The enormous success of WandaVision only instills more excitement in Marvel Cinematic Universe fans that the other magical-themed series in Loki will be a rousing success. The series will also be the first solo outing for the God of Mischief, who has been active for over a decade by this point.
With Loki being such an essential character finally in the spotlight, the MCU needs to avoid certain mistakes that have held earlier works back in numerous ways. Some of these are such that they just won’t match well with the style of the show and the protagonist and others are just unappealing to begin with.
Focusing Too Much On Loki As A Tragic Figure
As far as sympathy goes, Loki has received far too much of this, with most of it being unwarranted. His worst traits have been ignored, mainly because Loki was presented as a tragic figure, which wasn’t even on purpose but ended up happening due to the MCU not giving enough characterization toward the ones he wronged.
Loki doesn’t need to paint him as a villain, but it should avoid bringing his tragic status back since it diminishes the values of the supporting characters. It also stands as a barrier in the way of seeing Loki as anything other than a reluctant antagonist.
Presenting A Love Interest As A Way Of Character Development
A degree of codependency has been heavily emphasized in the MCU, with several characters like Tony Stark, Gamora, Thor, Star-Lord, among others, all undergoing positive character development due to them falling in love.
This has inadvertently furthered the notion that a person can change mainly due to their romantic interest, which isn’t exactly the best practice. Moreover, it would be completely unsuitable for a character like Loki, who has shown zero interest in romance and would suffer if the only way he can change is through a love interest rather than through his experiences.
Turning The Main Character Into A Caricature Of Himself
By this point, fans have become wise to Loki’s wonky sense of logic, which has been played for laughs. However, the MCU made the mistake of turning him into too much of a jokester by the end of his original run, as he became a one-trick pony.
The TV series needs to dabble in this area in creative ways by having Loki use his funny personality as a means of deception rather than always cracking jokes. Many characters have become caricatures of themselves by a needless emphasis on certain personality tropes and Loki has to avoid this.
Characters Making Snap Decisions
A lot of the fight against Thanos made no sense, with the most major ones where characters snapped even though they had a plan. Loki has done so himself in the past, such as when he commanded the Destroyer to kill Thor, only to later claim he always thought of Thor as his brother.
The Loki series is placed in a position where snap decisions are a possibility since the titular character has been known to fly off the handle. However, since Loki’s being presented as a cool, escapist character in the TV show, there’s no need to have him be so emotionally driven.
Suddenly Showing Previously Unknown Powers
Several characters like Star-Lord, Scarlet Witch, and Thor have had these sudden power-ups, only for them not to factor too much in later stories. This mistake would feel even bigger for Loki since his new powers would be treated as a big deal in the show but won’t be of significance in the grand scheme of things.
Loki’s set of skills have been fleshed out enough for his real fans to understand how they work. Since his original run was so extended, bringing out new abilities that were never hinted at before would be something of a cop-out since it would make Loki too much like the other heroes.
Leaving Supporting Characters With Ambiguous Endings
Loki himself was a supporting character in the Thor movies, with many fans complaining how the four-year stretch of his uncertain position as the fake Odin was left unaddressed. This is something the MCU has made a mess of in general, with mysteries surrounding the statuses of characters kept ambiguous.
The Loki series is most likely going to be a one-time thing like WandaVision, meaning the supporting characters seen here will have a very small chance of turning up again. By keeping their fates and future up in the air, fans will be miffed at the lack of closure.
Not Mentioning Obvious Plot Points And References
On other occasions, the MCU has opted to avoid mentioning or clearing up obvious questions from fans. This has been somewhat of an insult toward viewers who watched these stories for resolutions.
The most anticipated character fans want to see in Loki is his brother Thor. Fans won’t be happy if his status isn’t mentioned at all, as it’s the first thing they’ll want to know. With so much time travel confusion happening as well, the MCU’s mistake of ambiguity should be avoided at all costs in favor of offering clarity.
Uneven Display Of Powers
Many like to argue that Loki is better than Thor due to his knack for using magic alongside his fight skills, but the MCU made the mistake of making him too easy to beat as the franchise went on. In the end, his powers are very uneven as he’s beaten powerful characters at certain points but then lost to others who seem weaker.
With the focus now squarely on Loki, the TV series needs to confirm the exact extent of his abilities and what level of beings he can face off against. This will allow viewers to understand how Loki works rather than try to figure out why he loses when he shouldn’t be.
Downplaying Villainous Behavior
Although Loki has a lot of fans, it shouldn’t hide the fact that he’s betrayed a lot of characters. However, the MCU has a bad habit of downplaying the work of villains, to the point where their malevolent activities have taken a backseat to their charisma.
Loki won’t be the villain this time around, meaning it’s essential that the actual baddies are shown as the antagonists they are in order to highlight Loki’s own protagonist role. By downplaying their villainy, the idea of them being a threat to Loki won’t come across as it should.
Presenting Too Many Points Of View
At times, the MCU has seemed cluttered with too many characters onscreen. Avengers: Infinity War did a good job in juggling this but did suffer from telling the story in simple terms. Loki is a series that needs to have the main character front and center, so bringing different points of view will be counterproductive.
The MCU has also used different characters to steer the focus away from the main protagonist for the shock value when the latter character suddenly returns, but since Loki has already had the mysterious aura previously, it’s time for viewers to follow his story rather than guess what he’s up to.