Early reviews for Loki have dropped, and so far, the MCU series is receiving notable praise – particularly for Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson’s leading performances. The show is Marvel Studios’ third series on Disney+, following the releases of WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Loki is created by Michael Waldron, directed by Kate Herron, and stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Wunmi Mosaku.

Marvel has had success so far with its ventures into original streaming series, with WandaVision, in particular, earning widespread critical acclaim. In the wake of Avengers: Endgame's massive Phase 3 climax, the streaming model has allowed for the franchise to take a break from major blockbusters and focus more on smaller, personal storylines. The longer structure of a television model has also allowed for previously minor characters to get major attention for the first time, all during a period when proper theatrical MCU releases have been in a draught. As a fan-favorite character since the franchise began, Hiddleston’s Loki has long been a popular choice for his own movie or show. Now, he’s finally getting it.

Related: Loki’s Complete MCU Timeline Explained

So was Loki worth the wait? According to early reviews, yes. Critics are already praising the series for its stellar performances and intriguing time-travel mystery storyline. The consensus is that the show's first two episodes set up a lot of potential for the rest of the season, hopefully meaning that Loki will only get better as it continues. Check out what early reviews are saying about Loki below.

Rachel LaBonte, Screen Rant:

"Loki's more cerebral approach might throw off some viewers, but its central mystery and exploration of the God of Mischief himself will surely entice even more. After years spent in Thor's shadow, Loki is finally moving into the spotlight, and it's one that is shaping up to be just as unpredictable as he is. Chaotic, fun, and deeply intriguing, Loki is a solid MCU entry. The next six weeks are going to be very interesting."

Daniel Fienberg, THR:

"After two episodes, Loki is at a tipping point. Having set everything up to an exhausting degree, things could be lined up to get really entertaining — if not zany in a Rick and Morty way, perhaps fun in some of the timeline rupture-of-the-week ways The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow has enjoyed with a similar premise and much less seriousness."

Richard Trenholm, CNET:

"All the time Loki chafes against the "sacred" path he's supposed to be on. As a true agent of chaos, Loki is the perfect antihero to challenge questions of predetermination and free will. As a viewer you may have free will, but you may also find you absolutely have to keep watching this layered, inventive, enormously entertaining series."

Mike Ryan, Uproxx:

"So far the most interesting thing about Loki is how it deconstructs the character. Loki, in this world of the TVA, has no powers, so he’s faced with a lot of questions from Mobius about his actions. Did he enjoy killing people? Did he enjoy betraying people? Did he enjoy literally stabbing people in the back? His answers are revealing, though at this point we don’t know if Loki is really doing some soul searching or if he’s just telling Mobius what he thinks Mobius wants to hear. Both things can be true at the same time."

Liz Shannon Miller, Collider:

"Of all the surprises and twists introduced by this show, perhaps the most exciting is its deep investment in understanding its central character at his best and worst, asking some truly tough questions against the backdrop of a time travel lark. Loki was always one of the MCU's greatest villains. But he's just as compelling as the hero of his own story."

Matt Singer, Screen Crush:

"The show also introduces a lot of new concepts to the MCU. There’s a fair amount exposition to digest. The reason it works anyway is because that exposition is mostly delivered by Hiddleston and Wilson, and they are a very entertaining onscreen duo. It also helps that the bubbling mystery that bursts into full view at the end of Episode 2 is intriguing as well. (It introduces a theme that was also at the heart of WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which is ... interesting.) After the first two episodes, I’d put Loki on par with the former and definitely more fun than the latter."

Ben Travers, IndieWire:

"The MCU is fatalistic, and Loki’s purpose is to introduce the TVA, the Multiverse of Madness, or whatever glorious purpose Marvel needs. At least, that’s how it feels when you spend all your time playing with straws."

Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine:

"Once the premise for the series is in place, things get very fun, as Loki channels his mischievous brilliance into splendid detective work and he and Mobius engage in some timey-wimey theory testing, all building to a tantalizing, two-pronged reveal — one capping each hour — that opens up all kinds of possibilities for the rest of the six-episode season."

Dayna Eileen, CGMagazine:

“Loki managed to steal my focus after two episodes. It took the buddy cop vibe from Falcon and the Winter Soldier and the strong emotional attachment to the protagonist they featured in WandaVision, only Loki did it better.”

David Opie, Digital Spy:

“No matter how stunning Loki is to look at (both as a show and a character), and no matter how charismatic Hiddleston is in the role, the first two episodes just don't quite fulfil that "glorious purpose" we've come to expect from Loki. That doesn't mean the remaining four episodes won't kick things up a notch. There's still a lot of potential to create something truly "glorious" here once things get going.”

Marcus Goh, Yahoo! News:

“Loki has thrilled so far with its ups and downs and focus on the main character himself. With a cliffhanger at the end of each episode, this looks to be as exciting as WandaVision was, and is sure to spur social media discussions after every episode drops. And with a series that's as mercurial as its protagonist, we might never know what's the endgame till the final episode.”

From the sound of things, Loki's premiere is far from perfect, but it seems to set up a lot of intriguing concepts accompanied by a few excellent performances. Some critics have called out the first two episodes for piling on too much exposition about time travel and the multiverse in the MCU, but for fans of the franchise, it should still be interesting to learn more of the ins and outs of how that all works. Marvel Studios has introduced some incredibly complicated narrative concepts in recent years, so it's not the worst thing to take a moment and talk them all out.

Still, the most exciting part of Loki seems to be the promise of what's to come. After setting up all the larger ideas in the first two episodes, the rest of the show looks primed to explore the more fun and absurd possibilities of time travel. Loki is already doing interesting things for its titular character, it seems, and it should be fun to see how Hiddleston continues that arc through the rest of the series. Loki premieres on Disney+ on June 9.

Next: Loki Can Fully Explain Avengers: Endgame's Timeline Confusion

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