Marvel’s Loki is many things: a god, a trickster, a rightful king, and according to Tom Hiddleston’s co-star Owen Wilson, a very hungry pup.
Hiddleston, Wilson, and Sophia Di Martino spoke at Paleyfest in Los Angeles last weekend, along with directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, and writer Eric Martin. The panel discussed all things Loki, from the influence of Alan Rickman’s Die Hard character Hans Gruber on Loki, to Hiddleston’s state of mind while filming the season finale. At one point in the conversation, Wilson shared a funny and insightful thought he’d once had about Loki finally getting the throne he never wanted.
To back up: at the end of Loki season 2 (spoilers ahead!), Loki realizes that to save the multiverse from destruction, he has to take over the function of the temporal loom, a device that powers all the strands of time. He sits on the chair formerly occupied by He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), which is transformed into a golden throne. Never mind that Loki has spent his entire time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe admitting that he doesn’t actually want a throne—he ends up with it anyway, for the rest of eternity.
On the panel, moderator Anthony Breznican brought up an old issue of a Marvel comic book, in which Loki finally defeats all his opponents and gets the throne of Asgard. Once on it, though, he’s miserable because he’s lost his life’s purpose. Now that he doesn’t have to fight for the throne anymore, what’s left for him to do? (The panel didn’t mention this, but it reminded me of Thor: Ragnarok, when we find out that all he does once he has the throne is eat grapes and erect statues of himself.)
That’s when Wilson added his thoughts about Loki’s sense of purpose. Wilson said that it reminded him of his dog, who looks forward to being fed every day. “Sometimes I wonder,” Wilson said, “what would happen if one day I just gave him all the food?”
The audience laughed as Wilson explained that his dog seems to put so much meaning into begging for food each day, that if he suddenly had all he ever wanted, he wouldn’t know what to do with it. The anecdote also has a funny parallel to the show, since other characters call Loki Mobius’s “pet.”
It’s hilarious, but it also makes sense. Loki spends his life chasing something that he doesn’t actually want, just like pets think they’d love nothing more than to gorge on kibble until their stomachs burst. It’s a good thing they have a force of moderation in their lives—whether that person is a literal pet owner, or a lovable time detective who’s looking out for his favorite trickster god.
(featured image: Disney+)
