Marvel Banned One Classic X-Men Location From The Void In Loki
Despite its reputation online as a place where original ideas and visionary talents go to get swallowed up by the machine, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has oftentimes been described as a boon for creative freedom by those in the know. "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Secret Wars" directors Joe and Anthony Russo are the primary examples, having gotten along fabulously with head honcho Kevin Feige over the last decade and change. But for every horror story about studio interference run amok, many more have gone on record to describe this franchise as a place where "no" is a word that's rarely spoken ... for the most part, at least.
Michael Waldron can safely be considered a trusted veteran of the MCU, having guided "Loki" to great success, penning the script for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and even lending his multiverse expertise to the upcoming "Avengers: Doomsday." And while promoting his latest work as the creator of the Glen Powell-starring series "Chad Powers," Waldron opened up about his shockingly smooth experience on season 1 of "Loki." While participating in a Reddit AMA, Waldron responded to a question about working within the constraints of a preexisting franchise and drawing between the lines. In a continuation of a popular theme from writers and directors who've worked with Marvel before and come out the other side with a glowing assessment, he explained that there was only one big exception to that rule — and it involved a classic X-Men location. According to Waldron:
"There is a lot of creative freedom within the MCU. I think 'Loki' is the weirdest thing in the world. I can't think of many times I was told no. Maybe when I originally wrote a deleted version of the Mojoverse into the Void."
The Mojoverse could've made Loki even weirder than it already was
We might know why Marvel ultimately prevented Michael Waldron from turning "Loki" season 1 into an even weirder and wilder version of itself. Before it became the temporary stomping grounds for Hugh Jackman's Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool in "Deadpool & Wolverine" (along with several other "X-Men" characters), the Void was first introduced in "Loki" as a sort of repository for all of the Sacred Timeline's castoffs. Any rogue agents "pruned" by the TVA (Time Variance Authority) found themselves dumped into this desolate world, left at the mercy of the watchdog cloud monster Alioth and all the various Loki variants trapped there. But, apparently, Waldron once found a way to include an X-Men reference much earlier than "Deadpool & Wolverine" ever did ... which is probably the reason Marvel gently put their foot down.
For the uninitiated, the Mojoverse is the pocket dimension home of Mojo, one of the most bizarre characters in all of Marvel Comics (and, yes, that's saying a lot). Traditionally a villain of the X-Men, Mojo developed an obsession with the super-team of mutants from Earth-616. He would go on to appear in various animated shows like "X-Men: The Animated Series," "X-Men '97," "Wolverine and the X-Men," and "Avengers Assemble." For better or worse, the first live-action reference to the (literally) spineless alien didn't come to pass in "Loki" season 1. Waldron doesn't comment further on why Marvel said no, but it's relatively easy to connect the dots. Either the Mojoverse was simply too out there, even for the Void, or Marvel simply declined to get ahead of itself as far as the X-Men are concerned.
We here at /Film anxiously demand await Mojo and the Mojoverse's official debut in "Avengers: Doomsday" or beyond.