Loki leak could reveal a huge Marvel Phase 4 twist
Could there be a villain on the inside?
Loki's upcoming Disney+ show is stalled indefinitely, but there are still some glimmers of news here and there. With reveals of cast members like Owen Wilson and Gugu Mbatha-Raw on board, there's a diverse range of talent, but one actor is all but guaranteed to play a villain: character actor and Star Wars alum Richard E. Grant. A new update to the show's IMDb page has fueled speculation on how exactly his character will factor into the new time-heisty show.
Reddit user kickstart761 first noticed the update: Richard E. Grant, previously listed to appear on only one episode, is now listed for all 6. This means he plays a bigger role in the series than we realized. However, he was only on set for a relatively short time. How could he appear in all episodes without committing too much? The answer may lie in what we already know about the show.
The series will follow Loki's adventure with the Tesseract, but he also gets taken into custody by the Time Variance Authority. This information, combined with the precedent of extremely episodic spinoff series like The Mandalorian, means the show will probably start with him in custody by the TVA, with flashbacks showing what hijinks he got up to over the fabric of space and time.
Loki in the custody of the Time Variance Authority
If Richard E. Grant has an appearance in every episode but limited screen time, he'll probably only appear in these framing device scenes as a TVA agent. However, just having him as a menacing time cop would be wasting his villainous presence — just look at his turn as General Pryde in The Rise of Skywalker.
The terrifying General Pryde
Now we know he's a series regular, many have theorized his character will have a last-second twist and reveal himself to be none other that Kang the Conqueror, the long-rumored Marvel villain. Could this finally be where he makes a live-action appearance? It certainly would provide the perfect cliffhanger before the inevitable Season 2.
The Inverse Analysis
Hoping Grant's role in Loki is an ongoing narrator for various time-travel adventures with a sudden heel-turn may be wishful thinking, but if either of those two theories are true, it will still be an epic role for him and a solid choice for the plot. Of course, there are endless possibilities with a time-travel show, so don't rule out seeing him as an older version of Loki, or possibly even Thor.
