Helmed by Eric Martin, Loki Season 2 follows the aftermath of the shocking season finale where Loki (Tom Hiddleston) finds himself in a battle against the clock for the heart of the Time Variance Authority, dealing with the looming threat of Kang (Jonathan Majors) and his variants. Along with Mobius (Owen Wilson), Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku), and a team of new and returning characters, Loki navigates an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous multiverse in search of Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), Judge Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), Miss Minutes (Tara Strong) and the truth of what it means to possess free will and glorious purpose.
The first season of Loki was a massive surprise for me and many others as it beautifully explored the characterization of Loki, as well as massively expanded the MCU as a whole by paving the way for the introduction of the multiverse. With how things ended in the first season many have been eagerly waiting to see what events would unfold in the highly anticipated second season, which was set to answer all our questions and also hugely shake up the MCUs.
The wait was ultimately worth it because this season was absolutely phenomenal and is honestly vastly superior to the first season on many levels. This season continues the long journey of this variant of Loki, giving us a story full of incredible characters that are given marvelous performances, stellar thematic writing with massive stakes, insanely unexpected twists that change things forever, and masterfully crafted technical elements that soar above what came before. It is a very mind-bending yet emotionally compelling season that could have easily been crushed under its own ambitious nature yet held strong from start to finish, bringing the series as a whole full circle in the most unexpected yet perfect way.
Starting things off, the characters are all incredible across the board and every single one of them gives hugely dedicated performances that felt leaps above the acting in season 1. Not saying that season 1 had any bad acting whatsoever but I did feel the performances here were vastly superior and more emotionally compelling in comparison. Tom Hiddleston has played Loki for 12 years but in this second season he probably delivers his best portrayal of the character, showcasing an incredible range of emotions and taking us on an incredible journey from being the villainous God of Mischief to something far better and grander than anyone could imagine. The existential shock of his encounter with Kang and the impending collapse of the TVA has filled him with fear, not just because of the impending Kang variants but also because he wants to save all the friends he has made in his journey as he mainly fears being alone, which is a brilliant continuation of one of the major themes in season 1.
Loki goes through significant growth both in power and as a person while he is trying to find his place in the multiverse and his true glorious purpose, even if it means having to commit the ultimate sacrifice. It’s such a fantastic and beautifully written arc for this character that I honestly wish we had seen it during his time in the Infinity Saga. While it is mostly unlikely that this will be the last time we see Tom Hiddleston play the role of Loki, this is by far the best performance he’s delivered for the character and I just don’t see anything else topping it going forward.
The returning characters also get major development as most of them are faced with existential challenges after the events of the first season, questioning their own purpose as they all struggle with Loki to save the TVA.
Owen Wilson once again shines brightly as Mobius, with his comedic charm and stellar chemistry with Loki, though we finally get to see the more human side of him come forward in this season, giving him much more depth. All he has ever known in his life was the ultimate mission of the TVA but now he struggles to come to terms with the realization that all of it was not what it seemed. While he is still very hilarious as this character I really loved seeing Owen take on more serious scenes and pull them off so flawlessly, showing that he has very untapped potential for more roles outside of comedies.
Hunter B-15 goes from a simple pawn for a higher power into a strong leader with a great heart that the TVA desperately needs, and Wunmi Mosaku captures it beautifully with her performance.
Sylvie, reprised by Sophia Di Martino, has interesting growth in this season; after having unleashed the multiverse by killing He Who Remains she is facing the consequences of her actions in great ways. She firmly believes she has completed her mission of freeing the multiverse and saving millions of lives in the process. She is not necessarily wrong in doing so but it did not come without great cost. Much like Loki she is afraid of losing what she worked so hard to accomplish, and she is willing to do anything to fight for it even if it means letting the TVA die, confronting Loki, and killing more people. But her destructive nature begins to turn her into the very thing she hated for so long and we get to see her confront that fact in a beautiful display of emotional acting and very compelling writing that continues her journey from the first season. She is strongly stubborn yet her arguments are completely valid and understandable, with a lot of points that aren’t necessarily wrong, especially regarding the TVA and the dangers Kang variants provide.
Judge Renslayer also has interesting growth in this series as she learns more about her place in He Who Remains’ plan, realizing she had a closer relationship with him than she ever knew. Her discoveries take her on a dark path in the pursuit of control of the TVA and the unraveling multiverse, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays her incredibly well as a supporting villain.
Another surprising supporting villain was the cartoon clock AI Miss Minutes who goes full-on demented in this season in comparison to the previous. She was always unsettling to begin with, due to her attachment to the He Who Remains Kang variant, but she becomes even more unhinged this time around, coming off as a dangerous force that could rival that of even Ultron. Tara Strong truly delivers a fantastic voice performance as this character, once again really selling the cartoonish yet very creepy presence.
When it comes to new characters we have some great supporting performances from the likes of Kate Dickie, Liz Carr, and Rafael Casal, but there are some faces that really steal the spotlight. O.B. (short for Ouroboros) is an absolute gem of a character who won my heart instantly, thanks largely in part because of the energetic performance of recent Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan. This man has had a phenomenal comeback to the acting world, radiating so much positive energy that he puts into the character of O.B., resulting in a highly entertaining and wholesome character guaranteed to win everyone over the second they see him. His delivery on scientific techno babble is hilarious and enjoyable to listen to as Ke Huy Quan showcases his incredible talent that has been very underutilized for decades. This man needs more roles and I hope that his wonderful role in this series will help with that.
The first season introduced us to He Who Remains, the first variant of Kang the Conqueror to appear in the MCU, who warned Loki that millions more of him were coming with the promise of multiversal war, setting the stage for the next Avengers-level threat. His presence looms throughout this season even when he is not present, offering great build-up for what is to come.
