Loki, the villain of Marvel’s The Avengers, will not be making a return for the sequel, The Avengers 2. In a podcast interview for Empire, director/screenwriter Joss Whedon has confirmed Tom Hiddleston’s character has not been included in an early draft of the script.
“I’ve turned in a first draft, but the story is very set. Everybody’s very much on board with the exact movie I’m trying to make which is what worked the first time,” said Whedon. “Immitating what I did before is the surest way to do it not as well. Second of all, and Loki is not there to say those terrible things.”
The brother of Thor and Norse god of mischief ended up being a favorite among Marvel movie fans. Although nowhere near as imposing as his musclebound sibling, Loki’s charisma and eagerness to prove himself made him one of the more memorable antagonists in the Marvel universe. While having him wreak havoc on the Earth once again would most likely lead to a success, Whendon is determined to explore new ideas instead of rehashing old ones.
Loki’s absence in The Avengers 2 leads to uncertainties about his role in the upcoming Thor sequel, Thor: The Dark World. This could be an indication that Loki may be finally defeated, or possibly even killed, in this film. We will have to wait until November 8th of this year to know for sure but let the guessing game begin!
As for Joss Whendon’s decision to eliminate Hiddleston’s troubled Asgardian character, he may have made a very wise choice. This creates the opportunity to bring in wholly new concepts and characters that Marvel fans would love to see. As we have seen with countless other sequels, merely reiterating the original movie drastically diminishes the magic. The best time for a character to leave is while audiences still appreciate them, not when they have had more than enough.
So far, the S.H.I.E.L.D. team is rumored to return in its entirety. Not much can be said as of now in regards to the plot. If all goes according to plan, The Avengers 2 should begin filming in February of 2014 and have a wide release in May 2015.