Loki head writer Michael Waldron explained why Jaimie Alexander's Lady Sif was the perfect Asgardian to cameo in the latest episode of Loki.
In an interview with CBR, Waldron delved into episode 4, "The Nexus Event," and all the ways that it helped define what exactly makes a Loki a Loki. One key part of that exploration was the time-loop prison Loki gets sent to, where Sif appears for the first time since Thor: The Dark World (give or take a couple of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. appearances that are no longer canon) to torment the God of Mischief both emotionally and physically.
"I think it was cool to just do a nod to actual Norse mythology and the story of Loki cutting Sif's hair, which is a real thing from the comic books and the mythology," Waldron said. "Anytime we get to do that, that's really cool."
As Waldron notes, Loki cutting Sif's hair as a prank is indeed ripped from Norse mythology and has also been adapted in the pages of Marvel Comics. As such, it provided a deeply canonical way to bring Sif back into the story while also examining Loki's nature.
"And Lady Sif is awesome! She's a badass, fan-favorite character... She wasn't dispatched by Hela in Ragnarok. She felt like somebody uniquely suited to really kneeing Loki in the nuts and punching him in the face a couple of times," Waldron continued. "So we were excited to get her in there, and she did a fantastic job."
The cameo also helps set up Sif's return in Thor: Love and Thunder, where she'll rejoin the cinematic side of the MCU alongside Natalie Portman's Jane Foster, who was also last seen in The Dark World (save some archival footage from that very film appearing in Avengers: Endgame). As for whether another big cameo is in store?
"I love cameos," Waldron said. "Cameos are fun. I don't know! Stay tuned! Maybe that was it. I was pretty excited!"
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+.