Loki’s Second Season Trailer Rekindles Some Hope For the MCU

I know I sound like a real curmudgeon, but I’m pretty burned out by the MCU, and superhero fare in general. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was enjoyable enough with its focus on Rocket and sense of closure, but Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was sadly underwhelming. The less said about Eternals and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the better, and I’d completely forgotten about Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

As for the MCU’s TV series, Ms. Marvel was a delight thanks to Iman Vellani and both Hawkeye and Moon Knight had their moments. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, however, was muddled by the pandemic shutdowns and for all its early promise, WandaVision ultimately proved morally problematic. (I’ve had little interest in either She-Hulk or Secret Invasion.)

Ms. Marvel aside, the MCU’s other real bright spot has been Loki, thanks to its impeccable production design and sense of style, its ability to embrace the weird and expand the MCU while still telling an interesting story, and most importantly, solid performances from Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, and Sophia Di Martino. (Not to mention a delightful turn from Richard E. Grant as “Classic” Loki.) I’ve been looking forward to the inevitable second season for awhile now, and this new trailer promises more of the same as well as Ke Huy Quan and a rampaging Miss Minutes.

The trailer also features Jonathan Majors, who was accused of assault earlier this year. It remains to be seen how the controversy surrounding Majors — who was cast as Marvel’s new BBEG, the multiverse-traveling supervillain Kang the Conqueror — will ultimately affect the MCU. But Marvel is apparently taking a wait-and-see approach to the situation since Kang hasn’t been recast yet and Majors is still a part of Loki.

Loki’s second season begins streaming on Disney+ on October 6, 2023.