There’s no question that the Marvel Cinematic Universe knows how to make its fans happy, but the latest TV spot for Loki‘s upcoming Disney+ premiere included a very special gift. Though there’s plenty to study in the 1 minute promo, from Miss Minutes’ Southern charm to Loki’s momentary joy at getting his knives back, the highlight of the spot for many fans is Loki’s trip through prisoner processing. A smiley-faced robot beams his weapons, armor and anything underneath that armor clean off. It’s fanservice of the most welcome kind, but it may also be a little more.
In addition to the flood of appreciative screenshots and gifs lightened to show as much detail of the aghast but physically fit god of mischief as possible, there’s also plenty of questions about what the scene means, from the obvious to the symbolic. Watching Loki get stripped as part of his confinement is dehumanizing, and having a smiling robot in place of Clancy Brown delousing prisoners in The Shawshank Redemption doesn’t make it any better. But the scene also lays Loki bare in a metaphorical way, born naked into a world where even his sharp wit seems initially defanged. The only moment to come close to this level of intimacy is his reaction to Frigga’s death: unarmored, weeping, but still ready to bite.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
The rebirth imagery of Loki’s intake to the TVA was quickly grabbed onto for discussion, with an incisive post on Tumblr breaking down just how natal the sequence is. It’s a good catch, because the cycle of rebirth has huge importance to the Gods of Asgard in Marvel Comics. It’s Loki who first becomes aware of Those Who Sit Above In Shadow, the secret council that demanded the Ragnarok cycle be inflicted upon the Gods repeatedly, so they could forever feed on the energy of the myth-world’s destruction. And it’s Loki who breaks the cycle in Loki: Agent of Asgard #17 by Al Ewing and Lee Garbett, forcing the council to confront their own possible fictional nature.
All of Loki’s appearances since the “original” Loki’s death in Siege #4 by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel continue that theme of rebirth, of wanting to break the chains of his own story. Kieron Gillen and Doug Braithwaite took a “reborn” kid Loki through his own Journey Into Mystery and saw him join the Young Avengers. Young Loki’s struggle bore bittersweet fruit, ending at one point with the revelation that his existence was just another machination to save that dead Loki. Loki continued to try and change his story despite the plot against himself, and both Agent of Asgard and Loki by Daniel Kibblesmith and Oscar Bazaldua saw Loki gradually succeeding in becoming someone new.
Beyond the potentially rich symbolism of Loki’s imprisonment and nudity is another ominous consideration. As automated and dehumanizing as the entire intake process is, and with the cavalier way “variants” may be openly executed in a DMV-style waiting room, it sets up the fear that the TVA is not as wholesome and genuine of intent as Agent Mobius makes it seem. He may be warm and funny, but elsewhere, TVA workers don’t even look up as a man is vaporized four feet away from their desk.
There’s also one more angle to consider when studying Loki’s body. It’s a minor rite of passage for the men of Marvel to be stripped for audience study. It’s a tradition that dates back to the first Iron Man movie, and even recent members like Paul Rudd take their turn in the spotlight. Steve Rogers’ memorable topless scene in Captain America: The First Avenger is even plot-important, proving that the Super Soldier Serum worked magnificently. To see Loki in this admiring light puts him in heroic company, and also reminds his fans that Marvel knows what they want to see.
Loki stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Richard E. Grant. The series premieres June 9 on Disney+.
About The Author
