A rumor about the Loki TV series is sending Marvel fans into fight mode

Marvel villain, turned hero, Loki is getting his own TV series tied to Tom Hiddleston, but a new rumor suggests that Hiddleston will only narrate the character’s life story.

As we all know, a fanbase is like a festival. They surround you, love you, but then something unexpected sets them off, and they start tearing your limbs off one by one. Lately, the Harry Potter and Star Wars fans have been the ones running amuck, but now it’s Marvel’s turn and they’re currently in a state of turmoil over Loki and his death status.

WhenThor was released in 2011, it was the first time we saw Tom Hiddleston as Loki Odinson, Thor’s adoptive brother and evil mastermind (minus the mastermind). Like was more like an angry teen wanting some much needed attention. With his evil smirk and his “why don’t you love me” eyes, Hiddleston stole the show and our hearts.

If any other actor took the role, he’d probably have remained a villain and died the way Marvel intended. Instead, we fell in love with Hiddleston’s perfect face and suave charisma and the natural chemistry he had with on-screen brother Chris Hemsworth. Jane who?

When Loki died in Thor: The Dark World, it was intended to be permanent, but the test audience hated it so much that Marvel ended up bringing him back to life. He’s so popular, he became the only real villain that ultimately managed to redeem themselves (Ghost and The Winter Soldier don’t count because they weren’t really villains). The MCU wouldn’t be the same without him.

Last November, Disney announced the development of several Marvel spin-off series that will be released on their new streaming service, Disney+. It’s another player in the ever-growing Game of Streams. Each series is suspected to be around eight episodes and will star some of Marvel’s top supporting characters that deserve more attention; Scarlet Witch and Vision, Bucky and Falcon, and the Lady Sif. Fan favorite, or fan worshiped, Loki was confirmed along with them and that he’ll be played once again by Tom Hiddleston.

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Following the traumatic massacre that was Infinity War, fans were theorizing all the different ways Loki could have survived. He died pre-snap in the beginning of the film and seemed slightly more dead than the last two times.

We all thought he’d come back mid-way through Avengers 4, expected him to jump out of nowhere wearing a “Loki lives” T-shirt and everyone would roll their eyes because they all saw it coming. Fans thought this new TV series confirmed this theory, but now there’s a rumor that’s ruining that dream.

Now, according to Charles Murphy of That Hashtag Show, Hiddleston is indeed involved with the series but will play a voice-over narrating his life story.

"“It seems that the series may find him narrating the events of his own life, presumably from the afterlife (Valhalla) following his death at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.“"

This contradicts with what was said by Bob Iger of Disney last November.

"“We’re also currently developing a live-action Marvel series about Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston playing the character he’s made so famous.”"

Starring doesn’t necessarily exclude voice-over but “starring” and “narrating” are two very different things. It could include Hiddleston as Loki in the afterlife, then jump back and forth between the past and present with the younger Loki. This would give room for two stories, two Loki’s for the price of one, and show a glimpse of Valhalla.

What if Thor dies in Endgame and joins his brother in the afterlife, but we don’t see it happen until the final episode of Loki’s series. Loki sits bored in Valhalla, rethinking his life, then at the last minute, Thor appears, and they’re finally reunited. Perfect ending.

This is just a rumor right now, not yet confirmed, but some people are already protesting. Even though this would be a brilliant opportunity to explore Loki’s past and bring something new to the character, it’s a thought almost too painful to comprehend.

Tom Hiddleston is Loki. Most people think Loki, and they see Tom Hiddleston. The two have merged into one image, a lot like Robert Downey Jr has with Iron Man. Casting a different actor would feel like a funeral.

Unfortunately, it was bound to happen eventually. Marvel is slowly weeding out their old heroes to make room for new ones. Why would they continue with Hiddleston when all the other original stars are leaving? Imagine Wanda and Vision’s kids forming a team with Ant-Man’s daughter and an older Peter Parker, who will be the new Tony Stark. Then old man Loki appears to reminisce about the old days when he fought their parents because a space man brainwashed him with a magic rock. Just wouldn’t work.

This new set up, young Loki, will have to include a young Thor and younger Odin. We might get to see how Thor became friends with The Warriors Three (even though they’re kind of boring) and detail the life Loki had growing up in Asgard.

This is a dividing concept. For one, Loki without Tom Hiddleston is like having an ice cream sundae with Italian ice, but on the other hand, it opens up the possibility of seeing Loki’s background and childhood. Also, what other possibilities were there? They already said Chris Hemsworth won’t be in the series (not counting possible cameos) and showing Loki’s time with Thanos would just be painful and redundant. What options other than a prequel were available? Give it a chance.

Disney+ is set to launch sometime late this year, there is no release date yet and the Loki series is currently in development.