Disney+ Releases New Marvel Studios Loki Featurette

Marvel's Loki TV series has a new featurette that's been released by Disney+. The latest Loki [...]

By Kofi Outlaw

Marvel's Loki TV series has a new featurette that's been released by Disney+. The latest Loki video focuses on actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who plays the role of Time Variance Authority judge Ravonna Renslayer. In the official caption for the video, it's teased that Ravonna "has more to her than meets the eye." After seeing the premiere episode of Loki, and the powers at work in the TVA, it's an intriguing and exciting prospect to know that Ravonna could be revealed as a major power of the quickly-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of course, Marvel Comics fans already know a little bit about what kind of secrets Ravonna Renslayer may be hiding...

In the new Loki featurette, Gugu Mbatha-Raw explains that Ravonna Renslayer "works for the TVA. This bureau that really maintains the integrity of time. She's powerful. She's well-respected."

Loki star Tom Hiddleston appears in the video as well, adding that Renslayer "has enormous authority."

We do get a brief tease of how Ravonna Renslayer will factor into upcoming episodes of Loki. That includes a scene between Ravonna and Owen Wilson's Mobius M. Mobius, in which Ravonna checks Mobius when he asks why she's the one who gets to keep all his trophies ("Because I approve the missions"). The two look chummy while having a drink, but some quick-fast sizzle reel footage suggests that Ravonna will throw down at some point.

This hard-working government bureaucrat version of Ravonna Renslayer is certainly a far cry from the character's comic book origins. In Marvel Comics, Ravonna is a future-era princess from the ruling kingdom of 40th Century earth. The Carelius kingdom was last place on that future Earth that Kang the Conqueror had not claimed - in large part because he was in love with Ravonna. It was Kang's infatuation that led him to challenge the Avengers, in order to impress Ravonna - but that scheme ended with Ravonna sacrificing herself to save Kang's life.

After Ravonna's death, Kang began experimentings with diverging timelines, creating alternate versions of himself. Kang tried to pull Ravonna out of the timeline to save her life but ended up creating divergent timelines, and alternate Ravonnas. While one alternate version of Ravonna became Kang's princess, the "prime" version eventually became his adversary, bent on killing the warlord. Kang and Ravonna's game of love and death continued across multiple realities, playing out in multiple ways.

That convoluted Marvel Comics history actually works in Loki's favor. How the Marvel Cinematic Universe chooses to adapt Ravonna's comic history remains to be seen; will she turn out to be working for Kang the Conqueror (who will be played in the MCU by Jonathan Majors)? Or could she still be the object of Kang's affection and the target of his attack on the TVA? There are literally multiple ways that Loki could play things out.

Loki streams new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.

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