Most MCU TV shows exist in their own little bubble, connected to the larger universe but isolated on their own. Secret Invasion sees a world-altering secret come to life, while She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel introduce two new super-powered superheroes, but it all feels disjointed, and many times we’re left wondering what purpose these shows serve. Are they meant to retcon past storytelling decisions in order to take the MCU on a more expansive path? Are they simply soft-launching superheroes who we will then have to meet all over again when they appear on the big screen? Unlike Star Wars or the DCU, the MCU often proudly boasts its interconnectivity, but when I watch shows like Loki, I question the reality of that interconnectivity.

More than any other series so far, Loki Season 2 feels deeply important to the MCU as a whole, with true universe-changing potential. After all, when you are erasing full universes and putting Kang the Conqueror into your show, it’s far bigger than just another Skrull masquerading-as-human reveal. But, at the same time, the series is also immensely isolated from the general goings-on of the universe at large given the nature of the TVA and how it exists outside of time.

We’re plunged right back into the story following Season 1 after Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) killed He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) — but while Season 1 focused on the issue of variants, specifically those of Loki, Season 2 revolves around the very fabric of space-time and the multiverse. While the performances are top tier, and Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s directorial style gives the series a bit more polish aesthetically, Loki Season 2 struggles with its pacing and balancing the complicated character dynamics that made Season 1 so good with the wider, more expansive plot.

‘Loki’ Season 2’s Strength Lies in the Performances
Image via Marvel Studios

Much of the strength of Loki hinges on the performance of the cast. Tom Hiddleston easily slides back into his persona as Loki — perhaps a bit more harried this season and a bit wiser, but still the trickster god. For those who worried before Season 1 that an Avengers-era Loki might lose his complexity, it was clear that the show was able to give him back that depth, and Season 2 develops it even more. It’s hard to imagine that this Loki is the same one who once dramatically said he was burdened with glorious purpose. In lesser hands, the character might feel like too sharp of a shift, but Hiddleston has always imparted a fragility to his character that has made him easy to love even when he’s doing particularly terrible things. A heroic Loki doesn’t feel that far removed from the villainous one — perhaps just a bit less deranged and a bit more humble.

At his side is Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius, at his best when he’s leaning into the humor of the character. There are a few moments when Wilson’s wry humor is the funniest thing on screen. Letting him play off of Hiddleston, Ke Huy Quan’s Ouroboros, or Rafael Casal’s Hunter X-5 allows him to be more than just the strait-laced company man. After four episodes provided for review, though, Mobius feels a bit less developed when compared to the other characters. Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) is particularly good this season, with Mosaku finally getting to dig into the meat of her character, who struggles between her TVA training and the realization that she is a variant herself. Similarly, the new additions of Rafael Casal, Ke Huy Quan, Kate Dickie, and Liz Carr add weight to the TVA beyond just Mobius, Loki, and B-15. Quan is particularly delightful as O.B. (short for Ouroboros), the singular employee working in the Repairs and Advancements sector of the TVA. Quan lends his signature cheerful humor to the role, which plays brilliantly off of the other more serious characters. Dickie’s General Dox is appropriately menacing as well, with Casal playing the more opportunistic Hunter X-5 at her side, and Carr’s Judge Gamble offers a more compassionate view of the judges at the TVA.

Season 2 also brings back Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie, a standout performance from Season 1 and a quick fan favorite. After killing He Who Remains, we see her struggling back on Earth, initially working at a McDonald’s in the ’80s, but it doesn’t take long for her to get roped back into the TVA. Like Loki, this Season 2 Sylvie is similarly mature. Some of her vengeful determination is gone, now that she has accomplished her task by destroying He Who Remains, but the fallout from her argument with Loki seems to have left a mark on both of them. Di Martino and Hiddleston’s chemistry is still just as good paired with the added tension from their separation, though it’s a definite slow burn.

RELATED: ‘Loki’ Season 1 Recap: What to Remember Before Season 2

‘Loki’ Season 2 Struggles With Pacing and a Less-Focused Story
Image via Marvel Studios

The big conflict of Season 2 of Loki revolves around the branching timelines, but it doesn’t have the same time-jumping shenanigans as Season 1 did. The story is more focused, this time with the whole of the TVA at stake. The branching timelines, each containing millions of lives on divergent paths, are causing imbalance, and without He Who Remains at the helm, complete chaos has erupted. Said chaos bleeds into the writing and pacing of the season. Written primarily by Eric Martin, who wrote “The Nexus Event” episode of Season 1 and co-wrote the Season 1 finale “For All Time. Always.” with show creator Michael Waldron, the show has to balance not only the main TVA conflict, but also the Loki and Sylvie rift, Mobius and the other TVA employees slowly coming to grips with being variants, Ravonna’s (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) return, and a whole new Kang variant: Victor Timely (Jonathan Majors).

Majors’ return as a Kang variant was always expected, especially as Victor Timely, another unique iteration of the infamous Marvel villain who was teased at the post-credit scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. However, it’s unclear what Majors’ future with the MCU will be given the actor’s assault and abuse allegations. It’s difficult to fully embrace Majors’ performance as Victor, which is undeniably a strong showing, when looking at the real-world news surrounding him. The season itself struggles with declaring a true villain, with one only emerging toward the end of Episode 4. Though it’s not necessarily a major problem (our heroes have enough issues as it is), it does give the sense that our favorite characters are simply running around like chickens with their heads cut off, awaiting the inevitable disaster. While Season 1 felt like the show was barreling toward an ending with each passing week, the slightly meandering pace of Season 2 lessens the impact of each episode.

‘Loki’ Season 2 Leans Into What Made It Good, but That Doesn’t Make It Perfect
Image via Disney+

Still, with all of its flaws, Loki Season 2 is still far more entertaining than some of the recent Marvel showings of Phase 5. The fact is, a show like Loki should fundamentally change the future of the MCU, and dealing with the story on a macro scale and what happens in this series should affect the rest of the universe in a very consequential way. Whether it actually will, whether we’ll ever see the TVA beyond the boundaries of Loki, is debatable.

With Benson and Moorhead at the helm of Season 2, the series feels even more stylized. There’s a filmic quality to the way the season is shot, and the color grading of the episodes makes it feel even more retro than it already is. It’s a sharp contrast to Kate Herron’s style from Season 1, but also complimentary. Despite having less fun timey-wimey jumping around, the series plays more with time loops this season, as well as with different forms of time travel and time paradoxes. It’s fun leaning into the weirder aspects of time travel, and nothing lends itself better to the weird than a show like this one.

Loki was always going to do well as a TV show. Season 1 was well-loved, and with a fan-favorite character like Hiddleston’s God of Mischief at the helm, Season 2 proves that the series not only hasn’t lost its touch but remains one of the stronger pillars of the MCU as a whole.

Rating: B

The Big Picture

Most MCU TV shows feel disconnected from the larger universe, but Loki Season 2 has the potential to alter the entire franchise with its multiverse storyline. The performances of the cast, particularly Tom Hiddleston as Loki and Owen Wilson as Mobius, are a major strength of Loki Season 2. While Season 2 of Loki struggles with pacing and a less-focused story, it remains an entertaining and stylized series that maintains its impact on the MCU.

Loki returns on October 5 to Disney+, with weekly episodes airing until November 9.