Why did ‘Loki’ lose both its showrunner and director for season 2?

Season 2 of Loki is just days away, days people! And yet, somewhat marring the excitement — because no one can stymie the hype only the God of Mischief can conjure — is the looming assault trial against series star Jonathan Majors. Under the depressing cloud of the controversy, speculations about why season 1 showrunner Michael Waldron and director Kate Herron decided to step back from their respective roles when it was time for season 2 are raising questions about whether the Marvel series managed to evade the repercussions at all.

While life for the stranded God of Mischief hasn’t changed much since the finale of season one — season 2 will pick up almost exactly where we left him — a lot has evidently changed behind the camera. The upcoming season got Moon Knight’s Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead taking over Herron as lead directors, while Eric Martin (one of season one’s writers) stepped up to replace Waldron as head writer. Why were these changes needed? Contrary to speculations, it has nothing to do with Majors’ trial.

Why did Kate Herron and Michael Waldron drop their respective season one Loki roles?

For starters, Waldron has only stepped down from one of the roles, as he is still one of the Marvel series’ producers. Since penning the season one script, Waldron has written Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, has been roped in to pen Secret Wars (2027), and is reportedly working on a Star Wars movie as well. That’s a lot for one guy.

As for Herron, she has clarified, time and again (long before the Majors debacle took place), that plans for her to limit herself to bringing only season one to life was always the plan.

“I was on the show for like three years in total. I just felt like I poured everything into it. It’s almost like a campfire story that every filmmaker kind of brings their take and their perspective. I just felt like I gave so much to this. I was like, ‘You know what, I feel like this was my effort for Loki. I felt like having someone new and with fresh eyes — that, for me, is what will make a good season.”

But unlike Waldron, Herron isn’t attached to any MCU projects at the time of writing, but Marvel has a penchant for bringing back its most brilliant visionaries, and based on the exceptional debut season, the former Loki director perches somewhere very high on that list.

Loki season 2 is all set to debut on Disney Plus, with weekly Thursday releases, on Oct. 5.