Loki Season 2 Review: Marvel Delivers The Multiverse Mayhem We've Been Waiting For
It's not out of line to wonder whether we've hit an inflection point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How many times can a franchise dangle that tantalizing football in front of its fans, coax countless viewers to build up a full head of steam in the hopes of having their sky-high expectations met again and again, and then snatch that prize away right at the last second? Recent history suggests that a shared universe built primarily on the promise of the next big thing to come does, in fact, have an expiration date — or, at the very least, a moment of truth where over a decade of goodwill finally threatens to run out. After a series of low points poked several glaring holes in the MCU's once-impenetrable armor, from divisive entries like "Eternals" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" to unmistakable misfires such as "Thor: Love and Thunder," "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," and "Secret Invasion," even wildly successful studio head Kevin Feige might've started to sweat under the brim of that familiar baseball hat.
Luckily for fans, salvation has come in the most surprising — and mischievous — of packages. Few level-headed observers could've expected another Disney+ series, which have had an increasing tendency to feel like disposable projects deemed unworthy of the big screen, would help right the ship in a substantial way. But after years of Marvel teasing a new multiversal storyline that will presumably unlock never-before-seen corners of the comic book universe, there's something fitting about the fact that the second season of "Loki" is the one to finally fulfill such potential that was only ever gestured at throughout "Multiverse of Madness," "Spider-Man: No Way Home," and even "Avengers: Endgame" and "Quantumania."
Like much of the latter-day MCU, "Loki" season 1 showed glimpses of promise alongside a frustratingly slapdash sense of execution. (The finale, which featured an awkwardly staged exposition dump but with a refreshingly low-scale twist on the typical energy-blasting final action sequence, conveniently sums up all the episodes' highs and lows in one extended sequence.) But "Loki" season 2 positions itself as the rare streaming show to learn some important lessons from its predecessor and take the next step, as the first four episodes screened to critics (out of a total of six) deliver a sharply directed, tightly-scripted, and constantly entertaining thrill ride that should please the diehards even as it wins over even the most jaded of fans.
Adjusting on the fly
Picking up mere seconds after season 1 left off — when Tom Hiddleston's title character failed to prevent the murder of He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors, a glaring, distracting, and unfortunately significant presence throughout the season) all the way at the End of Time and watched helplessly as his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) unleashed chaos upon the Sacred Timeline — season 2 of "Loki" smoothly transitions to the show's new major and upcoming conflict, though not before a nifty-but-necessary bit of ret-conning.
Fans will remember the bold, almost "Planet of the Apes"-like finale that saw Loki returning to an utterly changed Time Variance Authority (TVA), where neither TVA agent Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson) nor Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) recognize our villain-turned-hero anymore and Kang the Conqueror now appears in total control. Written by new head writer Eric Martin and directed by talented filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, all of whom combine to inject a playful sense of liveliness and (glorious) purpose to the new season, the season 2 premiere slightly re-contextualizes this moment to allow for a more straightforward storyline. From there, we steamroll ahead to tackle the painful-looking "time slipping" conundrum that now plagues Loki, meet new additions Ouroboros (or O.B., played by a lovably scene-stealing Ke Hey Quan) and X-5 (Rafael Casal, who sinks his teeth into a surprisingly well-rounded role), and generally set up the stakes for the new season.
As easy as it is to get lost or have one's eyes glaze over amid the endless technical jargon of "Temporal Looms," "Temporal Aura Extractors," pruning, and branching timelines (here, we're reminded that even better-than-average MCU is still, unavoidably, the MCU), the creative team maintains a steady hand on the wheel. Thanks to a host of clever editing tricks (shout-out to editor Emma McCleave) blending past and present in one hilarious conversation early on, quick panning shots from director of photography Isaac Bauman that directly incorporate the camera itself into the punchlines of killer jokes, the ever-energetic score composed by a returning Natalie Holt, and a gorgeous visual medley harkening to the old-fashioned/futuristic anachronisms of "BioShock" with the low-budget joys of "Doctor Who" by production designer (and, later on, episode director) Kasra Farahani, "Loki" takes viewers through the chaotic and rapidly-unfolding disaster awaiting the TVA. Most encouragingly of all, it does so with confidence and a sense of style rarely seen anymore in Marvel productions these days.
Twists and turns
More impressive than anything else, however, is that "Loki" lives up to its title character's billing as one of the most unpredictable elements in all of the MCU. Fans who've grown used to cookie-cutter plots and strangely unengaging adaptations of seminal comic book events might just be jolted out of their collective malaise, while skeptics could very well find themselves leaning in and absorbed by the all-too-fleeting impression of simply never knowing what will come next. There's plenty of standard superhero fare sprinkled in out of genre obligation, but even the most wonky VFX and head-scratching leaps in logic can't fully detract from a consistently witty, genuinely hilarious, and hijinks-heavy tone that isn't afraid to get dark when it needs to.
But at the risk of damning with faint praise, it truly is refreshing to watch a Marvel series that's actually about something real and meaningful — more so, at least, than the standard question of whether enough narrative gears can be turned to vaguely set up a possible direction for some future movie or show to take things next. In a seamless continuation of much of season 1's concerns, "Loki" picks up on the thread of the God of Mischief's turn towards heroism, casting a wider net on whether bad people who've done bad things can really be capable of changing their colors for good. In fact, season 2 takes an even more expansive stance on whether institutions like the TVA, so easily corrupted and weaponized as a tool of oppression and suffering, can be redeemed and rehabilitated ... or, if the wildcard Sylvie has her way, it ought to be burned to the ground altogether.
By the middle episodes, which pivot towards a wonderfully complex dynamic with all sorts of competing motivations, self-interests, and loyalties, it becomes a challenging task to figure out who to root for and who can be trusted. All the while, the threat of Kang hangs heavy over the proceedings — not unlike the criminal allegations trailing Majors that will almost assuredly require a full-scale recasting down the road. For now, that brewing controversy symbolizes the one bitter pill to swallow, only somewhat offset (if at all) by one of Marvel's most daring efforts yet. Time will tell if the final two episodes can stick the landing, but there's reason to hope that, at last, the unending nature of the franchise needn't overshadow its creative ambitions. For better or worse, the ball is firmly in Marvel's court.
/Film rating: 7 out of 10
"Loki" season 2 premieres on Disney+ on October 5, 2023.