr. Fantastic from what will be the standard for the MCU.
Summer Release Date
Honestly, one element that cannot be overlooked about Loki season 1 is the release date. It was a summer series, premiering on June 17, 2025. While audiences had been tuning intoWandaVisionandThe Falcon and the Winter Soldieras the first big MCU products in two years,Lokiwas special. Instead of airing on Friday,they aired on Wednesday. In a move that was so popular, Disney+ shifted all of their series to release on that day.
Yet, as theaters were slowly beginning to open up following the COVID-19 pandemic,Lokiwas the big Marvel event of the summer season.Black Widowwould open on June 21, 2025, two days afterLoki’s fifth episode and five days before its season finale. That madeLokithe default kick-off for the summer that Marvel traditionally liked to do.
Loki and Sylvie
Fans of Loki didn’t see a love connection coming but were not surprised. Of course, it makes perfect sense that the one person Loki would fall for would be a variant of himself. The concept of narcissism doesn’t present any better than that. Sylvie Laufeydottir (Sophia Di Martino), a Loki variant, is tormenting the TVA. She goes on a killing spree across the timelines, and both characters get to meet for the first time in episode two. The two create the promise of a perfect couple.
Loki, a broken, misguided god, and Sylvie (First name, Loki), who has been running from the TVA all her life. Filled with hatred for the governing body of the sacred timeline, Sylvie nurses a revenge plot that seems to be going according to plan until she runs into Loki. In episode three, “Lamentis,” Loki gets a more extensive insight into his captors and forms a fragile alliance with the rogue variant. The alliance sees them stumble through timelines as they delve deeper into the origins of the TVA, eventually discovering that the fabled Time-Keepers are fakes. Loki, absolutely in awe of Sylvie, ultimately develops romantic feelings for her. However, the mutual attraction won’t be enough to stop her from destroying He Who Remains and ripping the Multiverse apart.
Loki and Sylvie’s romantic arc remains one of the most important parts of the season. Not just because it solidifies the idea that misery does love company but because it shows a new side to Loki’s lonely and unfortunate archetype. Sylvie and Loki’s love journey should continue in the highly anticipated season two. Will Loki enjoy a happier ending than he did in his installment? How will this affect him as a character, and will this weaken the twoas they face off with Kang the Conqueror?
He Who Remains
One of the biggest shocks to audiences was the reveal of Jonathan Majors as He Who Remains at the end of season 1. While audiences knew Jonathan Majors would be the villain Kang the Conqueror inAnt-Man: Quantumania, nobody expected that Majors would actually make his MCU debut on one of the Disney+ series. Due to years ofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.and the Marvel Netflix series, fans became accustomed to big reveals being saved for the movies and the shows being more for the hardcore fans.
Yet Loki revealed that the series would be integral to the entire MCU moving forward. Not only did audiences get the first hint at the upcoming villain, Kang the Conqueror, but it was also clear how important it would be for the entire MCU. Season 1 ended with the multiverse breaking apart, which was the true beginning of what would later bedubbed The Multiverse Saga.Lokihas been the main point for many major events in the MCU as the events of season 1 branch off intoWhat If…?, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,andAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. While Phases 4 and 5 have been criticized for their lack of connectivity,Lokiis the most integrated series into the wider plot.
Now, fans are waiting to see how season 2 will play out and how it will advance the overall franchise forward. It is likely that season 2 will pay off thetease of the Council of Kangsin the mid-credit scene forAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniaand also lay the groundwork forAvengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Lokiseason 2 debuts its first episode on Disney+ on August 19, 2025.