Plus, we get a very interesting development of Kang in the form of another variant of his that appears as a major character in this season known as Victor Timely, a variant that comes from an 1893 branched timeline. Victor Timely was first teased at the end of Ant-Man: Quantumania and I had no idea what to expect from this variant of Kang, other than he presents a great danger to the multiverse just by existing. In a surprising turn of events I absolutely adored this character and he may be my favorite variant of Kang so far. Victor Timely is such a fun and engaging character with huge aspirations, but you don’t know where those aspirations could lead since they appear to be similar to the ones his evil counterparts have. It was such a good misdirect to make him kind and quirky, yet still retain the ego and deceptive nature of the character that we have learned of so far through previous variants.
But it is clear that this variant is the most human amongst the ones we have seen as actor Jonathan Majors brings some genuine sincerity, duplicity, and electrifying brilliance to the role, making this variant stand out from the rest. You feel so much for this variant yet also dread what he could become if he’s put on a certain dark path.
The incredible range Majors has brought to the role of Kang so far has been beyond phenomenal, which is why it hurts to know that there is the likely possibility this will be his final time playing the character in the MCU going forward. As of writing this, Jonathan Majors faces serious allegations which, if proven true, would be a serious shame because I loved him as a rising star and I felt he truly was the perfect choice for Kang, which is proven further by his role as Victor in this season. If worse comes to worst when his trial comes we will probably see someone else take on this role in his place, but it is clear that the Kang storyline will proceed forward, especially with what has been established in this series, and it would be a terrible move to drop it now given how he has been hugely set as this saga’s primary villain.
I want to see the character’s story continue forward regardless of what happens because I love how they have been establishing him so far in the MCU and I am eager to see what great chaos his council of variants could bring upon our unsuspecting heroes.
This season is a direct continuation of the first season but I will admit I felt way more invested in the story, world-building, and stakes of this season compared to the previous. Eric Martin’s helm over this series alongside his chosen directors, like the amazingly talented Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, really take the show to new heights as they play with the elements of time travel and the multiverse in new and crazy ways that are very ambitious yet ultimately pay off hugely.
But even with all the insane elements and twists the showmakers throw in that impact the MCU on massive levels, this still series remains a self-contained character-driven narrative with multiple themes of existentialism that play a large part in the characters and the story. The stakes are bigger now with the multiverse itself being a malevolent force that is growing at infinitely dangerous rates, making for a threat that is equally as dangerous as the one presented by Kang and his variants.
As a result, this makes for an extremely captivating season that, while it does have fun with itself, also has a great intensity to it with elements of 70s sci-fi horror, making this series stand out on it is own. It’s not as action-heavy as the preceding season yet it still keeps you engaged with compelling writing, making the conversations characters have with each other more investing than gratuitous comic book action. And while it does a lot of crazy things it doesn’t lose focus on its own story by delivering phenomenal well-earned emotional moments and bringing certain arcs and plot threads full circle, leaving nothing hanging.
While this season certainly does set things up for the future it felt refreshing that it was mostly focused on completing the story it set out with in the beginning, rather than focusing on setting up the next thing in a similar manner to the recently released Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. And if this series proves anything it’s that if the MCU is to proceed with more shows going forward, a multi-season format works so much better than one-offs, and a consistent vision by actual showrunners is a major necessity.
When it comes to the finale of this season not only do I think it is significantly better than the first season finale, but I also think it may be the best finale of all the MCU shows so far. It closes things off on an emotional and intense bang that I really didn’t expect but it was truly majestic and beautiful, not only for how it concludes the season but also how it brings everything in the series together in one epic full circle journey. While it is highly likely we will see certain characters from this story appear again in upcoming MCU installments, it feels like the story of this series has concluded on a special note that doesn’t necessarily require a third season to follow it. Everything ends so perfectly and I am majorly happy with all the ambitious directions they went in that all paid off.
This season features a wide range of incredible tech elements, all provided by the awesome crew of directors at the helm like the aforementioned Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, but also other directors like Dan DeLeeuw and Kasra Farahani. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead easily delivered the best and most visually striking episodes of the season, showcasing amazing camera work and editing that feels leaps above the first season in size and scale. And when it comes to the cinematography there’s a higher usage of one shots and handheld takes that make this season feel very cinematic and strengthen the overall tension of the season as a whole, making you feel everything that is happening on screen.
This season also features an even higher usage of practical effects and sets rather than CGI and they are all gorgeously crafted and given so much character, like the various TVA rooms and 1893 Chicago. The world presented this season feels very much alive and absorbs you in as if you can touch it yourself. And when CGI effects and sets are used all of it looks flawless and visually perfect in every frame. Similar to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, this felt like the showmakers let the VFX artists take their time to make this season look as visually perfect as possible, as well as having very uniquely themed effects ranging from Lovecraftian horror to Stanley Kubrick levels of Sci-Fi glory. This series feels epic and therefore it has to look epic, which is exactly what they did.
And then coming in with an extremely powerful musical score is returning composer Natalie Holt whose music establishes the weight of certain scenes and delivers such wonderful atmosphere that fits with everything that happens on screen. She truly gave it her all and I really hope Holt continues to be hired for more future scores because she truly is brilliant in every way.
Loki Season 2 both lived up to expectations but also massively exceeded them, delivering a magnificent follow-up to an already amazing first season. I loved every single thing about it and I can honestly say I had zero issues with it. Even if there is the chance certain things this series presented might change going forward, I feel Loki as a whole will always remain as a series burdened with glorious purpose. I’m going to give Loki Season 2 an A+ = 100.
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