Loki was full of twists and surprises that kept viewers guessing each week, all while Marvel’s favorite trickster sought to redeem himself. The one surprise fans probably didn’t see coming was the reveal of Jonathan Majors as He Who Remains, a variant of Kang the Conqueror. His madcap performance in the Season 1 finale, “For All Time, Always,” left viewers wanting more of his character, and who can blame them? Marvel fans were likely stunned by what transpired in the Citadel at the End of Time, partially due to Majors' incredible performance. Now, series director Kate Herron has revealed a scene that the Emmy-nominated Lovecraft Country star completely improvised in the finale.
Jonathan Majors did a masterful job of quickly establishing He Who Remains’ personality and allowing it to fill up the scene, in which he laid out the multiversal options for Loki and Sylvie. Of course, this exchange led to some instances that showed off the character's eccentricities, and Kate Herron had this to say about the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star’s improvised moment:
He was never meant to get on the desk. That was the fun thing with the improvisation. [The camera team] saw him start to move, and Autumn [Durald, the cinematographer] was like, 'Okay…’ and then you saw the cameras start to move; it was almost like a dance with him. But that was not planned. It just blew us away because it was just so cool. That was the fun thing with him: I love the way he brought movement to the character in different ways, because I think that was really important as well. Where are we going to go for that big energy moment? Where are we going to draw people in? I love the bit when he sinks into the chair and he's like, 'I'm old and I'm tired,' and you feel his frailness in a way, you feel his aging, [even though] he's obviously a young man.
The improvised action in the Citadel surely left an impression on viewers. Most would probably agree that the moment worked perfectly, and it solidified the fact that He Who Remains can be both intimidating and charming, even during a high-stakes moment. And the move is also enough to make you wonder just how wild Jonathan Majors' Kang will be in the Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel. But kudos to Kate Herron for giving the actor the freedom to express himself to that extent.
And Jonathan Majors seemed just as grateful to Loki’s cast and crew letting him have that moment. He told Entertainment Weekly that playing He Who Remains allowed him to tap into his Yale drama training. Majors revealed it was fun to play the clown while serving as an obstacle in Loki and Sylvie’s path. In addition, Kate Herron revealed the actor improvised the compliment exchange in He Who Remains’ variant story. Though Marvel is a big-name studio, the creatives they hire certainly let their talent take a scene wherever it needs to go.
Hopefully, that freedom will translate to the big screen when Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror makes his debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. But moviegoers will have to wait until Feb. 17, 2023 to see if Majors provides more improvised moments. Until then, you can always revisit his scene-stealing turn on Loki by streaming the series on Disney+.
