WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Loki, Episode 2, "The Variant," streaming now on Disney+.
The Sacred Timeline might be in danger, but the broader multiverse already had its own nexus event. While there's no villain behind the resurgence of an '80s pop music phenomenon, it's a small joke of fate that society is under the thumb of a surprise Bonnie Tyler renaissance. "Holding Out for a Hero" is her 1984 chartbuster that came out of Peter Quill's favorite flick, Footloose. But in 2021, it's the new rock anthem, heard in the premiere trailer for Masters of the Universe: Revelation, the teaser for Square Enix's new Guardians of the Galaxy video game and now, Episode 2 of Loki.
Tyler's voice hits richer, huskier notes than fellow songstress Stevie Nicks, but her discography is just filled with the joyous excesses of 1980s pop music. While "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is actually the biggest tune of Tyler's career, according to Billboard and the Recording Industry Association of America, "Holding out for a Hero" became a familiar action scene anthem after Footloose put it on the map. Before its latest resurgence, most fans probably remember the tune from 2004's Shrek 2, when Jennifer Saunders' Fairy Godmother burns up the stage in a spangly red dress and her own throaty rendition of the hit.
Gen X loaded up on their exposure to the song well before the 2000s, as frequent cable repeats of the cute robot flick Short Circuit 2 and the underestimated John Candy film Who's Harry Crumb? kept Tyler's royalties thriving. It's a go-to song for grabbing that 80's vibe, with Detective Pikachu previously being the last big thing to make the classic burn up the airwaves.
2021 has caused a remarkable convergence event. Twitter rumors suggested early that Loki's second episode would feature the tune over a wild fight sequence, but before the episode aired worldwide, "Holding Out for a Hero" broke containment and felt like it was showing up everywhere. Kevin Smith's new Masters of the Universe was first out the gate with its action-packed trailer, but it's oddly appropriate. Not just a love letter to the original '80s cartoon, but with the knowledge that the series itself would reach the peak of its popularity in 1984.
The song found an equally fitting place when Square Enix spent a huge part of its E3 showcase highlighting its new Guardians of the Galaxy action RPG. Aiming for a more cohesive single-player experience than their previous release, Marvel's Avengers, the soundtrack for the game is already as important to its narrative as it is in James Gunn's films. And as the breakout track from Peter Quill's favorite movie ever, it's only natural it plays for the game's highlight reel.
To hear "Holding Out for a Hero" in Loki may cause some confusion and amusement over the song's sudden surge, but it's also a good use of irony. The song asks for a true hero to sweep her off her feet, and Tyler's lyrics bring up Superman and Hercules as examples for her dream hero to aspire to. Loki's never been all bad, as he says, but he'd find it dull to be a pure hero, too. It's not likely he, nor the variant about to kill the arriving TVA Minutemen squad, would care to be the hero of Bonnie Tyler's dreams. But as a jouster's anthem at a 1985 Renaissance festival, it's hard to defeat Tyler's calls for a white knight upon a fiery steed.
Loki stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, Sasha Lane, and Eugene Cordero. New episodes air Wednesdays on Disney+.