Loki Season 2 Episode 3 Nods To A Thor Character Continually Cut From The MCU
This post contains spoilers for "Loki" season 2, episode 3.
The fate of the multiverse is at stake in the latest season of "Loki," as the Time Variance Authority's beating heart, the Temporal Loom, is currently at risk of being destabilized. A panicked OB (Ke Huy Quan) explains that the Loom requires the temporal aura of its creator to return back to baseline — however, as He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) has been dead for quite some time, all hopes are pinned on a rogue Miss Minutes (voiced by Tara Strong), who is secretly working with ex-TVA employee Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) since she dipped off the TVA's radar. As the duo journey back to the past, so do Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Mobius (Owen Wilson), who are desperate to avert the catastrophe that might erase every timeline that exists.
The 1983 Chicago World Fair seems to be the destination that holds all the answers, and as Loki and Mobius look around the area, they notice an Asgardian exhibit with three statues: Thor, Odin, and Balder. While Loki is baffled by the inaccuracy of the statues, Mobius muses why Balder is even there, as barely anyone knows about him. Loki's absence from the exhibit leads the two to banter, and Loki makes a jestful swipe at Balder's height. Balder's inclusion might feel baffling indeed, as he has never been mentioned in the "Thor" movies, despite being originally included in almost all of them.
As the poor dude never made the cut in the MCU, "Loki" finds a fun way to include Balder in a situation that adds levity to a high-stakes scenario. But who is Balder, and why hasn't he made an appearance in the MCU yet? Let's find out.
Balder the Brave
Did you know that Thor had another half-brother? That's right: Balder is another one of Odin's kids and was close friends with Thor, at least according to several Marvel comics issues. Balder was officially revealed to be a part of Odin's family tree in "Thor #500," but the details of his childhood remain unclear, as he has always been regarded as a foundling due to being born out of wedlock. As prophecies swirled around Balder's death, which was believed to be a trigger for the apocalyptic event known as Ragnarok, or Twilight of the Gods, Odin demanded that Balder be invulnerable to any kind of harm. While Balder remains mostly invulnerable, he can still be gravely injured and can die of natural causes.
Marvel Cinematic Universe costume designer Graham Churchyard told ComicBook about the near-inclusion of Balder in all the "Thor" movies, where things did not work out in favor of the invulnerable Asgardian due to one reason or another:
"We got very far designing Balder the Brave and then we were waiting, and waiting, and waiting on casting ... Poor Balder the Brave, he almost made 'Thor 1', 'Thor 2', and 'Thor 3' ... I've seen designs [from] Marvel's archive book of Balder's helmet going back to Kenneth Branagh's 'Thor.' So, he's been a long time waiting and I don't think he's gonna make an appearance any time soon."
While this is a bummer, it is pretty cool that "Loki" decides to dedicate a brief scene to this forgotten Asgardian, reminding us that he does exist (despite being shorter than he is depicted, at least if you believe Loki). While Balder might not ever make an appearance on the big screen, maybe a show like "Loki" can finally make it happen down the line. Justice for Balder!
New episodes of "Loki" stream on Disney+ every Thursday.