Director Kate Herron on Alternate Scenes, Big Ending – The Hollywood Reporter

[This interview contains spoilers for Loki‘s season finale.]

When Kate Herron joined Loki as a director, she knew she had an asset or two up her sleeve that would forever change the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it. And in “For all time. Always.” – now season final – Loki showed all of his cards by revealing Jonathan Majors’ He Who Remains, a variant of Marvel supervillain Kang the Conqueror, which sparked the events that would open the Multiverse. Since Kang’s character is a key player throughout Phase Four of the MCU, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and his team, as well as Herron, knew exactly what was at stake with this particular cast.

“The casting was a very surreal experience. When I joined the project, we always knew that Loki and Sylvie were going to go to One Who Remains and that the multiverse would be released, ”Herron said. Hollywood journalist. “So I already knew when I got the job that it would be a huge undertaking to do it and a huge responsibility for Marvel to do it right. And Jonathan Majors is an actor who blew us all away; I think anyone who knows his work is blown away by him. And when I knew we had Jonathan, he and I were just focused on The One Who Remains and this version of the character, this variation.

During last December’s Disney Investor Day, Feige confirmed earlier reports that the majors would play Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. But as the majors eventually appeared first in Loki, Herron clarified the timing of his casting.

“[The Quantumania casting] happened at the same time, ”Herron shares. “So basically, [Ant-Man director] Peyton [Reed] and I was in that discussion with Kevin Feige and the Marvel team. We knew he was going to be in [Quantumania], and we knew a version of him was going to be in [Loki]. “

As the doomed love story of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) culminated in a passionate kiss, the latter repositioned Loki so she could grab the futuristic TemPad from He Who Remains. and send the god of mischief back to TVA. Despite Sylvie’s cunning, Herron still considers her side of the kiss to be genuine.

“Sylvie is sort of where our Loki was Thor. She’s driven by revenge, pain and anger, and that’s what he tells her, ”Herron explains. “He said to me, ‘I’ve been where you are, and I just want you to be okay. You won’t get what you want. But on her self-healing journey, she’s not here. where it is. So, she’s not going to see it that way. So there was a feeling she was turning to get the TemPad, but I don’t think that meant the kiss wasn’t genuine. my head, it was still a horrible goodbye, really, but the feelings were real.

In a recent conversation with THR, Herron also speaks of his own shocking farewells to Loki after the surprise announcement of season two. She then offers her take on the final scene and the following questions that she hopes will be answered in season two.

Well done, Kate. Loki the first season was a top MCU as far as I’m concerned.

Thank you so much. I love Marvel and was so excited to have the chance to direct for them. It was so nice to see everyone enjoying it.

In a complete change of tone, Friday morning’s news that you won’t be returning for season two makes this victory lap rather bittersweet. After one of Marvel Studios’ best stories, you’d think the group’s reunification would be automatic. So what else can you say about this?

I would say when I joined Loki, it was always going to be those six episodes. We treated it like a movie, and we put it out like a movie. We weren’t doing this in the showrunner system. So it was a lot to direct these six episodes, and I gave it all my energy and everything I had in my soul and in my heart. I threw in everything I liked about Marvel. So I always intended to do these six. And that was such a huge compliment and a delight that, as we went into production much later, Marvel and Disney were like, “Ah, man. It’s excellent and we want to continue. So I just feel like my game is over, but I’m really excited to see where it’s going to go next. So I gave everything I got, and it came from a place of love. I really enjoyed working on it and hope to work with Marvel again in the future. They changed my life and I love Marvel because I’m sure people can tell by the amount of Easter Eggs and the references I made throughout this one. But I just feel like I’ve done my part with Loki, at least for now, and I can’t wait to see where that goes next as a fan.

The one that remains of Jonathan Majors. How did it go from casting to filming?

