Tom Hiddleston returns as the God of Mischief in Disney+'s Loki. The series comes from screenwriter Michael Waldron and features the directing talents of Kate Herron. After stealing the Tesseract during the events of Avengers: Endgame, an alternate version of Loki winds up in front of the mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA).
This bureaucratic organization exists outside of time and space and monitors the timeline. They give Loki a choice: face erasure from existence due to being a "time variant," or help fix the timeline and stop a more significant threat. Loki ends up trapped in his version of a crime thriller, traveling through time and altering human history.
Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson), a "TVA" who specializes in the investigations of perilous time criminals, and Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mnatha-Raw) join Loki on his journey. Renslayer is a former Hunter of the TVA. Ravonna Renslayer from the ranks to become a respected judge; she is also whom Mobius reports to. Loki wastes no time in setting up its premise. One of the things I enjoyed immensely was seeing the God of Mischief get his just desserts when he attempts to shove a TVA agent. Wunmi Mosaku portrays the agent, who you may recall from last year's His House.
In addition, using the fish out of water premise gives Tom Hiddleston a chance to flex his comedy chops. Hiddleston is at the top of his game as Loki constantly tries to divert to his former ways, only to fail at every turn. The angle that series creator Michael Waldron uses to bring Mobius M. Mobius and Loki together is predictable. Still, both actors sell the material and elevate it about the routine material. One of the best moments in Episode 1 involves Mobius showing Loki all of his past crimes and Loki taking ownership. History buffs will get a kick out of Loki's connection to an epithet bank robber that you will know when you hear it.
I want to give the heads up the first Episode of Loki is an all-out action fest but more in the vein of a comedy with action moments. I also want to give credit to the writers for simplifying the time travel angle of the plot. I will say that for now, this is strictly the Tom Hiddleston show, so some may have an issue with the lack of arcs for the other actors, but that is just fine. The creators of Loki continue the trend set by previous Disney+ shows of separating the character from what we know them for in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That said, I look forward to going on Loki's journey for the next six weeks.
Final Grade: B+
Episode 1 of Loki premieres on Disney + tomorrow, June 9th. The remaining five episodes will air episodes every subsequent Friday beginning on June 18th.