What are your expectations for the Loki series?

[DougGraves]

How much will it feel like the adventures of Five in the Temps Aeternalis?

 

Will Loki be heroic or are we just supposed to root for him because he is the main character?

 

Will it be more of a comedy like Ragnarok?

[TheOtherTed]

 

To be a little less flip, the concept seems sort of cool, and I like the Loki character - but I'm just not getting them good vibrations from the trailers.  Feels like a one-season-wonder in the making.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by TheOtherTed

[Glacier Peak]

Great question!

 

As a character in the past movies, Loki never seemed like that much of a big draw (after the first Avengers movie, that is). The last time I was interested in his character has at the beginning of Infinity War, having completed his arc of redemption then getting thumped by Thanos. The fact that the character is being reverted back to the Avengers movie version is interesting, but I am not sure that alone will be enough for me to care about his character. The series will need to convince me, something that wasn't necessary for W&V or F&WS. Anyways, if I am being honest I will likely watch it regardless and if Disney+/Marvel past TV series are any indication, I will be satisfied.

[Haijinx]

Is this guy going to be in it?

 

 

[DougGraves]

Korg is in the next Thor movie (along with the Guardians of the Galaxy).  I don't think he's in the Loki series.

[Brawn - Marvels]

I'm expecting it to be like a season of Dr Who if the Master was the main character.

[TheOtherTed]

Great.  Now I really want to see a Dr. Who spin-off where Missy is the main character.

[Techwright]

  On 5/5/2021 at 12:03 AM, Commune said:

I'm expecting it to be like a season of Dr Who if the Master was the main character.

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Yeah, that's a great way to summarize my expectations.  Loki as seeming anti-hero, but with the potential to go full-on villain at any moment.  I think I'm most intrigued with Owen Wilson's role.  I'm not a huge fan of Owen, more neutral, but the trailers show a very interesting performance from him.  I kind of picture his character (and the TVA as a whole) in your stated context as the equivalent of the Gallifreyan leadership: clever, dangerous, confident that they have the Master completely under control, even foiling him a few times, but ultimately either resulting in a walk-away draw, or with him besting them in some way.

 

  On 5/5/2021 at 1:30 AM, TheOtherTed said:

Great.  Now I really want to see a Dr. Who spin-off where Missy is the main character.

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You and an army of Cyberm...um, fans, yes. 

[Glacier Peak]

They moved up the release date to Wednesday instead of Friday! Whoo hoo

 

Edit: Source 

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by Glacier Peak
Not next week lol

[TheOtherTed]

June 9th is a ways off yet.  Unless June is the new May.

[Glacier Peak]

What did you think @DougGraves?

[DougGraves]

I may see it tonight, but it is D&D night.  It's just 3 here in Seattle.

[Techwright]

I'm just starting it, and the first thing I notice is ...

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They've got a view of MCU NYC clearer than any I can remember.  Which means I can pinpoint the Stark/Avengers Tower, or at least come within a block or two of it.  Using Google maps, it appears that it is located where the MetLife building is in the real world, just west of the Chrysler Building, and adjacent to Grand Central Terminal.  Was that ever referenced in the MCU, as it has been in other superhero movies (X-men particularly)?

 

LATER:  Just finished.  Earlier comments suggesting this could be like a Doctor Who story from the Master's perspective are spot on.  In fact, based solely on the first episode, I'm kind of sad Stephen Moffat didn't write this as a Missy storyline.    I don't think I'm spoiling anything to say that, typical to MCU Disney + shows so far, there's a few really big twists in the episode.  Also one casting surprise:  Famous voice actress Tara Strong has an unusual role.   Owen Wilson did not disappoint.  I really liked his performance.

 

 

[Glacier Peak]

  On 6/9/2021 at 6:32 PM, Glacier Peak said:

That is EXACTLY what I thought. It was a nice touch in the beginning....

 

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...having that sort of 'take a ticket and proceed through the line' scene. It really grounds the character in to the new reality of the show. That, and having a drawer full of infinity stones, aka paper weights, as well.

I meant to pull this in from a cross post before I realized there was already a thread for it! 😅

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Edited June 10, 2021 by Glacier Peak

[DougGraves]

So they decided making a villain that was like an evil version of the hero was not enough, now they have the villain be an actual evil multiverse version of the hero.  That was sad.  I lost about 50% of my interest in the show.  I will still probably watch it since my daughter loves Loki.

