The second installment “Loki” introduces a somewhat lesser-known, but definitely exciting Marvel character. Did you interpret the clues correctly?
Warning, spoilers for “Loki” season 2, episode 2 – follow.
The new season of “Loki” is here and is once again tying Marvel fans in knots with new episodes every week. Also in episode 2 it was necessary to look especially closely, not only because of this Easter Egg. The events surrounding Hunter X-5 (Rafael Casal) also hid a clue that makes the hearts of comic fans beat faster.
Hidden is admittedly perhaps the wrong word, because both the name and face of the Marvel character we’re looking for are emblazoned large on the movie poster for Hunter X-5, who was on the True Timeline as actor Brad Wolfe. Those with limited familiarity with comic book reading will think nothing more of “Zaniac” or think the name was invented specifically for the series. But Zaniac has a much longer history in Marvel comics and may now have made the leap into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
This is Marvel’s Zaniac
Zaniac made his comic book debut back in the early 1980s. There he is best known as an antagonist of Thor. We already know that the powerful green creature with striking facial hair is a subject of Dormammu, who came to Earth around 1800 and has been wreaking havoc ever since. However, he rarely shows his true face, instead he takes possession of people and controls their bodies. He is also said to be responsible for the Jack the Ripper murders (via ComicBook.com).
This bloodthirsty past can perhaps already be guessed from the slasher-heavy content or the genre description of “Zaniac”. Particularly piquant: The malicious entity also empowers itself in the comics of the actor Brad Wolfe! Does this mean, in reverse for “Loki”, that Hunter X-5 is no longer himself, but actually Zaniac? Probably not, but this dark being could still play a role in the upcoming “Loki” episodes or in the further course of the MCU. We might get answers in the next episode “Loki”, which can be seen on Disney+ from October 18, 2023.
