Loki Episode 1 : Glorious Purpose (Features a Spoiler Free Review and Spoiler Filled Review)

PART 1: Spoiler Free Review

It has been more than a month since the controversial last episode of the Falcon and The Winter Soldier that proved that Marvel not only wanted to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe cinematically but also as a working universe itself, fixing unrealistic aspects to make these stories relatable to the world today. With Loki's premiere episode, however, Marvel is back with a story that means to set up the next big Marvel event that will compete with the Infinity Saga that took a decade to come together in Avengers Endgame. With this next step to yet another apocalyptic threat, the focus is entirely on Loki, everyone's favorite villain from the Thor movies. 

With his very own miniseries (or possibly full-blown TV show if rumors for developing a season 2 are true), Loki now has the chance to have more screen time for us to fully engage with this complex character that we have been begging to get to know more of since the very first Thor film that released a decade ago... even if it is not the Loki who has undergone several lengths of character development in the previous movies but instead an alternate version of him that escaped the Battle of New York where The Avengers first assembled to defeat him. Due to this crime of straying away from the main timeline, Loki gets apprehended by the TVA, supposedly meant to be put back to fulfill his 'destined path' but instead is needed to save the 'multiverse', a word we, Marvel fans, have been dying to hear since the very first episode of WandaVision. 

Loki's first episode is not heading straight into the action but the chess pieces have been set and as a prominent Marvel enthusiast myself, I know for a fact that Loki is a lot more coming. Marvel loves shock value, you guys... so be prepared. With new characters like Mobius, Renslayer, and Hunter B-15, it is clear the game has rightfully begun because Marvel loves to include an ensemble of characters where each of them has their own purpose to the arc they are portraying in a single film or show. 

Without spoiling anything, Loki's premiere episode still manages to deliver a great way to get us invested in yet another Marvel show that is set to affect the rest of the MCU but this time, on a larger much cosmic scale compared to the previous two shows they've delivered.

PART 2: Spoiler Filled Review

SPOILER AREA!!!! BE WARNED>>>

On the more spoilery note, so many teases have been established towards the rest of the show and the future of this ever-growing franchise. Hearing the words 'Time Keepers' sent chills down my spine, extremely happy that they might be exploring yet another set of godlike beings that reside in the MCU. As we die-hard fans know that once the Time Keepers make an appearance, Kang the Conqueror's existence is near to getting the live-action epic treatment he deserves, as a formidable replacement as a Thanos-level threat. 

Apart from those happy notes, Loki's recap of how his life 'would turn out' through the scope of the "time cinema' that Owen Wilson's character, Mobius introduces, makes sure that Marvel is holding onto that trope that will get fans to finally empathize with their main character and this time around, it is a villain instead of the redeemed anti-hero this character was meant to become. This scene shows off Tom Hiddleston's great acting talent usually utilized in other projects but it is relief this much of acting by Hiddleston as the God of Mischief himself. 

The first episode also dropped a lot of bombs like how the Time Heist the Avengers pulled off was meant to happen, there are copies of Infinity Stones found in a TVA clerk's desk drawer, making Black Widow's death more unnecessary because there was another Soul Stone just sitting in the TVA. 

The cliffhanger is, of course, the only moment in the recent episode that has us eager for more the minute the screen fades black and plays Loki's rendition of yet another fun Marvel-type visual-heavy end credit sequence. It is only fair that the Big Bad to fight against Loki is, well... himself. Or a version of himself at least. This is a storyline we were all expecting Marvel to adapt for this show. We cannot wait to see what they have in store since MCU's adaptations are always fixed and made anew, a quality of adapting that has kept this franchise as one of the most beloved franchises today. 

I can say for everyone who watched the premiere episode yesterday that we are ready for more of Loki and his brewing bromance with Mobius and more Marvel mayhem to witness considering that Loki show is going to be the wackiest and craziest Marvel property since Thor Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy. 5 episodes on the way and they can't get here any sooner.