 

It really felt like Umbrella Academy season 2 time bureau, with the black woman time tracker from season 1 thrown in.  Everything looked cool, but it felt so unoriginal having season Umbrella Academy last year.  I mean it didn't just seem like the Umbrella Academy plot.  The lighting, color, use of flashbacks, the whole feel of the show was Umbrella Academy.

 

This feels to me like a marvel Netflix show.  Really slow and drawn out.  But I felt that way about  episode 1 of Falcon and Winter Soldier and that got a lot better.  So this may just be a lame first episode.

 

And if you have not seen Umbrella Academy, this probably all seem innovative and cool.

[Glacier Peak]

  On 6/10/2021 at 4:35 PM, DougGraves said:

So they decided making a villain that was like an evil version of the hero was not enough, now they have the villain be an actual evil multiverse version of the hero.  That was sad.  I lost about 50% of my interest in the show.  I will still probably watch it since my daughter loves Loki.

 

It really felt like Umbrella Academy season 2 time bureau, with the black woman time tracker from season 1 thrown in.  Everything looked cool, but it felt so unoriginal having season Umbrella Academy last year.  I mean it didn't just seem like the Umbrella Academy plot.  The lighting, color, use of flashbacks, the whole feel of the show was Umbrella Academy.

 

This feels to me like a marvel Netflix show.  Really slow and drawn out.  But I felt that way about  episode 1 of Falcon and Winter Soldier and that got a lot better.  So this may just be a lame first episode.

 

And if you have not seen Umbrella Academy, this probably all seem innovative and cool.

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Interesting perspective! Yeah these Marvel Disney shows have all been slow builds...

 

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... but I get the trope is played out (alternate version of character, good now evil or evil now good and versus each other). Perhaps this will become a plot twist later? 

 

[DougGraves]

What I liked about Wandavision was that it wasn't a slow build as such.  It had fast paced episodes at the start that were just different from the end.  It was slow in revealing the big plot, but it was not slow.

[ExoGrimz]

With what we know about the story from the first episode...

 

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I'm personally expecting it to be some kind of time paradox where the Loki they are trying to hunt is actually the future of the Loki we are viewing the story from... where he learns of something about the Time Variance Police that makes him realize they aren't as strong (or as morally just) as they make themselves out to be.

 

Edited June 11, 2021 by ExoGrimz

[Techwright]

  On 6/11/2021 at 12:03 AM, ExoGrimz said:

With what we know about the story from the first episode...

 

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I'm personally expecting it to be some kind of time paradox where the Loki they are trying to hunt is actually the future of the Loki we are viewing the story from... where he learns of something about the Time Variance Police that makes him realize they aren't as strong (or as morally just) as they make themselves out to be.

 

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I would add...

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Regarding the "morally just"...the first episode just screams for a confrontation between Loki and the triumvirate of Timeline guardians.  Early days, so a big guess, but I'm going to guess they're the classic "the victors write the history" types, and they're story about being the heroes probably stinks, and the TVA are their unwitting stooges to enforce their effort to maintain their timeline and story.  I might even go so far as to guess that we have a "man behind the curtain" scenario, where the triumvirate are not so great and terrible.  (Your reference to "aren't as strong".) 

 

I'll make one other guess which is probably even more outrageous:  what if this version of Loki, broken by the vision of the future and his mother's death, willing to admit he hates killing, is ultimately reinserted into the timeline becoming the Loki who will stand alongside Thor, even to the cost of being destroyed by Thanos.  That rather than being wiped as an aberration.

 

Of course,  WandaVision showed how the seemingly obvious directions aren't always so.

 

[ExoGrimz]

  On 6/11/2021 at 1:11 AM, Techwright said:

 

I would add...

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Regarding the "morally just"...the first episode just screams for a confrontation between Loki and the triumvirate of Timeline guardians.  Early days, so a big guess, but I'm going to guess they're the classic "the victors write the history" types, and they're story about being the heroes probably stinks, and the TVA are their unwitting stooges to enforce their effort to maintain their timeline and story.  I might even go so far as to guess that we have a "man behind the curtain" scenario, where the triumvirate are not so great and terrible.  (Your reference to "aren't as strong".) 

