‘Loki’ Just Fell Headlong Into the ‘Star Wars’ Sequels’ Worst Trap

in Marvel, Star Wars

star wars sequels chewbacca, finn, rey (left) and tom hiddleston as loki (right)

Credit: Lucasfilm/Marvel Studios

Loki, Marvel Studios’ third foray into television after WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, was a smashing success by almost all counts. The Marvel Cinematic Universe show even debuted to such high numbers that it convinced Disney executives to move the standard Disney+ Original new episode drop day from Fridays to Wednesdays.

tom hiddleston as loki wearing TVA jacket
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: The Craziest Loki Variants That Season 1 Left Out

As good as Loki’s six-episode run into the Marvel Multiverse was, though, there might be some room for improvement in one specific area as Season 2 production gets underway. The series — led by Avengers and Thor franchise star Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Owen Wilson (TVA Agent Mobius M. Mobius) — fell into a trap that Star Wars fans know all too well, as it absolutely plagued the incredibly divisive sequel trilogy.

sylvie (left) and loki (right) in loki season 1 finale
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: ‘Black Widow’ Nose Dives With Most “Stunning Crash” in MCU History

For now, Marvel fans have a lot more love for Hiddleston’s Loki — and Sylvie/Lady Loki (Sophia di Martino), Kid Loki (Jack Veal), Classic Loki (Richard E. Grant), and Alligator Loki…you get the idea — than Star Wars fans do for nearly any of the characters in Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015), Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017), or Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

(l-r) finn, chewbacca, rey, c-3po, and poe dameron in rise of skywalker
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: The Intense Backstory Behind Kylo Ren & Rey’s Force Dyad

Nonetheless, the two projects do share a commonality — they require viewers to do background work to get the full story, which can be problematic, particularly for those who may not be familiar with the intricacies of either the Marvel or Star Wars canons.

(Left) Tom Hiddleston as Loki, (Center) Jack Veal as Kid Loki (Right) Richard E. Grant as Classic Loki
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: Disney Doesn’t Care That the ‘Star Wars’ Sequels Are Being Erased

In the case of Loki, numerous Marvel.com interviews with the cast and crew have surfaced since the Season 1 finale episode (“For All Time. Always.”) — all of them containing pertinent information that would have been helpful to have during the first season of the MCU series — particularly for those who aren’t familiar with Marvel comics.

Tom Hiddleston as Loki (left) Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie (right) love dagger)
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: “Love Dagger” Metaphor Sets up Love Story in ‘Loki’

As Inverse noted:

Each of Marvel’s Loki articles reveals details that were completely absent from the episodes themselves. Considering the timing of their publication, it’s almost like the studio is using its own blog to fill in some important blind spots the show couldn’t cover. It’s a bit like Marvel giving fans extra homework after the episode is over if they want to truly understand what happened.

A key example of this is an interview in which Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Judge Ravonna Renslayer) shares how her character felt when she escaped from the Time Variance Authority headquarters at the end of the Season 1 finale. Mbatha-Raw shared, “She’s [thinking], ‘Peace out. Bye. Free will!’”

Gugu Mbatha-Raw as judge ravonna renslayer in loki
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: Marvel Releases Unseen ‘Infinity War’ Set Photos

Loki head writer Michael Waldron — also the writer for Marvel President Kevin Feige’s upcoming Star Wars movie — also spoke about Judge Renslayer, saying she “wants to [find] who pulled the wool over her eyes. That’s what she’s going to go out in search of.”

Without reading this particular interview, one would never know this is precisely what was going on — while it’s implied in the scene Renslayer shares with Agent Mobius, her purpose in leaving the TVA isn’t explicitly stated and would have been helpful to know.

kang statue loki
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: What Is the Marvel Time Variance Authority?

