After a lengthy hiatus, Marvel Studios returns with the long-awaited sophomore season of Loki, which continues the epic story of the one and only Loki Laufeyson (Tom Hiddleston). Fresh off unraveling one of the universe’s greatest mysteries, the one-time villain turned all-time hero is now at the center of saving the timeline - and the greater multiverse - from an extinction-level threat unlike any he’s faced before.
**This review may contain minor spoilers from the first four episodes of Loki season two**
Season Two picks up immediately after the events of season one, with Loki having been bested by Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) and now finding himself back at the TVA, albeit a very different TVA. This unfamiliar one features prominent monuments of He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) and a Mobius (Owen Wilson) that has no apparent memory of the God of Mischief or their friendship.
While we’ve all spent the last two years wondering what was going on in that final scene, we would’ve been much better served had we wondered a little more about when was this going on…
As the trailers have hinted toward, Loki has actually done the impossible and time slipped into the past, where he explores a considerably different TVA than the one he and his friends knew. What that means exactly is for fans to discover on their own in the coming weeks, but it certainly sets the stage for an exciting season that builds upon the show’s mythos and pushes it into an even higher tier of Marvel storytelling.
Last season, Loki and Sylvie found the man at the end of the yellow brick road, with the latter choosing to bring He Who Remains’ control over the sacred timeline to a definitive end, but now that he’s gone, what comes next for the two variants and everyone that lives within the MCU multiverse? Well, that’s a really good question and one that’ll be answered in due time, but first, a more immediate threat presents itself, with the timeline on the verge of collapsing, which would cause unspeakable death and destruction to an infinite amount of lives.
With these characters all now well-established in MCU lore, season two wastes no time getting Loki and Mobius back into the thick of the action. Instead of unraveling another mystery, new head writer Eric Martin is tasked with finding an answer for a near-unsolvable problem and does an exceptional job introducing challenging new scenarios for our heroes to traverse. While some may be hoping for a few deeper character moments akin to season one, there's a real sense of urgency in the first four episodes of season two that is honestly a welcome change of pace and really demonstrates how well these characters (and the actors behind the roles) mesh together. Loki has finally found his team and it's endearing to see how far he will go to save them, and vice versa.
To avoid spoilers, I won’t break down every episode here, but each installment feels stronger than the last, and arguably more standalone in nature than previous MCU seasons. Due to the nature of the threat, it’s a considerably more focused journey and a decidedly impressive improvement over its inaugural season. Episode four might actually be one of the finest hours of Marvel television ever produced. The twists and turns are jaw-dropping and set the stage for what should be an unbelievable conclusion this November.
Tom Hiddleston is unsurprisingly in top form as the fan-favorite God of Mischief and further cements himself as one of Marvel Studios’ most precious gems. Whoever decided to pair Hiddleston and the always excellent Owen Wilson for this show is a genius of the highest caliber. Loki and Mobius are so good together, the perfect buddy cop duo, who are impossible not to root for, and it's hard not to smile after every scene they share together. Sophia Di Martino is also, again, back to her scene-stealing ways and is a force to be reckoned with throughout the season as she explores a slightly different, more vulnerable Sylvie, although, don’t worry, she’s still just as angry as before. Wunmi Mosaku and Eugene Cordero get a lot more to do this time around and are both welcome sights throughout.
Jonathan Majors has a significant role to play and certainly grows on you with his unexpected portrayal Victor Timely, but it’s He Who Remains that could go down as his defining Marvel role. Majors is arguably at his best when he briefly steps into that role versus what we’ve seen from him thus far as Kang and his respective variants. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is stellar as she explores Ravonna's villainous side, while Tara Strong is a tour de force as Miss Minutes, finally getting to express her character's true nature and it’s so delightfully unhinged.
The biggest addition to the cast is Academy Award-winner Ke Huy Quan as Ouroboros, a.k.a. OB, who is a true revelation and one of the most fun new Marvel characters in quite some time. Quan delivers an infectiously sincere performance that’s impossible not to enjoy and his scenes opposite Hiddleston and Wilson are among the season’s most memorable moments. He fits in seamlessly with the entire cast and makes the ensemble's chemistry even more electric.
Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead spearhead the directing team and push the visual envelope even further than before. The scripts are strong, and their direction helps elevate the material further with creative decisions that keep the show feeling fresh. The show is a little more action-heavy this season, both practical and magical, and they pull it all off with a solid balancing act. The visual effects are also quite strong, with many standout moments that just flat out look cool, namely the time slipping and anything revolving around the Time Loom.
If there are any minor nitpicks, the show does sacrifice some of the intimate character study nature of the first season, although much of that can be attributed to Loki having already grown from the man we were reintroduced to at the beginning of season one and the immediate nature of the threat, so there's little time for Lamentis-esque adventures.
Also, even though Loki arguably explains the MCU multiverse better than anything that's come before, save for maybe Spider-Man: No Way Home, everything we learn this season only answers some of our questions, while raising a number of new ones for the future. The MCU is in serious need of some clarification and it would certainly be nice to know whether or not what we're seeing in Loki will actually affect the future and/or inform upcoming titles like Deadpool 3, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and/or Avengers: Secret Wars.
All in all, Loki season two is a jaw-dropping magical experience that will leave you begging for more! It's a high stakes, high reward season, with twists and turns that'll keep you on the edge of your seat. The new season improves upon what was already one of Marvel's best shows ever, and further cements the legacy of Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief as one of the finest characters in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Don’t miss it!