Loki proves once again that Marvel television is satisfying the loyal fanbase. Not only are the recurring actors and characters continuing to bring their all in new storylines, but Marvel keeps bringing on fresh creators to see original visions amid the overall continuity. On Loki, the names to keep looking out for are Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, confirmed as co-directors for the final episodes of the show’s second season.
Loki Synopsis
The end of the first season of Loki saw the emergence of He Who Remains, a variant of a powerful entity better known in Marvel’s past as Kang the Conqueror. With Mobius M. Mobius at his side, Loki continues to look for one of his variants known as Sylvie, who is intent on upending the Time Variance Authority and Kang by any means necessary.
Benson and Moorhead’s Sci-Fi Mastery
Loki has seen some satisfyingly wild time and alternate character trickery in its second season, and Benson and Moorhead’s role as the first new Loki directors following the departure of Kate Herron sets the tone instantly. A near-constant disruption of the fragmented timeline makes Loki enjoyable for more than just Marvel diehards. Seeing Benson and Moorhead’s style brought further into Marvel territory proves the dark directions that the brand will go as it drifts farther into the outer reaches of character expansion.
Modern Horror and Sci-Fi Revelations of Benson and Moorhead
After their first taste of Marvel success on Moon Knight (following the lead of Egyptian director Mohamed Diab), Benson and Moorhead gained more work in these highly sought-after positions as the leading directors of the second season of Loki and the rumored continuation of Daredevil. However, their signature notoriety to horror and science fiction viewers of late comes from a prolific and well-reviewed catalog of films that began in 2012. Nearly all of them involve a peculiar twist to science fiction tropes like time travel and unexplained phenomena, with the most recent, Something in the Dirt, spinning a story of documenting paranormal activity into an unexpectedly bizarre pathway.
The original underrated fan favorite of this duo’s filmography is Spring, surprising all viewers with its overarching romance set-up that announced the filmmakers as storytellers bent on shaking up all expectations. In their superior follow-up, The Endless, mind-meltingly confusing manipulations of time and reality keep even seasoned sci-fi viewers on their toes. Though the two have occasionally covered up insufficient plot elements with their alluring direction style, their skill brought to Loki is what Marvel decidedly needs to maintain interest beyond the dedicated fanbase.
Owen Wilson and Tom Hiddleston in ‘Loki’
Dive Into More Marvel Directors
Trusting more creators with their vision while balancing a unified approach that can nullify the specialties of a filmmaker (Destin Daniel Cretton gave weight to each shot of his film; Chloé Zhao did not), Marvel has at least picked some fascinating and varied choices to explore their potential. Here is a handful we cannot overlook:
Matt Shakman, the sole WandaVision director, is a 21st-century television staple, with credits on shows like Psych and House up to The Good Wife and You’re the Worst. Not to mention an astounding 43 episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, including the entire seventh season.
We cannot overstate Rhys Thomas’s comedy work in the last 15 years, beginning with Saturday Night Live and continuing to co-direct most Documentary Now! episodes. His most recent work is as lead director of Hawkeye.
And finally, aside from direction credits on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Kat Coiro’s biggest nab of recent years is returning to filmmaking with Marry Me, a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. For television, she has numerous minor credits on shows such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Shameless, Modern Family, Dead to Me, and Girls5Eva.
Loki is streaming now on Disney+.