Here I go, continuing on my character assessments to completion, from the Disney+ Marvel shows of 2021. Check out Part 1 if you’re looking for WandaVision and The Falcon & the Winter Soldier.
Loki – Established Characters
Loki
Loki is a weird one, because first we have to acknowledge that this TV series strips away three movies’ worth of character development for Loki. The God of Mischief has never been a favourite of mine anyway, and I’m not sure if this series does anything for him that couldn’t have been done for anyone else. Loki simply works as our guide through this new organisation joining the MCU, the Time Variance Authority; one of time-travelling soldiers, who work under the guise of protecting the truest timeline from multiversal interference – considering I watched Spider-Man: No Way Home before Loki, I’m not sure I needed to know any more about the ‘multiverse’, but no doubt it’ll be a recurring theme in the MCU moving forward. But the Loki series also allows Loki to live on, and allows Disney+ to do their own Doctor-Who-type show, although it’s another layer on an already complicated Universe that I’ll need to cuddle up to closer to find warmth. This series makes the point that Loki has a massive over-appreciation of his own abilities (ego), but is always failing in his plans to rule – maybe all he is looking for is someone who understands him, and perhaps that makes him the perfect character to fall in love with himself. There’s a second season of Loki coming, so I’ll watch on.
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Loki – New Characters
Sylvie
Okay, when I first saw that the Loki variant the TVA were chasing was a f-f-female, I was like, ‘big who cares’, but, actually, it works well for the story the series wants to tell, with Loki finding a romantic bond with himself. Ah but then again, since Loki is bisexual, there’s a bit of a missed opportunity to just keep the variant male, isn’t there? And my problem with Sylvie is that if she is a variant of the truest timeline, then the timekeepers surely waited way too long to nip that dissecting branch in the bud, considering they didn’t come for Sylvie until she was, like, eight years old. Right? But, now that that’s out of the way, Sylvie is pretty awesome – she knows what she’s doing, and has been intelligently hiding in disastrous environments to avoid detection from the TVA all her life; it’s a little soft that the TVA didn’t think of that as an option, but I suppose it takes a Loki to be so cunning. Sylvie has the tragic backstory, being an orphan on the run, growing up in harsh environments and being hunted for merely being alive. And through that, she’s developed a tough skin, and a clear objective in destroying the TVA. While I’m not convinced right now that the Loki series was completely worthwhile, I’m glad we got Sylvie; she’s a gem.
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Mobius M. Mobius
What’s not to like about this mild-mannered clock-puncher played by Owen Wilson? I love how he isn’t fazed by anything Loki has to throw at him, and Mobius ends up contributing one half to an unlikely buddy-cop duo with Loki, before he ends up cautiously accepting the darker nature of his organisation, and finds himself pruned. Mobius is charming, and pretty much makes the TVA personable for a while.
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He Who Remains
What a crackpot! So, are we to believe that this guy is human, discovered the multiverse, led a war effort nobody has heard about, lives outside of time (where magic and infinity stones have no effect), and knows things years into the future, whilst also knowing what events from the past have led to the completion of the appropriately pure timeline…? I feel like The Simpsons‘ Mr. Burns trying to decide between Ketchup and Catsup; ‘I’m in way over my head’. Forget The Wizard of Oz‘s ‘man behind the curtain’; He Who Remains feels more like the Architect at the finale of The Matrix Reloaded, and could you dumb it down for me, Mr. Majors? Actually, it’s not so much that it’s confusing, as much as I question why we need this… But, since this is only season one, I have to let the series play out, and maybe I can warm to this concept later on.
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Ravona Renslayer
Ravona ended up being an unlikely antagonist, since she was unwilling to accept that the powers that be wouldn’t have a plan. As an authority figure, watching over the TVA’s operations, Gugu Mbatha-Raw had great chemistry with Owen Wilson, and there might be a chance for her character to redeem herself going forward in Loki: Season 2.
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Hunter B-15
As far as diligent soldiers go, the TVA have got themselves a goodin’ in Hunter B-15. I’d be glad to have her by my side.
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Hunter C-20
Just a shout-out for Sasha Lane, who plays this enchanted soldier supposedly killed by Ravona Renslayer upon her return to the TVA. Check out Lane’s movie, American Honey, as a peaceful movie that I know I enjoyed.
