Loki: Gugu Mbatha-Raw on Ravonna’s Origin Story, Big Kang Connections

Loki is set to follow a version of the titular God of Mischief in a timeline separate from that of the main Marvel Cinematic Universe stories. Branching out from the main timeline while the Avengers interfered with historical events in Avengers: Endgame put Loki on the Time Variance Authority’s radar, with Gugu Mbatha-Raw‘s Judge Renslayer ready to decide his fate and restore order. Marvel Comics fans (and those who play LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2) know Judge Renslayer’s name to be Ravonna Renslayer, a character with a complicated history through timelines and one which has deep connection to Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror villain.

“Well, luckily for me, the way that Kate Herron, our director, pitched it to me is that as we see Renslayer in the TVA and in Loki, this is somewhat of an origin story to what we know of in the comics,” Mbatha-Raw told ComicBook.com in an exclusive interview. “So, it sort of predates what’s in the comics, which is kind of fun because, obviously, there’s so many places that it can go.”

One of those places is a timeline which sees Ravonna rule the world with Kang. “I would love that,” Mbatha-Raw says. “I don’t know. We shall see what happens, I couldn’t possibly divulge any information about that.” The Marvel stars are getting too good at keeping the secrets! “All that stuff is there but there is also the opportunity to feel like I’m starting something fresh with the TVA that hasn’t been seen before by fans on the screen,” she added during a press conference on Monday. “There’s so much potential for her in the future as well.”

As explained in a look at Ravonna from ComicBook.com’s Jenna Anderson, “Ravonna’s first comic appearance, in 1965’s Avengers #23, occurred at a pretty complicated time for the titular team, as its heroes — Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver — were struggling to move forward as a team after Captain America quit,” the Back Issues story reads. “While Kang did largely succeed in fighting the Avengers, Ravonna walked away from the fight being more impressed by Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and asserting that she could have grown to love Kang if he hadn’t been such a tyrant. Kang eventually gave up and decided to invade her kingdom anyway, and Ravonna fought alongside the Avengers in the ordeal that ensued, even as Kang still tried to make her his bride…As Ravonna neared death, she revealed that she did, in fact, love Kang.”

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