Another issue is raised in a different Marvel blog post. He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) is not Kang the Conqueror, but, it seems the statue in the non-Sacred Timeline version of the TVA headquarters Loki visits in the final scene of Episode 6 is.

jonathan majors as kang variant he who remains
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: Possible Infinity Stone Easter Eggs in ‘WandaVision’ Commercials

Again, this could be assumed by Marvel fans, but not by newcomers to the fandom — and, either way, would have added context if it had been clearly shared in the installment:

Mortified, Loki looks to the Time Keepers statue area and finds the statues are no longer there. In its place is a single statue of the face of the man he just met at the end of time in a futuristic suit— the variant He Who Remains warned them about—Kang.

rey the last jedi on ahch-to
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: Could Carrie Fisher Stop Disney From Erasing Sequel Trilogy Events?

The Star Wars sequels also required additional reading — in the form of novels or the “The Art of Star Wars” series — to fully understand what was happening or, in some cases, to grasp what was going on whatsoever (but that’s another article).

force healing kylo rey rise of skywalker
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: Dave Filoni Is Erasing the ‘Star Wars’ Sequels’ Snoke Problem

Inverse pointed out:

The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition infamously confirmed that Rey’s father wasn’t technically Palpatine’s son; he was a defective Palpatine clone. The same book also confirmed once and for all that Finn is force sensitive. Here’s the passage from the book:

The moment Rey [Daisy Ridley] came back to herself, Finn knew. He launched himself out of the turret seat – no one was pursuing them anyway — climbed the ladder and sprinted for the cockpit. “Chewie, I felt her!”

Related: Lucas: Boba Fett Is “an Early Version of Darth Vader”

john-boyega-finn-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: Carrie Fisher Slapped Oscar Isaac 40+ Times on ‘Star Wars’ Set

We could talk all night about the myriad ways many fans — and Finn actor John Boyega himself, in fact — feel that the character was let down by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and sequel directors JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson.

But, the fact of the matter is, there was more to the ex-stormtrooper’s story in the sequel trilogy’s supplemental materials — knowing Finn was Force-sensitive would have seriously altered how he was viewed throughout the three films.

lando calrissian rise of skywalker
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: Mark Hamill Finally Speaks Out on Sebastian Stan Luke Skywalker Casting

And, it wasn’t just newcomers who were impacted by the sequels’ “homework” trap. George Lucas’s iconic original trilogy character Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams)Han Solo’s (Harrison Ford) favorite frenemy from Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1983) — was also impacted.

Williams returned to conclude the Skywalker Saga in The Rise of Skywalker, spending some time with new character Jannah (Naomi Ackie) at the end of the film.

Lando (left) and jannah (right) in rise of skywalker
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: Princess Leia Is Reportedly Returning to ‘Star Wars’

Almost immediately after the movie debuted in 2019, fans began speculating that she is actually the Socorro-born pilot’s daughter. As it turns out, this rumor is bolstered — and some believe even confirmed — by the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – The Visual Dictionarymovie companion book.

finn and jannah
Credit: Disney

Related: ‘Star Wars’ Is Quietly Replacing the Jedi 

Lando’s page states:

Calrissian did not then go easily into a quiet retirement. When peace reigned, he attempted to start a family, but tragedy struck and his infant daughter vanished. It was only later that it became clear who the culprits behind the abduction were: the First Order, building their fighting forces but also specifically striking at the old Alliance leadership.” 

This fits Jannah’s story that she was taken by the First Order in early childhood.

billy dee williams, george lucas, harrison ford, and mark hamill with millennium falcon at disneyland
Credit: Disney

Related: Marvel Studios Officially Ends Stan Lee Cameos in MCU

Without reading this text, fans are left to create theories on their own, even though the answers to many sequel trilogy questions — like how Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) even ended up on Ahch-To in the first place or how Kylo Ren/Ben Solo (Adam Driver) really decided to join forces with Supreme Leader Snoke — are actually out there.

tom hiddleston as president loki and other loki variants
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: Did Doctor Strange MURDER Iron Man?

As Hiddleston’s Loki moves forward into its second season, it is essential for it to avoid tumbling further into the trap that the Star Wars sequels did. While supplemental materials are nice for superfans, basic, crucial information must be included in the story for it to reach its full potential.

Related: Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian May Die Soon

What do you think? Can the Loki series avoid the divisive nature of the Star Wars sequel trilogy in Season 2?

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