Credit: Marvel StudiosAs Marvel Studios gears up for what could very possibly be their biggest night since the premiere of Avengers: Endgame (2019), the entertainment giant is taking to social media with an odd request — play hooky from work and school.
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Recently, the once-thriving Marvel Studios has suffered from a wave of overwhelmingly negative press largely due to a damning exposé published by Variety, which detailed the accusations of behind-the-scenes drama, The Marvels’ (2023) extensive reshoots, Jonathan Majors’ potential recasting as Kang the Conqueror, and the company’s box office woes, among other things.
But despite sharing a laundry list of everything going wrong behind the curtain at Marvel Studios, the article has since been widely disproven, with industry experts, filmmakers, and even president Kevin Feige himself speaking out against these accusations, with many slamming it for being a “hit piece” rather than a factual report.
Related: Marvel Suddenly Announces New Sequel for ‘Avengers: Endgame’
Still, even if the Variety piece wasn’t entirely factual, there’s no denying that Marvel needs a big win, and soon. The Disney-owned studio has, without a doubt, struggled to replicate some of the same magic of its Infinity Saga in Phases Four and Five, driving fans away with a surge of lackluster Disney+ originals, including She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Secret Invasion, on top of forgettable cinematic entries like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023).
As it continues to pave the way for the remainder of the Multiverse Saga, the stakes have perhaps never been higher for Marvel, with a loaded Phase Six slate that needs to succeed in order to restore the franchise to its former glory. But with the SAG-AFTRA strike still rocking Hollywood, all MCU productions are on pause, and it’s hard to say when — or if — things will ever return to “normal.”
With this in mind, leave it to Disney and Marvel to fall back on an old trick: resurrecting a fan-favorite character from the early days of the Avengers. It’s basically a given that any MCU project starring Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief will be a hit, and Disney+ certainly capitalized on his popularity by giving him his own spinoff show, Loki.
Season 1 arrived on the streaming platform in Summer 2021 and instantly became a smash hit for Disney. The show still holds the crown for Marvel’s most-watched TV series and is currently nearing the end of its sophomore season.
Featuring an all-star cast, including Hiddleston, Owen Wilson’s Mobius M. Mobius, Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie, Ke Huy Quan’s O.B., and Wunmi Mosaku’s Hunter B-15, Loki Season 2 has so far seen the gang racing against the clock to save the TVA from imploding on itself, thus shattering the Sacred Timeline and plunging the Multiverse into chaos.
While the first season saw Loki unraveling the mystery of the TVA and its ever-elusive creator, He Who Remains (Majors), Season 2 introduces a new Kang variant to the mix: Victor Timely. With his temporal signature, Loki, Mobius and Co. might be able to fix the TVA’s Temporal Loom and save the universe from imminent disaster, but only if the Asgardian trickster can get his friends to remember him – and control his time-slipping.
With that being said, it seems like Loki Season 2 will be instrumental in setting up Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). However, it’s not the only project that will have huge ramifications on the Multiverse Saga moving forward, as director Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels will reportedly see universes colliding for an epic team-up adventure.
Although The Marvels, the sequel to the Brie Larson-fronted Captain Marvel (2019), hasn’t exactly received the kind responses, it’s already getting overall positive reviews from early audiences, who are praising the fun team-up between Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), and Monica Rameau/Photon (Teyonah Parris).
Rumor has it that the high-flying superhero sequel features some especially eXciting cameos, following the central trio as they attempt to stop Kree Leader Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) from killing innocent worlds after she entangles Monica, Carol, and Kamala’s cosmic light-based powers.
While The Marvels is dividing critics, Loki Season 2 reins supreme, with the new batch of episodes dominating the streaming charts and revving up excitement for The Kang Dynasty. And oddly enough, the finale of Loki and the premiere of The Marvels are going head-to-head tomorrow, November 9, with both projects arriving on the same night.
The Captain Marvel sequel technically opens in US theaters on November 10, but advance screenings begin on November 9. Meanwhile, the finale of Loki Season 2 airs on Thursday nights at 6 p.m. PT, meaning some loyal MCU followers will hop off the couch after finishing Loki on Disney+ and head straight to theaters to catch The Marvels — all in one evening.
And in a perhaps, unwise move from its marketing department, the official Marvel Studios X account is encouraging audiences of all ages to “drop everything” and watch a double feature of sorts, drafting up a hilarious “letter” to schools and employers so that fans can leave early to enjoy both Loki and The Marvels:
#Loki Season 2 #TheMarvels
Thursday Night Drop everything and don’t miss what happens next.
#Loki Season 2 🤝 #TheMarvels
Thursday NightDrop everything and don’t miss what happens next. pic.twitter.com/WdXhYTxNzy
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) November 8, 2023
The simultaneous release of Loki Season 2, Episode 6, and The Marvels is a pretty unprecedented move for Marvel, and they’ve certainly got all their bases covered when it comes to releasing new content.
While it might seem like a bit much for more casual fans of the franchise, it’s important to remember that due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike-related delays, this could be the last time we have overlapping MCU shows and movies for potentially years, so those interested should seize the opportunity to catch both Loki and The Marvels when they arrive later this week, though a double feature probably isn’t necessary to enjoy both projects — unless you really want to, of course.
It’ll be interesting to see how both Loki and the Captain Marvel sequel continue laying the foundation for the impending Multiversal War and if one will come out on top when they arrive in theaters and on Disney+ tomorrow.
The Season 2 finale of Loki arrives on Disney+ tomorrow, November 9, at 6 p.m. PT, and The Marvels flies into theaters on November 10, 2023.
Which MCU project are you looking forward to more: The Marvels or the conclusion of Loki Season 2? Let us know in the comments below!