New details have emerged regarding Marvel’s upcoming Loki series - with producers confirming a time travel element. The Marvel Cinematic Universe capped off a huge 21-film saga earlier in the year, with the record-breaking Avengers: Endgame serving to wrap up over a decade’s worth of character arcs and stories. The franchise shows no signs of stopping, however, with Marvel’s Phase 4 slate already unveiled. Alongside the traditional big-screen offerings, the MCU will also branch out into the realm of television via Disney+. More directly connected to the mainline MCU than ever before, the new shows will feature actors from the movies reprising their established roles. As the first scheduled to be released, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is already filming.

One of the new outings is set to focus on Tom Hiddleston’s titular God of Mischief. Hiddleston debuted as the character in 2011’s Thor. Proving to be a firm fan-favorite, Hiddleston has reprised the role multiple times. As such, Loki has ranged from an outright villain of the story to more of an antihero. Despite being killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, an alternate version of Loki was given the chance to escape with the Tesseract due to the time-traveling adventures of The Avengers. Loki will be comprised of six episodes - with Kate Herron signed on to direct each installment.

With the official launch of the new Disney+ streaming service, new details regarding Loki emerged via Marvel’s Expanding the Universe. According to producer Stephen Broussard, Loki will have “a huge time travel component.” Broussard also confirmed that Loki would feature “a man on the run quality to it and we get the chance to explore more human sides of Loki.” The time travel aspect has long been rumored - with images seemingly indicating that Loki would, at least briefly, emerge in the 1970s. This, however, marks the first official confirmation of the concept.

Fellow producer, Kevin Wright, elaborated further on Loki’s journey across the episodes. “We’re finally going to see him on his back foot,” he said. “This is him being put in a position where he doesn’t have all the answers and where he’s been thrown a curveball by life.” It remains unclear which forces Loki will find himself on the run from, or what the answers he seeks will ultimately be. It was previously revealed, however, that Loki will link directly into Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Equally, it’s implied that Loki will also lead into Thor: Love and Thunder.

The latter reveal will likely surprise nobody, given Loki’s status as Thor’s adoptive brother. As well as the fact that Loki has played a part in each standalone Thor movie since the 2011 original. There’s no word yet on what supporting characters will feature on Loki or even an inkling as to who could play them. The confirmed time travel elements, however, will surely excite fans and no doubt open doors to many theories. Though it is unclear how Loki will use the Tesseract to navigate time rather than just space, the possibilities that time travel offers - in terms of characters and unexplored regions of the timeline - is absolutely endless.

More: What To Expect From The Loki TV Show

Loki is expected to air sometime in spring 2021.

Source: Marvel’s Expanding the Universe

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