Loki season 2 is just a single month away, meaning the delights of more adventures for the once and forever God of Mischief are right around the corner. On top of being the most-watched of all Marvel’s Disney Plus series, Loki‘s first season was a major instigator of the Multiverse Saga’s ongoing story, thanks to its introduction of Jonathan Majors’ Kang, and it’s important in the wider narrative if the MCU looks set to continue in its next six episodes too.
Not just because of Majors’ return as a new Kang variant, Victor Timely, either. The latest promo for the Tom Hiddleston show’s sophomore run features an intriguing shot that teases a very deep-cut crossover with none other than Dormammu – the ruler of the Dark Dimension that Benedict Cumberbatch’s sorcerer memorably outwitted in Doctor Strange. We’ve been wondering if he could reappear in the franchise ever since, and now some seeds are being sown at last.
The shot in question relates to this sneak peek at what looks like the premiere of a horror B-movie from yesteryear called The Zaniac! The shot immediately prior captures lead actor Brad Wolfe (played by Rafael Casal) making his grand entrance. We’ve previously seen a shot of Casal in cuffs and a TVA uniform, so clearly there’s some kind of temporal mishap going on here. But could it have anything to do with Dormammu? Allow me to explain.
Both Wolfe and Zaniac hail from the pages of Thor in the early ’80s. Like his screen counterpart, Wolfe was an actor hired to play an infamous serial killer known as Zaniac in a movie, but he became possessed by the killer’s ghost. It was then revealed that Zaniac was truly a demonic entity sent by Dormammu to be his agent of chaos on Earth who had possessed many human hosts going back to Victorian times — yes, Zaniac was Jack the Ripper.
Loki may well do away with Zaniac’s origins in the Dark Dimension when adapting the villain for the MCU, but given that Charlize Theron just recently debuted as Dormammu’s niece Clea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, another reminder that the big, floaty face is still out there would be appreciated.