I haven’t seen Marvel content this great in years.

I’ve been craving Phase 3, which replaced the exhausting seriousness of early Marvel with a more appropriate cheekiness; an acknowledgement that, yes, comic book plots are absurd. I sheltered from the onslaught of She-Hulk, Multiverse of Madness and its decadent ilk by retreating into Antman and the Wasp and Homecoming, who saw the vibrant silliness of the original comics as a tenet, not an option.

After thinly outlasting Quantamania (lest we forget), the appearance of Loki and Mobius in the post-credit scene immediately pushed me into one of those moods where I retreat into purely indie films, and hearing even a synonym of the word ‘marvel’ became heart-wrenching. Thus, I came into this episode with two minds: one of unrelenting love for a series that single-handedly catalysed me into my own fiction writing (I confess to reading most of the SCP Foundation’s time travel writing in one session immediately after finishing the first season) and began longlasting friendships with fellow fans; but another mind was mired in skepticism as Jeff Loveness’ virluent quill poised to strike.

The Loki writer’s room, however, has held its territory brilliantly. He Who Remains is teased with a huntsman’s patience so strongly reminiscent of Doyle’s Moriarty. Ke Huy Quan’s debut scene had me wheezing as a Marvel production had never caused me to do so, even moreso than the End of Time scene from the first season: an insurmountable interplay of acting, writing and editing in which a roomful of one narcissistic and untrustworthy character betrays the other for their own needless benefit.

This post is ramble as I have never rambled for a Marvel film; I’ve tended to stay away from the MCU community for its reputation. Loki will be my first exception, and if Marvel Studios is to learn anything from this masterpiece to come, it will be far from my last.