Loki is back. The person and the show. The God of Mischief has been one of the MCU’s most fascinating characters over the last decade, and the first season of his eponymous show was one of the franchise’s most ambitious. There was time-skipping, multiversal travel, and the introduction of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), who is still being sold to audiences as the MCU’s next Thanos-level threat.
Loki prided itself on its complicated depiction of the multiverse in season 1, so much so that it gave fans a look at several different versions of the character. Now that season 2 is on the way, with a teaser that promises even more complicated hi-jinx, we thought it’d be useful to provide the answer to a seemingly simple question: who plays Loki?
Who plays Loki?
The main actor who has played and continues to play Loki is Tom Hiddleston. The 42-year-old Hiddleston started his run as the character in the 2011 film Thor. Hiddleston continued to reprise the role for five more MCU films — The Avengers (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Hiddleston popped back up as Loki during the post-credits scene for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). This makes a lot of sense, since Kang the Conqueror is the connecting tissue between Loki and the third Ant-Man film, and a variant of the Kang character died in the Loki season 1 finale. While the details of Kang’s involvement in season 2 have not yet been clarified (especially in light of Majors’ abuse allegations), all signs point to the character being a crucial part of the plot.
Ready for things to get complicated? Hiddleston actually plays several Lokis, including the variant we know from the aforementioned MCU films and the variant who is currently starring in the Loki show. Yes, they are different due to the time travel complications of Avengers: Endgame. Hiddleston also plays the version of Loki presented in the Disney Plus show What If…? as Frost Giant Loki. We hope you aren’t Loki’d out yet, because we’re just getting started.
The other Lokis
During Loki season 1 we meet several other variants that come to the forefront during the course of the show, with the most prominent one being a female variant of Loki, who has given herself the name Sylvie and who strikes up an unexpected romance with Hiddleston’s Loki. This female variant is played by Sophia Di Martino.
When these two wind up in the void at the end of season 1, they meet four other Lokis, whom we get names for. The main variants introduced in the void are Kid Loki, played by Jack Veal; Classic Loki, played by Richard E. Grant; Boastful Loki, played by DeObia Oparei; and Alligator Loki. We’re also introduced to other variants of Loki that are shown in holographic images by Mobius (Owen Wilson). Oh, and there’s another main variant introduced in the void, President Loki, who is the leader of a gang of Lokis, it appears, but we don’t get names for any of them. The President variant is played by Hiddleston as well.
We do get to learn a bit about three of the Lokis in the void, however. Kid Loki was pruned (meaning he was eliminated from the Sacred Timeline existence and thrust into the void) and eventually rose to become King of the Void Lokis and is rumored to be a part of the larger MCU in the future, perhaps as a part of the Young Avengers.
Boastful Loki becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as he is the one who tries to team up with President Loki and betrays the other main Lokis of the void. And finally, Classic Loki, who tried to live in exile for thousands of years only to eventually be found and pruned by the TVA (Time Variance Authority). He ends up saving Sylvie and Loki from doom and appears to have died by the end of season 1.
Will there be more Lokis in season 2?
Okay so… That’s a lot of Lokis to keep track of. Seeing a character we know cycle through different variants of himself was fascinating, but industry insiders have suggested that season 2 has a different approach in store. @CanWeGetToast tweeted that the only variants who will return are Hiddleston’s Loki and Di Martino’s Loki, and that the bulk of the story will focus on battling Kang the Conqueror.
Hiddleston talked about the plan for season 2 during an interview with Total Film, and his comments seemed to confirm that there would be more of a focus on his Loki variant. “It’s very much continuing to excite and challenge me,” he explained. “At the end of season 1, the story isn’t over. I think that’s really clear. Loki’s almost more unstable, and as turbulent and passionate and chaotic as he’s ever been. And maybe some of that needs resolution. There’s stuff to unpack.”
However many Lokis wind up making the cut, we can’t wait to see what they get up to. Loki season 2 premieres Oct. 6, 2023 on Disney Plus.