Why Loki Is Making Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Seem Stupid

Warning: SPOILERS for Loki episode 2, “The Variant.” 

Marvel Studios’ Loki focuses on the God of Mischief’s own adventure, but the show is inadvertently making Thor look stupid. The third MCU TV show on Disney+ has already released two episodes; the premiere set the overarching narrative into motion as the trickster found himself under the TVA’s surveillance. Since agreeing to work for them in order to evade being deleted from reality, Loki has started carving a new path in the franchise separate from the long shadow of his brother, the God of Thunder. 

The events of Loki take place outside of the main MCU timeline. So the Asgardian prince remains dead following his encounter with Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. Still, there are consistent references to the character’s arc in the franchise, including a montage of the biggest moments in his on-screen journey to date. In episode 2, Asgard’s destruction in Thor: Ragnarok played a key role in Loki figuring out how to track down his evil variant. a.k.a. Lady Loki. However, his trickster ways don’t seem to work as easily on his new co-workers in comparison to people in Asgard, especially Thor.

Ever since they both debuted in Kenneth Branagh’s Thor, the God of Thunder and the God of Mischief had been mostly together throughout their MCU journeys. But now that their paths have diverged in Phase 4, it’s noticeable how they truly operate separately from each other. For Loki, that’s having to work doubly hard in terms of executing his mischievous ways as the TVA doesn’t always fall for them. Agent Mobius M. Mobius calls his bluff in Loki episode 2 and even straight-up tells him that his schemes are obvious. Considering the many times that Thor has been tricked by his brother, this paints the elder Odinson as slightly dim. It’s not an intentional move by the Disney+ series to make Thor seem so gullible and slow to catch on. Still, it’s not exactly new: “Are you ever not going to fall for that?” Loki asks Thor in the first Avengers movie when Thor is once again fooled by one of Loki’s illusions. Unfortunately, most especially in their earliest years in the MCU, Marvel Studios’ struggles to find the right approach to Thor made Loki’s clever pranks all the more fun to watch. It wasn’t until Ragnarok that the God of Thunder was made as interesting as his adopted brother.

Additionally, the TVA, particularly Mobius, is an expert on Lokis. As revealed, the organization has dealt with the character’s variants often, and with every encounter, they’ve naturally learned something about Loki as a whole. Also in Loki episode 2, Mobius reveals that he has studied the trickster’s every move and quirk. This makes it much easier for him to spot a lie when the God of Mischief is attempting to sell one. It’s also worth noting that the TVA and its people aren’t emotionally invested in Loki. Despite their tumultuous relationship, Thor loves his brother and wants to believe the best of him. Perhaps deep down, the God of Thunder has always hoped that Loki will finally do the right thing and genuinely be on his side, which is why he keeps giving Loki chances to prove himself.

While the TVA and Mobius are considered Loki experts, they still need help from one in tracking down this new rogue variant. Admittedly, it’s still up for debate whether or not she’s really Lady Loki, but she proves to be an elusive target for the organization. At this point, it’s unclear if Loki and Thor will eventually cross paths again. In the meantime, they’ll each have to move forward on their own. It will only make a potential reunion all the more intriguing as both of them will have grown since the last time they saw each other.

Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.