While the Multiverse is a concept about which Doctor Strange and the audience still know frighteningly little, fans would be completely in the dark about this Phase 4 focus if it wasn't for Loki on Disney+. The Tom Hiddleston-led Marvel series not only focused on the God of Mischief as he confronted himself and the Time Variance Authority (TVA), but also educated audiences on timelines, Variants, a Multiversal War, and He Who Remains.
In the final episode of the show's first season, Sylvie - a female Loki Variant and Loki's love interest - killed He Who Remains, seemingly freeing the Multiverse and its branching timelines. Meanwhile, Loki is trapped in a TVA from an alternate timeline, attempting to warn those who no longer know him about the coming of Kang the Conqueror.
While Marvel revisited the Multiverse again in both What If...? and Spider-Man: No Way Home, whether the events of Loki are responsible for those stories is currently a mystery that will hopefully be explored in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. What has been confirmed, however, is that Loki's story is far from over; and now, fans are hearing from the series' directors about what to expect in Season 2.
New Loki Directors Tease Season 2 Surprises
Just ahead of Marvel's Moon Knight debut on Disney+, fans are learning more about the upcoming second season of Loki and the connections between the two MCU series.
ComicBook spoke with Loki's Season 2 directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, who also directed Episodes 2 and 4 of Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight. Not only did the duo share their appreciation for the surprising nature of the two characters and their stories, but also how they related to them as "they feel like outsiders:"
"We know that the thing that appeals to us about Loki and Moon Knight specifically, it's just among the MCU, they feel like outsiders. And there's something about that that we really relate with."
While audiences have yet to see Oscar Isaac's take on Marvel's newest character, fans do know that Moon Knight will be different in terms of his struggle with Dissociative Identity Disorder and his multiple identities.
Meanwhile, Loki's early path to villainy was paved by having been adopted, different, and overshadowed by his brother Thor. Even though he has become somewhat of a hero thanks to his series, the God of Mischief is a hero of a different kind.
As to what fans can expect from Loki's second season, Moorhead teased the "new" and "unexpected," as well as how the two "get to kind of do whatever (they) want:"
"I think the biggest thing about Loki is just that it's actually a lot like Moon Knight, where there's just no reason to do it if it's not going to be something new and fresh. It's funny is, it does feel like Marvel would be willing to walk away unless it actually is something that they felt the unexpected. Like from Moon Knight and especially because Moon Knight is a character where nobody knows almost anything about him, yet. Soon to be changed, right? And so our gloves are off and we get to kind of do whatever we want. And everybody at Marvel and ourselves gets really excited when we are presented with the unexpected. We also of course, hope that people watching feel the same way and we're gonna bring all that to Loki."
How Will Doctor Strange 2 & Quantumania Affect Loki Season 2?
Much like WandaVision on Disney+, Loki was very much a mystery in terms of who was in control, what was actually happening, and what the leading characters would do. They were also completely original and distinct from other series - and even the MCU films - in terms of style and design.
The fact that Marvel, and Loki's new directing team, are continuing to embrace the "new and fresh" and "unexpected" is only good news for fans. It means Season 2 won't just be a remixed version of Season 1, but rather a continuation of this ongoing story.
However, it's worth pointing out that the show may have a few constraints this time around that it didn't in Season 1.
Due to its Multiversal story, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is sure to have an impact on Loki's next season. In fact, if the rumors are true, members of the Loki cast are expected to cameo in the upcoming film, possibly setting the stage for its next chapter.
Also, since Jonathon Majors' Kang the Conqueror is confirmed for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the events of that future film may dictate just what Loki's writers and directors will have to do on Disney+.
Just how Loki's new directing team intends to balance the unexpected with predetermined story beats remains to be seen; but in the meantime, fans can catch a glimpse of Moorhead and Benson's work in Moon Knight and hopefully gain a few answers in Doctor Strange 2 on May 6, 2022.
All Season 1 episodes of Loki are available to stream on Disney+.