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Kid Loki, Boastful Loki, President Loki & Classic Loki
First and foremost, these four act as a beautiful nod to the various comic book depictions of Loki throughout the years. I like how Kid Loki apparently killed Thor, and so, he is the ruler of his Loki trio. I have a technical objection with Boastful Loki (the black one), but it’s the same objection I had with Sylvie; how did his timeline exist for so long to produce such an altered Loki variant? It couldn’t be. President Loki is cool, but Classic Loki is the best! Part of me feels like it’s a waste if Richard E. Grant is only going to show up in one episode of television for the MCU and be gone, but how perfect is it that he is playing Loki, and that his Loki managed to survive Thanos, and hide away from the TVA for as long as he did. These guys were fun.
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Hawkeye – Established Characters
Clint Barton (Hawkeye)
I think I’m going to use this time to talk about Hawkeye, the entire show, because the character of Hawkeye is pretty bland again. Actually, I shouldn’t say that, because I enjoy his moments in the Avengers movies. This series tries to touch on how Hawkeye has an image problem, and although he’s probably everyone’s least favourite Avenger in the real world, I never considered that people inside the MCU wouldn’t love him. The day that Loki opened the portal to alien kind, the world’s citizens didn’t know the Avengers were going to win, and so you’d think they would celebrate the six founding Avengers with as much vigour as possible – maybe Hawkeye, even more so than Iron Man and Hulk due to the destruction they caused thereafter. Actually, now that I think about it, I’m sure the citizens of the MCU would be afraid of the Hulk, whereas Clint Barton is your everyman. Clint shies away from the spotlight, as we know, to protect his family, and may appear distant in the same way a Marine may not connect with the common man, but Clint Barton is a celebrity, and I ate up all the scenes with normal citizens fanning over him. I’m glad this series got to touch on how Black Widow’s death has left a lasting emotional impact, and I love seeing Clint fiddle with his hearing aid, as his years in combat have left a physical impact. This series, is my least favourite of the four live-action shows we got last year, because it’s highly chaotic, and there comes a point halfway through where you realise that this all comes about because some Trackies blew a hole in a wall and stole a watch. But while Hawkeye is helping out Kate Bishop against his desires, and trying to close the chapter of his life associated with the Ronan, it’s fine. Do I love that Hawkeye ever became the Ronan? Not particularly, but sometimes we go down dark paths when things seem hopeless, and this is the MCU’s version of exploring that. I’m glad Hawkeye finally got his own, and part of me is convinced that the Black Widow movie would have been better served as a mini-series as well – sometimes being less of a fan favourite has its advantages, I guess.
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Yelena Belova (Black Widow)
How does one not love Yelena Belova?! She is so funny and cool, played excellent by Florence Pough; a rapidly growing star in Hollywood. That one scene, chatting casually and menacingly with Kate Bishop over mac’n’ cheese, is perfect. We knew from the end of Black Widow, that Yelena was going to go on a revenge quest against Hawkeye, convinced he was responsible for not protecting Natasha Romanov, and I’m sure we all kind’ve knew that it would fizzle – Yelena and Clint would have a heart-to-heart on their love for the original Black Widow and would part on amicable terms. And that’s exactly what happened. So far, any time Yelena Belova has been on screen has been a joy for me, and I see there’s potential for her and Kate Bishop to be the best of pals in future appearances (see how when they first battle on the rooftop, Kate has an archer’s shot and doesn’t take it, just like how Clint wouldn’t shoot Natasha when they first met? *chef’s kiss*). But I don’t know, something about Yelena and Kate being fairly evenly matched in some of their fight scenes didn’t cut it for me, as Yelena has been an assassin since birth, and Kate wins trophies at a preppy school. Their elevator scene was cool, showing a disparity in their skills, but everything else was a little childish. Oh, but I also loved how Hawkeye showed how Yelena blipped during the Snap.
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Laura, Cooper, Lila & Nathaniel Barton
Clint Barton’s family. My thoughts on Hawkeye were that it was very hit and miss, and Barton’s relationship with his family is a very good example of that. I really adored early scenes with Barton as a good father, taking his kids out to dinner, and allowing them to take him to Rogers: The Musical. They’re proud of their Dad, and want to celebrate his celebrity a little while, even though Clint isn’t all that phased about it. But, as the series goes on, these guys really don’t have much to do – the getting-home-for-Christmas aspect of the show is weak, and I wish we got to experience a more earnest understanding between Laura and Clint, regarding Clint’s despicable time as the Ronan. Laura also acts like Clint’s little eye in the sky through her S.H.I.E.L.D. connections, which I think is new in this series, or at least, I didn’t remember that she was a former agent from Avengers: Age of Ultron; but maybe I need to watch that again. Either way, I would’ve been bummed if the Barton family wasn’t included in Hawkeye, and we get a few nice moments with them, without anything elevating it to spectacular.
