The Rotten Tomatoes Reviews For Loki Are In

Summertime is right around the corner in the northern hemisphere, but if you're a Marvel fan, June 2021 is the start of Loki season. 

"Loki" is the third series from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to debut on Disney+ in 2021, following "WandaVision" and "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." Both of those series were massive hits among both critics and fans, so "Loki" will have some big boots to fill.

And based on the story, "Loki" might be the most ambitious of all three MCU shows this year, which is really saying something. This version of the Loki character will be the one we last saw in "Avengers: Endgame." In that film, the Avengers traveled back in time to 2012, the year of the first "Avengers" film, with the goal of retrieving the Infinity Stones. But when they arrived at Stark Tower in 2012, the resulting commotion allowed Loki to escape with the Tesseract. And now, the Disney+ series will not only explain where the Norse trickster went, it will also see him in an unfamiliar role: as a hero. In the series, Loki gets captured by the Time Variance Authority and is tasked with tracking down someone who poses a threat to the entire multiverse. 

Based on the critics' early reactions, "Loki" very much does live up to its two predecessors. But now that the official reviews are in, here's what the critics truly think about the third MCU series to debut in 2021, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Among the 51 critics' reviews gathered by Rotten Tomatoes as of June 8, "Loki" currently enjoys a 96% Fresh rating. Rotten Tomatoes describes "Loki" as "off-kilter, charming, and vaguely dangerous," just like Loki himself.

Most critics feel that Tom Hiddleston does a masterful job transitioning from villain to antihero. "Through Hiddleston's nuanced performance, we get to see Loki's quirks and qualities laid bare at last — depths of character that have only been hinted at," wrote Kalla Hale-Stern of The Mary Sue, adding, "The character has fascinated and endeared us because he exemplifies a principle that's stated on the show: that no one is ever entirely good or bad."

Many critics also had praise for Hiddleston's co-star, Owen Wilson, who plays Loki's TVA handler Mobius M. Mobius: "Mobius and Loki make for an effective odd couple, with the "full-tilt diva", as Tony Stark put it in Avengers Assemble, butting up against the unruffled, surfer-dude energy of Wilson's agent," wrote Helen O'Hara of Empire Magazine.

If there was one recurring complaint about "Loki," it's that the show devotes a lot of screen time to complicated time travel mechanics, which may be a barrier for new viewers. "Loki can get bogged down in its discussion of timelines and multiverses," wrote Tim Grierson of Screen International. "But thankfully the creative team keeps the narrative engine humming, filling the screen with eye-catching details." As that 96% indicates, that's a minor issue for the series. 

"Loki" premieres on Disney+ on June 9, so fans won't have to wait much longer to see if they agree with the experts.