Disney+ Has Released the Most Startling ‘Loki’ Image Yet

This morning, Disney+ released a new poster for Loki season 2, in which Tom Hiddleston looks like an airbrushed action figure. Believe it or not, that’s not the image I’m going to discuss in this article!

Okay, I’ll discuss it a little. Creepy, right? It’s weird. Why does he look like a fake man, with skin made from polymers and eyes of hand-painted glass? All of the posters they’ve released so far have had a kind of uncanny quality to them, but this one is the strangest. Is it intentional? Are they telegraphing some super obscure plot twist? I don’t know.

But the poster aside, the image I really want to discuss is this lightning-fast shot from the featurette that came out on Monday. You can only see it if you view the footage frame by frame around the 1:20 minute mark.

What a bizarre shot! In this picture, Loki seems to be posing for some kind of portrait. Everything about it screams “awkward mandatory corporate headshot”: the forced smile, the slightly turned shoulders, the dark brown backdrop. This is exactly what I looked like when I worked for a company that made us all get matching portraits for the website. You could see the misery in my eyes as I smiled.

So what does it mean? My theory is that it’s part of Loki’s continued infiltration into the Time Variance Authority. Whether he’s stuck in a time loop or randomly traveling back and forth between the past and the future, this photo—coupled with the new brown coat and fresh TVA uniform—indicates that he’ll become a full-fledged TVA employee, instead of just a consultant/prisoner. He’ll do it for the purpose of going undercover and saving the multiverse, of course. Right?

I’ll admit that the shot also makes me fear that Loki won’t leave the TVA before season 2 ends. Don’t get me wrong, the TVA is cool and all, but … I want the God of Mischief back.

At least we don’t have long to go until season 2. Just two weeks now until the premiere!

(featured image: Disney+)