Ah, so the casting was a very surreal experience. When I joined the project, we always knew that Loki and Sylvie were going to go to He Who Remains and the multiverse would come out. So I already knew when I got the job that it would be a huge undertaking to do it and a huge responsibility for Marvel to get it right. So when we were doing the casting it was basically me, Kevin R. Wright, my co-executive producer, Kevin [Feige], Lou [D’Esposito], Victoria [Alonso] and Peyton [Reed]. So we were all just talking about actors, and the amazing thing about Kevin Feige is that he’s so collaborative. He wants everyone at the table to have a voice, and he wants to see what they’re thinking and how that fits into his plans for the character. And Jonathan Majors is an actor who blew us all away; I think anyone who knows his work is blown away by him. He’s an incredible actor, and what I love about him is that he’s that chameleon. He’s so different in everything he does, and it’s exciting, obviously, when you ask an actor to play a character who is going to have a lot of different versions of himself. So for us it was a thrill. And when I knew we had Jonathan, he and I were just focused on The One Who Remains and this version of the character, this variation. It was just fun digging into him. We have this character who is so lonely and isolated, and the only character he’s likely interacted with is Miss Minutes, which is what we’re implying. At first you see that he is surrounded by all this noise in the universe, but he is calm and he is alone. So how introverted or extroverted is a character like this? What makes this personality? So it was really fun digging with him.

So even though Jonathan Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania the cast was ad first, your team technically chose it first, right?

[The Quantumania casting] happened at the same time. So basically, Peyton [Reed] and I was in that discussion with Kevin Feige and the Marvel team. We knew he was going to be in [Quantumania], and we knew a version of him was going to be in [Loki].

So, once a great movie or show is finally released, fans like to browse the trailers for unused footage. It was also the case of “King Loki” moment meant to be a quick insert for when Loki is tempted to a throne by Miss Minutes (Tara Forte) and the one that remains?

So this moment wasn’t really King Loki. It was just meant to be a memory from our Loki’s past. It was basically going to be in episode one because we had a lot of memories in that episode. But it was honestly a tonal thing. The scene was actually a pretty funny scene, and it was really beautifully written. But he was about to watch his mother die, and it didn’t feel right to have something so comical next to a heartbreaking moment like this. So it’s just the nature of making any movie, really. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to kill your darlings. (Laughs.)

Whoever stays put a Time Twister on the edge of their desk, or a TemPad? Sylvie (Sophie Di Martino) called it a TemPad even though it looked like a Time Twister.

(Laughs.) I love guns and tech, so I’m just like, “What’s fun about this is…” So basically it’s supposed to be a futuristic version of TVA tech. So that was the funny idea. When He Who Remains tells the story of its reunion of other variations, you see pieces of TVA technology. So our idea was that he would do both things. With TVA technology, you see the Time Twister hooking up to the TemPad, but it’s those two separate and awkward things. But whereas with He Who Remains, it has more advanced technology than VAT. So it has the two functions, basically, that we see it use. The difference is that it controls the twist; it twists him. Whereas when we see the TVA using the Time Twister, it is with a Time Collar that they control a prisoner.

As Loki and Sylvie kissed, she repositioned him so that she could grab the futuristic TemPad and throw it at the TVA. So, do you consider the kiss to be sincere from Sylvie despite her calculation during it?

Honestly, the way I’ve always read that kiss is that her feelings were genuine and it was goodbye. Sylvie is sort of where our Loki was Thor. She’s driven by revenge, pain, and anger, and that’s what he tells her. He said, “I’ve been where you are, and I just want you to be okay.” You won’t get what you want. But it is not there yet. On her self-healing journey, she’s not where he is. So she’s not going to see it that way. So there was a feeling she was turning to get the TemPad, but I don’t think that meant the kiss wasn’t genuine. In my head it was always a horrible goodbye, really, but the feelings were real.

Since TVA resides outside time, what can you say about the mechanics of the final scene?

So the way I see it in my head is that VAT exists outside of space and time, but reality and everything that we have understood has completely changed in the last few minutes. With the multiverse connection, how do we know the VAT again exists this way? We don’t know, and I guess that’s a big question that will be answered as the series goes on. But in my head the intention is for Sylvie to think she is sending him back to VAT, but because of the way the weather and the branches cross by the window, Loki was unfortunately sent off somewhere very different. So the reality has changed just by the nature of what He Who Remains said, and the idea is that he’s in this alternative VAT now.

We have to finish, but is Eugene Cordero’s Casey okay? He disappeared after episode two.

(Laughs.) Yes, Casey is fine! I love Casey and hope there will be more Casey to enjoy.

Well, congratulations again, Kate. And if you ever come back to the MCU, please make a Miss Minutes slasher movie because she’s utterly terrifying.

(Laughs.) I would like! It would actually be my dream.

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Loki the first season is now airing on Disney +.