WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Loki Episode 5, "Journey Into Mystery," now streaming on Disney+.
While the latest episode of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Loki was comprised of many different versions of the God of Mischief, Richard E. Grant's Classic Loki was created due to a thought experiment.
Head writer Michael Waldron described the creation of Classic Loki to Marvel, regarding him as a character that evolved from what he described as a "thought experiment." Everything about the character, from backstory to characterization, came into being as a result of asking the question, "What if Loki did in fact survive the events of Avengers: Infinity War?"
In considering that what-if scenario, Waldron stated how it mapped out the rest of the writing around Classic Loki. "And I thought, 'Well, what if that did happen?'" Waldron pondered. "And if it did, in fact, how could he have aged up? How could he have lived out his years in a way that the TVA would never come find him?" Since Grant's portrayal of the character was an aged-up version of Tom Hiddleston's Loki, his backstory needed to convincingly explain how he'd managed to age so significantly whilst avoiding the TVA as a variant. Given his heritage as an Asguardian/Jötunn, the time required to age so noticeably would have also been vast.
Classic Loki did reveal the entirety of his backstory during the episode, explaining how he avoided his fate at the hands of Thanos. His escape resulted in a lonely, self-imposed isolation for many years, which subsequently resulted in the TVA finding no trace in order to track him. Waldron explained the tragedy of this outcome for the character and why it mattered for Hiddleston's Loki. "It was that tragic thing where he finally realizes 'I'm meant to be alone.' It is just so sad," he said. "There's a real lesson there for our Loki in that he's going to reject that notion-- that this tiger can change his stripes, and he refuses to be alone. [Loki] wants to do the right thing. [He] wants to see if he can have real companionship in his life."
Those extra years lived by the character also culminated in an impressive display of what the added experience would do for Loki's powers, with the leading Loki remarking they were "stronger than we realize." While Classic Loki left a significant impact on the characters, Grant also left an impression on his co-stars. Owen Wilson commented on working with him, stating, "I love Richard E. Grant. So getting to do some scenes with him and then just meet him and hang out with him was great".
Created by Michael Waldron and directed by Kate Herron, Loki stars Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna Renslayer, Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15, Tara Strong as Miss Minutes, Eugene Cordero as Casey, Sasha Lane as Hunter C-20 and Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie, with Richard E. Grant and Jack Veal. New episodes premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.
Source: Marvel