Writer Michael Waldron on the liberties he enjoyed while penning the story of Loki, the only antagonist to get his own spin-off
Tom Hiddleston in the Avengers spin-off in and as Loki
The first movie that brought together the principle cast of the adulated Marvel Cinematic Universe, the 2012 offering, The Avengers, was unambiguously among the most prominent of the 23-film franchise. In a previous interview with mid-day, an Avengers writer had highlighted how the film, which saw the six characters interact with each other for the first time, provided enough opportunity to instil humour and depth into their introductions. But, in a film that was seemingly too crowded for any one actor to shine, the ability of Tom Hiddleston, despite being the antagonist, to have done so only establishes his credibility.
A character that was expected to be killed off early on in the franchise was kept alive owing to the love of fans. A decade later, Hiddleston’s Loki has a spin-off of his own. “Because Tom is fun to watch, it is fun to write [a story on him]. Our first thought was to create a story about this character that hasn’t been told in 10 years. Loki is an a**, and that makes my life as a writer, easy. He’s a man of frustration and chaos, and in any scene, anything can happen. This gives the writer a chance to take the story in different directions. Just like the shape-shifting character that Loki is, we wanted the show to be [unpredictable] as well,” says Michael Waldron, head writer of the upcoming Loki series, the latest in a spate of spin-offs that followed Avengers: Endgame.
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Michael Waldron. Pic/Getty Images
“Striping him off his crutches” by presenting him in an offering that doesn’t pair him with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) implies that Waldron could explore new dimensions of the character. “He is on his own, so, he is forced to reflect in a way he hasn’t. He can no longer blame everything on Thor or Odin [Loki’s father]. When you have an actor like Tom, you can sell any plot, as long as it is true. Due to the trauma in Loki’s life, I would even [accept a story] in which he is committed to being all bad. Tom’s soulfulness, charm and honesty is evident in the character. So, even when Loki is being mean or deceitful, people see the goodness of Tom in the character.”
Hiddleston pairs up with Owen Wilson again after Midnight in Paris (2011), and Waldron is delighted when discussing the latter’s addition to the franchise. “Owen is amazing. His character is opposite to that of Loki. He calls him out, and knows when he’s lying. That enforces Loki to be more honest. [Wilson’s character] will be a fan-favourite.”
The show will air on Disney+Hotstar Premium.
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