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Wilson Fisk (Kingpin)
No, no, no, no! I think the Hawkeye series did my boy in, and potentially ended his story arch in the limpest fashion, compared to the complex and mature characterisation that we had in the Daredevil franchise. Yet, I understand it that Fisk survived the Snap, and used those five years to build his criminal empire in a manner befitting the Kingpin, even hiring the Ronan to do his dirty work. Cool. If this is to be the end of Fisk, and we will never see him throwdown with Spider-Man, then a teenage Kate Bishop will have to do, and I did enjoy that fight scene.
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Hawkeye – New Characters
Kate Bishop (Hawkeye)
So, positively, I really love the idea that a young person, shook by the alien invasion, admired Hawkeye, and realised that out of all of the noble Avengers, he is the one that an ordinary person can aspire to be. He’s the common man of the pack, and Kate Bishop sets out to protect her world through excelling at archery and the finest combat sports. As much as I love Hailee Steinfeld, it took me a while to warm up to Kate Bishop, and during the first two episodes of Hawkeye, I thought this character would prove a Marvel misstep. But at the heart of it, Bishop is a spoilt erratic college-age student, whose hubris is part of her challenge to overcome in becoming a hero. I can see her and the new Black Widow becoming the strangest of friends – with Yelena knowing how to live it rough, while Kate has known nothing but luxury. The Hawkeye series gets a bit chaotic towards the end, but there’s enough there with Kate, to hope for exciting appearances, if and when Marvel decides to use her again.
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Jack Durquesne
Apparently this moustache-tweaker is the mentor for Hawkeye in the comics, but whatever dude. Jack’s only got a small part, but the series does well in handling him, from a suspected villain, to a naive and affable guy with a sword, helping out in the final battle. What does Slim say in A Bug’s Life – ‘swish-swish-twang-twang!’
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Elenor Bishop
I thought Hawkeye was building up Elenor to be a bigger baddie than she was, but she’s ultimately a widower who got in debt with the Kingpin after her husband’s sudden passing. Vera Farmiga is a big actress for the MCU to never use again, and I wonder how she will pop up in Kate’s life in the future, after serving jail time for what she’s done.
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Maya Lopez
Maya Lopez is the daughter of a murdered organised crime boss working under Kingpin, and has it in for the Ronan, as the assassin who murdered her father. By the end of the series, it is revealed that the Ronan was hired by the Kingpin to do his dirty work, and Maya eventually takes her revenge on Kingpin instead, assumingly shooting him in the face (although the camera pans away). Other than being deaf and sporting a prosthetic leg, Maya is pretty generic as the leader of a gang out to do hostile deeds, and taking the ‘Tracksuit Mafia’ seriously at times is challenging at best. Doing a little digging into her comic book biography, it seems Maya Lopez becomes the mercenary Echo, and has her own entanglements with Daredevil, which could make her appearance in Hawkeye a necessary setup for more interesting storylines later on, considering Disney+ has announced she will be getting her own spin-off series too. I’ll watch it, for sure, and be ecstatic if that’s how Matt Murdock re-enters the MCU in a serious capacity.
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Kazimeirz ‘Kazi’ Kazimeirczak & the Tracksuit Mafia
Kazi had charisma – I don’t know the actor very well, but I could see him in other things. But I guess this is what happens when Daredevil and Iron Fist have taken on all the cool gangs of New York City; you’re left with the Tracksuit Mafia – how embarrassing.
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The NYC LARPers
Seeing Clint Barton interact with the NYC LARPers and make unexpected friends – good. Seeing the NYC LARPers infiltrate a rich party, like they’re a covert operation when it’s already been made clear that they have their own lives and day jobs – bad. Seeing them get into their LARPer costumes so people at the party will be more inclined to listen to them – I’m not sure 🤔
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So, there you have it – a nod to TV sitcoms, a political action thriller, a time-bending sci-fi, and a Christmas adventure, all rolled into one. If I were to rank these shows by how much I enjoyed them, I would easily keep them in the order they were released – WandaVision way ahead, with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki pretty close, and then Hawkeye clearly at the bottom. Then if I were to bring in the Netflix Marvel Knights series’ that I love so much as well, Hawkeye might find itself only above the first season of Iron Fist 😬 Since I’m late to these shows, by the time I post this Moon Knight will have already started, and I hope to not be so tardy for Disney+ Marvel of 2022.
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