'Loki' Disney+ Show Gets 'Rick and Morty' Writer to Rewrite Human History
A mischievous romp through history.
by Corey PlanteThe new Disney+ Loki series set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe could have some Adult Swim vibes because the show just landed Rick and Morty Season 4 writer Michael Waldron as its showrunner.
The Hollywood Reporter reported on Friday that Waldron was hired to helm the Loki series for Disney, though Marvel declined to comment. However, some plot details also emerged as part of the leak.
“Sources say the show will follow Loki as the trickster and shape-shifter pops up throughout human history as an unlikely influencer on historical events,” THR writes.
Loki influencing human events does come as a surprise. The original Thor film made it seem like neither Loki nor Thor had spent any time on Earth at all. In the MCU, Loki was born circa 965 A.D. and probably grew to adulthood by the turn of the millennia, so Hiddleston could feasibly play Loki from the High Middle Ages all the way up until the present.
There’s also the fact that Loki died in Avengers: Infinity War. It’s unclear if Marvel plans to bring him back to life in the upcoming sequel, Avengers: Endgame or at some other point. However, it sounds like this show will skirt the issue by setting the story in the past.
Actor Tom Hiddleston is expected to reprise the role of Loki, though that remains unconfirmed as well.
Tom Hiddleston has played Loki in the MCU for years, and his story is only just getting started it seems.
If he pops up throughout human history to influence various events, then this Loki series might wind up feeling just a bit like a lighthearted Doctor Who or DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. He’s probably not going to show up in 1888 London and become Jack the Ripper. He’s far more likely to travel to in London in the late 1500s to convince Shakespeare to write a play about the Norse God of Mischief.
Though Loki has been portrayed as a villain for most of the time in the MCU, he’s closer to a true Chaotic-Good in terms of D&D alignment. The plot description also puts emphasis on the “trickster” and “shape-shifter” aspects of the character, rather than the whole trying to enslave the human race thing from the original Avengers movie.
The Loki series also doesn’t necessarily have to progress in a chronological fashion. Each episode could follow a procedural format in a different time and place on Earth as Loki influences various events. Hopefully, the series assumes a comedic tone closer to Thor: Ragnarok than the other two Thor movies.
A comedic tone is one thing, but does showrunner Michael Waldron have enough experience on Rick and Morty to make this Loki show feel similar?
Michael Waldron was involved in this excellent 'Rick and Morty' episode in some fashion, but how, exactly?
Waldron only became a writer on Rick and Morty with Season 4, so we’ve technically never seen any of his work on the show yet. According to his filmography, he’s only served as a production assistant on four Season 1 episodes. Of those four, “Rixty Minutes” is the only Rick and Morty we’d call top-tier.
Waldron’s also worked with Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon on other series, namely Community and HarmonQuest. Other than this, his resume feels a bit lacking for him to be put in charge of such a high-profile series.
Waldron must’ve had one hell of a pitch for this Loki series. This does, however, continue Marvel Studios’ trend of taking on slightly risky, more indie writers and directors so each new show or movie has a unique tone to it. We’ve trusted their judgment so far, and the MCU has only gotten consistently better, so we have no reason to doubt this Loki series will be anything less than wildly entertaining and easy to watch.
The Loki series has no confirmed release date, but Disney+ should release later this year.
