Loki: How Zaniac's Introduction Differs From Marvel Comics

The sophomore season of Loki is giving Marvel fans a lot to chew on, as it continues the offbeat story of the TVA and their fight to save the Sacred Timeline. In the marketing for the show's newest episodes, one element has caught the eye of Marvel Comics fans — posters teasing Zaniac, a relatively-obscure character from the Marvel mythos. As it turns out, Zaniac is actually pretty relevant to the plot of Loki Season 2's second episode — and a little different from his comic counterpart. Spoilers for Episode 2 of Loki Season 2 below! Only look if you want to know!

In the episode, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Mobius (Owen Wilson) track down Hunter X-5 (Rafael Casal), who was part of the horde of TVA agent hunting for Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino). They find X-5 in an unexpected place — at the premiere of an upcoming movie. As it turns out, X-5 got comfortable on Earth and stopped hunting for Sylvie, instead becoming an actor named Brad Wolfe, who stars in a monster movie titled Zaniac. Unfortunately (at least, across the second episode), X-5/Wolfe does not turn into the green-hued monster that he is often portrayed as in the comics.

Who Is Zaniac in Marvel Comics?

This differs a little bit from how Zaniac, who was created by Doug Moench and Keith Pollard in 1982's Thor #319, is initially folded into Marvel Comics. Zaniac is a entity working at the behest of Dormammu, who arrives on Earth and begins possessing various human bodies in the late 1800s. The first host of Zaniac ends up being none other than Tom Malverne, who goes on to become the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper.

Decades later, Zaniac possesses an actor named Brad Wolfe, who just so happens to be filming a Zaniac-themed slasher movie on the University of Chicago's former Manhattan Project testing ground. As a result, Wolfe gains superhuman abilities (including the ability to conjure knives out of energy), but descends into madness. He becomes an adversary of Thor and his human alter-ego, Dr. Donald Blake. Eventually, Thor worked alongside a TVA agent named Justice Peace to stop Zaniac once and for all, traveling back in time and killing the entity just before he took a new host. 

What Is Loki Season 2 About?

Marvel Studios fan-favorite Tom Hiddleston stars in Loki Season 2, returning as the titular God of Mischief for another round of time-traveling hijinx on Disney+ on October 6th. Loki is once again joined by Mobius (Owen Wilson) as the two attempt to keep the timelines intact. After the events of Season 1 saw his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) kill He Who Remains and unleash the wrath of Kang the Conqueror upon the Multiverse, Loki must once again embark on an adventure to keep reality from collapsing. Loki was last seen in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where he and Mobius were keeping tabs on one of Kang's mysterious variants. Loki Season 2 will continue the story of the Multiverse Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

ComicBook.com's podcast Phase Zero will be recording live episodes every week following Loki season 2's new episodes on Disney+. Each week we will review, breakdown, and discuss the latest installment of the new Marvel series immediately after the episode's conclusion! The new episodes will be broadcast live on the Phase Zero channel on YouTube before being made available on all major podcast platforms. Phase Zero will begin its 5-minute timer to start the live show at 9:45pm ET on Thursday, October 5. You can subscribe to the Phase Zero channel now and turn on notifications to make sure you don't miss the Loki Season 2 bonus episodes!