Loki stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson and Sophia Di Martino joined Deadline’s Contenders TV event Saturday to discuss set design, character motivations and the potential future of the Disney+ series beyond Season 2.
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to churn out box office hits, it’s hard to believe that Hiddleston’s star-making turn as the celestial trickster brother to the hammer-wielding god Thor started well over a decade ago.
“I’ve absolutely loved playing Loki; it’s been 15 years, and it is the most magnificent and emotional roller coaster for the twists and turns,” Hiddleston said. “He has so much range and so much complexity, it never feels like [I’m playing] the same thing. But I know the reason I’m standing here in front of you today is that the audience has such curiosity and passion for and a connection to him.”
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In Season 2 of the Marvel Studios series, Loki finds himself in a battle for the ownership of the Time Variance Authority. Along with Mobius (Wilson), Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) and a team of new and returning characters, Loki has to navigate an increasingly dangerous multiverse in search of Sylvie (Di Martino), Judge Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), Miss Minutes (Tara Strong) and He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). Loki makes the ultimate self-sacrifice as he learns that the true crux of his glorious purpose is to watch over the sacred timeline while looking over his newfound family and friends at a solitary distance.
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“Playing Loki has changed the course of my whole life, no question.” Hiddleston reflected. “And I feel so proud of where we’ve ended up in Season 2. It was very creatively fulfilling to bring something full circle. I always saw him from the very first film as a broken soul with a shattered heart who felt like he didn’t belong … all that grief hardens into grievance. That’s what binds him to Sylvie. And the grievance is what drives him to become a villain in the Avengers and the Thor movies, and this second chance that he’s given by Mobius to rediscover that glorious purpose that he feels he’s always been burdened with … it comes in a shape he would have never recognized and would never have anticipated. And it gave him a kind of catharsis that he wasn’t ready for.”
Considering the popularity and longevity of the character, it seems only natural to ask if audiences will be seeing him again somewhere amongst the ever-expanding MCU. “I wish I could tell you, but I have no idea.” Hiddleston quipped.
Check back Monday for the panel video.