Loki's Secret Villain Reveal Was Shot During Final Week of Filming
Warning: SPOILERS below for Loki Season 1 Finale
Loki star Tom Hiddleston said that the season finale's villain reveal was captured in the last week of filming. Throughout the course of the Disney+ series, the title character has been working alongside Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) to pursue the head of the Time Variance Authority (TVA). While they initially believed to be hunting down the Time Keepers, they eventually discovered that they were merely fakes.
After being pruned and fighting for survival in a wasteland at the end of time, they discover other Loki variants that ultimately suffered at the hands of the same fate. In episode 5, titled "Journey Into Mystery," the lead characters confront the powerful Alioth in hopes of being able to reach who is really behind all of this. Now, in episode 6, called "For All Time. Always.," Loki and Sylvie must face their destiny in the form of He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), who is also supposed to be later known as Kang the Conqueror.
As posted by Marvel, Hiddleston talked about the major reveal and what it was like working with Majors on set. He came absolutely prepared for the part for the last week of filming and blew everyone away with his tremendous performance. While this is the actor's first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), he already appeared on set with a level of wit that surprised the lead actor. See below for Hiddleston's full comment:
“I just want to salute Jonathan Majors. He came in the last lap of this series and made an extraordinary impact. And it’s quite something to do that for a story, to get to its final chapter and to introduce the character of such breadth, and depth, and charisma, and intelligence. He was dazzling. It was our final week of filming, literally. He came in and blew us all away.”
In the comics, He Who Remains is the director of the TVA, who remains in the final reality of the multiverse. Loki clearly utilizes the character as an alternate version of Kang, although this won't be the last that we see of him. He's set to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and will likely continue to have a big impact on the things to come in the MCU. The last phase had the massive threat of Thanos and the infinity stones, although the consequences in this phase are sure to be immense.
Majors most recently starred in HBO's Lovecraft Country, which was canceled after a well-received first season. The actor rightfully earned an Emmy Award nomination for his performance as Atticus. However, his portrayal of Montgomery in The Last Black Man in San Francisco is a performance to behold. It's no wonder that Hiddleston was so impressed with his performance in Loki, as Majors is sure to bring another powerful character to the MCU in more ways than one.
Source: Marvel