海角大神

It鈥檚 easy to understand why Marvel might have once thought itself invincible on the silver screen. Beyond the pitch-perfect castings of Chris Evans as Captain America and Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, the iconic comic book brand found remarkable success at the movies with 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� and 鈥淕uardians of the Galaxy.鈥�

Something happened after Evans and Downey鈥檚 Avengers swan song in the aptly-named 鈥淓ndgame.鈥� Marvel鈥檚 Phase 4 sought to tap lesser-known properties such as Ms. Marvel, about a Pakistani American teen, or reinterpret household names such as Thor and the Hulk. Drama behind the scenes and uncertainty with the pandemic stalled some of that. The latest big-screen offering, 鈥淭he Marvels,鈥� opening this weekend, may bring more ambivalence from fans.聽A recent report from Variety assessed the brand鈥檚 current situation in three words: 鈥淐risis at Marvel.鈥澛�

It鈥檚 ironic to read about the franchise鈥檚 problems while watching the remarkable 鈥淟oki鈥� 鈥撀燼 Disney+ series about Thor鈥檚 brother, the ever-changing god of mischief 鈥� which wraps up its second season today. Marvel initially turned the silver screen into a gold mine through character development and fan investment. 鈥淟oki鈥� does the same.聽

For all of the Avengers鈥� laser-blasting and shield-hurling, there was also the internal conflict between Captain America and Iron Man, friends who periodically became rivals. Their battles often became the moral heart of the franchise. 鈥淟oki鈥� offers a similar dynamic.

Over the course of the first season, the titular character, played by Tom Hiddleston, creates a connection with one of his minders, Mobius (Owen Wilson). We learn early on about Mobius鈥� employer, the Time Variance Authority (TVA), an entity that basically serves as the time police. The TVA is interested in pruning timelines that feature versions, or variants, of Loki 鈥� who in the past has had no difficulty thinking up ways to make the universe suffer. Besides his bond with Mobius, the god of mischief also develops a strained聽relationship with a female聽variant, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino). What emerges is a more nuanced view of 鈥渧ictor鈥� and 鈥渧illain.鈥�

As the second season comes to a close, with the TVA 鈥� and time itself 鈥� fracturing in the penultimate episode, Sylvie presses Loki about why he chooses to play the role of hero. His response? 鈥淚 just want my friends back. I don鈥檛 want to be alone.鈥�

I teared up at the end of the third 鈥淕uardians of the Galaxy鈥澛爉ovie 鈥� not because of Rocket Raccoon or Star-Lord. It was because of a fatherly gesture made by Drax, played by Dave Bautista. Essentially, over the course of three movies, the character went from 鈥渄estroyer鈥� to dad.

The individual failures of Loki have yielded a similarly dynamic character. And Hiddleston鈥檚 run as Loki has placed him in the Marvel air reserved for the likes of Evans, Downey, and the late Chadwick Boseman, forever聽the Black Panther.聽Connection to these characters and their journeys leads to why we watch these movies and shows in the first place 鈥� emotional payoff.

Even with Marvel鈥檚 recommitment to compassion in the midst of conflict, the brand isn鈥檛 entirely in the clear. The first season of 鈥淟oki鈥� ended with He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) 鈥� an iteration of Kang from the comics 鈥� stealing not only the show, but also quite possibly the multiverse.聽Majors is set to stand trial for misdemeanor assault and harassment charges in November. The Variety report also revealed considerations for Majors鈥� character to be replaced with an iconic Marvel foe 鈥� Dr. Doom.

Whichever way Marvel decides to move, it should do so in a way that considers not just the value of money, but also the value of time, especially as it relates to creativity and storytelling. What makes 鈥淟oki鈥� so good 鈥� and made Marvel so great 鈥� is vision and attention to detail.聽At the height of its powers, Marvel seamlessly added characters into the uncertainty of tomorrow. Boseman鈥檚 first appearance as the Black Panther in 2016鈥檚 鈥淐aptain America: Civil War鈥� comes to mind here. While Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan might not get a stand alone movie, his supplementary role in 鈥淟oki鈥� as author and inventor Ouroboros adds value to the fundamental relationships already at play.聽

It was long thought that all Marvel executives had to do to build a successful project was to throw money at it. Clearly, that鈥檚 been proven false. The brand is made of stronger fabric, specifically the ties that bind the characters. Marvel, like 鈥淟oki,鈥� is burdened with glorious purpose.聽