 

I'll make one other guess which is probably even more outrageous:  what if this version of Loki, broken by the vision of the future and his mother's death, willing to admit he hates killing, is ultimately reinserted into the timeline becoming the Loki who will stand alongside Thor, even to the cost of being destroyed by Thanos.  That rather than being wiped as an aberration.

 

Of course,  WandaVision showed how the seemingly obvious directions aren't always so.

 

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Another point I forgot to add

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They already admitted to being hypocrites when they blatantly called the Avenger's going back in time to stop Thanos (which created an upward of at least 3 multiverses) was "A part of the Sacred Timeline." Meaning they created this timeline both knowing and intending for it to get broken at least once if not more.

 

[Hyperstrike]

One small point

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Loki references "Two Tony Starks".

How, exactly, would he know this?

He never had exposure to anyone other than in-timeline Stark.

The worst possible thing he'd have seen was a glimpse of Ant-Man.

 

[Techwright]

  On 6/11/2021 at 2:24 AM, Hyperstrike said:

One small point

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Loki references "Two Tony Starks".

How, exactly, would he know this?

He never had exposure to anyone other than in-timeline Stark.

The worst possible thing he'd have seen was a glimpse of Ant-Man.

 

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Good call.

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I went back and reviewed the Star Tower escape scene.  It's very sketchy, but Loki might have glimpsed disguised Stark at a key moment, but it is only hinted at, as the editing is choppy at that moment.  It's the moment immediately following when Ant-Man hits the case propelling it across the floor.  Loki is startled and takes a long look down the room to where the case has stopped.  Camera cuts to the case and disguised Tony moves in.  At that moment.  Loki looks back to where the case had started and gets a really puzzled look on his face.  Disguised Stark then picks up the case, proceeds across the room talking, when Hulk hits him with the door. 

 

In the original showing, we're left to believe that long look and the puzzled expression are Loki trying to come to terms with seeing an insect-sized man.  I think the series Loki took liberties with the shot, and now interpret it to mean that the puzzled look is his realization that he's just seen a second Stark in disguise moving to intercept the package.  And if you're concerned about the disguise bit, remember, Loki's very nature is about deception and misdirection.  He'd spot it in a moment.   It's all very thin, especially since it's a choppy scene, but it can fit.  

 

Still think they could have handled that better.

 

[Glacier Peak]

  On 6/11/2021 at 2:24 AM, Hyperstrike said:

One small point

  Reveal hidden contents

Loki references "Two Tony Starks".

How, exactly, would he know this?

He never had exposure to anyone other than in-timeline Stark.

The worst possible thing he'd have seen was a glimpse of Ant-Man.

 

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I thought it was that he smelled "them"?

[Hyperstrike]

  On 6/11/2021 at 4:21 AM, Techwright said:

 

Good call.

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I went back and reviewed the Star Tower escape scene.  It's very sketchy, but Loki might have glimpsed disguised Stark at a key moment, but it is only hinted at, as the editing is choppy at that moment.  It's the moment immediately following when Ant-Man hits the case propelling it across the floor.  Loki is startled and takes a long look down the room to where the case has stopped.  Camera cuts to the case and disguised Tony moves in.  At that moment.  Loki looks back to where the case had started and gets a really puzzled look on his face.  Disguised Stark then picks up the case, proceeds across the room talking, when Hulk hits him with the door. 

 

In the original showing, we're left to believe that long look and the puzzled expression are Loki trying to come to terms with seeing an insect-sized man.  I think the series Loki took liberties with the shot, and now interpret it to mean that the puzzled look is his realization that he's just seen a second Stark in disguise moving to intercept the package.  And if you're concerned about the disguise bit, remember, Loki's very nature is about deception and misdirection.  He'd spot it in a moment.   It's all very thin, especially since it's a choppy scene, but it can fit.  

 

Still think they could have handled that better.

 

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Fair enough

[DougGraves]

The evil time lords bit was the first season of Legends of Tomorrow.  I suppose if the majority of the show is Umbrella Academy season 2, having the ending be LoT season 1 makes sense as a twist.