Though Marvel Studios has been hitting it out of the park with each series, Loki could be the best MCU show on Disney+ yet, as it has the highest IMDb score, and had the highest premiere viewership. And it looks hard to beat, as it followed through on a big reveal, featured some ingenious casting choices, and developed Loki in a way that the movies never could.
It looks the part too, as the stunning visuals for the show are perfectly aligned with the fantastical elements of the series, but that doesn’t mean the show doesn’t have its critics. There are some Redditors who don’t believe it's the godsend that every other Marvel fanatic thinks it is. Between criticizing the acting performances, calling the outfits cheesy, and believing the show is dull and boring, it’s hard to please some Reddit users.
It’s The Worst Marvel Series On Disney+
Phoenixrose2 believes Loki is the worst of the three Marvel shows on Disney+, saying that they are “bewildered by the fan reaction.” Though claiming Loki is the worst series is subjective and hard to refute, a quick look at the IMDb scores shows just how loved the fantasy show is over The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision.
WandaVision sits at an 8.0 and TFatWS has a low 7.4, whereas Loki has an outstanding 8.5. The secret to the Disney+ show’s success is that Loki is full of surprises. And unlike the others, it follows through on the huge reveal of Kang, where the theories about WandaVision almost grew bigger than the show itself, leaving many disappointed.
The Acting Is Subpar
One of the reasons why Loki has been so praised by critics is for the acting performances, But Reddit user Olavatiiii claims that the acting was subpar. They say that the emotional scenes come off as “hollow and plastic,” specifically take aim at Owen Wilson, who they say is most guilty of forced facial expressions.
However, Wilson is one of many of the great supporting characters of Phase 4, and the user is clearly forgetting about the prestige casting of Richard E. Grant as Classic Loki, who steals the show. And, of course, Hiddleston hasn’t been cast as Loki in seven MCU projects because he’s subpar.
The Show Is Cheesy
fries_supreme2 thinks that the show is cheesy above all else. From the costumes to the over-the-top acting, the Redditor says it’s like “watching Hannah Montana or Spy Kids or something.” But that’s the whole point of the show, as Loki isn’t afraid to take some major risks. It’s theatrical, hammy, and fantastical, and that’s the whole aesthetic of the series.
The multiverse is going to be a common theme in the next few MCU movies, and there’ll surely be a lot more outlandish costumes much like Classic Loki’s on the horizon. But adding to the end of the post, the Redditor complains about the 15 minute-long credits, and though 15 minutes is a bit of an exaggeration, it’s something a lot of people are on the same page about.
Sylvie Was Cast Terribly
The cast would be a lot different if Loki was made in the '90s. But between Hiddleston’s now-iconic portrayal as Loki, and the superb casting of Owen Wilson as the jet ski-loving Mobius, the cast is almost perfect as it is today.
But a '90s cast is perhaps what Reddit user Rizla_TCG would have wanted, as they say that Sylvie would look more appropriate “holding a Starbucks and a smartphone,” taking aim at Sophia Di Martino’s acting skills. However, there’s so much depth to Martino’s depiction of the female Loki, such as her choice to use her real Nottingham accent, which was a conscious decision to reflect the character’s different upbringing.
There Isn’t Enough To Like About The Character To Care
Being one of the few who doesn’t understand the love for the show, JustJohn8 argues that Loki is good “in small doses,” like how he is presented in the movies. They think that’s why the show fails, because there isn’t enough to like (or hate) about the character to care.
That may have been the case after the first two Thor movies, as he was essentially a vengeful brother seemingly throwing his toys out of his pram. But Loki’s character became more three-dimensional in Thor: Ragnarok, and it was delved into further in the show. Loki is no longer the eyes-on-the-prize opportunist that he once was.
It’s Full Off Dull Conversations
Professional-Tax-936 believes that the show is too “exposition based,” arguing that the conversations between Mobius and Loki are interesting but add nothing to the story. Though the show’s problem with exposition may be true in the later episodes, as one of the biggest criticisms of the finale was that Kang spent 40 minutes explaining the series, the Redditor’s problem is with the first two episodes.
Mobius and Loki’s conversations may not develop the plot, but they were fascinatingly deeply philosophical, and conversations have never been so captivating in the MCU. The dialogue between the two characters are why Mobius is the show’s breakout star.
Loki Doesn’t Feel Like Loki
Enderzebak4 thinks that the 2012 Loki didn’t “feel like Loki.” Though the user doesn’t go into detail as to why, Loki is clearly different in the show, as, for once, he cares about people other than himself, but it still inherently feels like Loki. When Mobius showed Loki the video of his life after he was caught by the TVA, it began a whole new character arc.
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After seeing himself make amends with his brother and seeing his parents die, and even watching himself die, Loki knew he had to change. And being thrown into the TVA, the only thing about the universe he didn’t have a clue about, it’d make anyone rethink their entire lives.
Episode 5 Wasn’t Good
Gargantuanmess notes that they didn’t like episode 5, “Journey Into Mystery,” citing that it was “disappointing.” The Reddit user points to several moments that don’t add up, such as how Mobius was able to reunite with Loki in the giant Void, and how Renslayer couldn’t decide whether or not she was good or bad.
But fans can point to several moments in each episode that feature plot holes, as a show about a multiverse after 20+ movies will always have those continuity problems. And despite the plot holes, “Journey Into Mystery” is one of the best episodes of Loki according to IMDb. The episode sees the battle between the Lokis in the bowling alley, and Classic Loki recreated the entire city of Asgard with his illusion powers.
Kang Being Behind The Time Keepers Was A Lazy Copout
Though it was exciting to see, when Kang was revealed in “For All Time. Always.,” it wasn’t all that surprising. But SilverSymbiote219 wasn’t surprised or excited when Kang showed up. The Redditor complains it was a lazy copout to have Kang being the creator of the timekeepers, and then setting them up to be a smokescreen was “redundant.” The user does have a point, as the Time Keepers are just as powerful in the comic books.
But the Redditor goes on to say that there’s no shock value in Kang’s reveal unless viewers know who he is. However, there were so many clues foreshadowing the big reveal, and given how confusing each episode was, millions of viewers were reading up on what they just saw every Wednesday.
The Show Should Have Been A Comedy
Loki is a complex and philosophical fantasy show, and it’s so unique in the MCU’s canon of movies and Disney+ series. However, in_plain_view thinks it should have been a comedy more in line with Thor Ragnarok, but it was instead a “waste of potential.” But there are already so many comedy-leaning upcoming MCU movies, including Spider-Man: No Way Home, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Ant-Man: Quantumania, that there doesn’t have to be a laugh-out-loud comedy series.
As the shows are so imaginative, and they use the episodic format in such creative ways, it doesn’t need to be funny to be entertaining. And even though it isn’t an outright comedy, Loki is still full of laughs, as the show plays on Loki being a fish out of water-type character in the TVA in almost every scene.