The God of Mischief is set to return to Disney Plus this year in Loki season 2, and after much waiting we now finally have a confirmed release date for the hotly-anticipated Marvel series.
During a presentation at Disney Upfront 2023, Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, took to the stage to announce the premiere date for both Loki season 2 and the upcoming Echo series much to the delight of superhero fans everywhere. So, let’s cut to the chase, Loki season 2 will premiere on October 6 while Echo hits Disney's streaming service on November 29. Mark your calendars Marvel fans.
Marvel Studios 🤝 @DisneyPlusA new season of #Loki starts streaming October 6, 2023.All episodes of #Echo drop November 29, 2023. pic.twitter.com/V9mLQgtLTvMay 16, 2023
Curiously, Loki season 2 will roll out on a weekly basis with a new episode every seven days, whereas the entire first season of Echo will drop all at once, Netflix style. Disney has not explained the exact reason it's adopting a different release strategy for these two shows, but it could be due to differing levels of interest as there appears to be significantly more buzz for Loki season 2 compared to Echo.
Loki season 2 is expected to continue the adventures of the mischievous god as he works with the Time Variance Authority (TVA) to fix the sacred timeline and track down He Who Remains, a variant of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) who was revealed as the big bad of the show at the end of its first season. Tom Hiddleston will be returning in the leading role with Owen Wilson also reprising the character of Mobius M. Mobius, a hard-boiled TVA agent who works with Loki. We actually got our first look at Loki season 2 already via a post-credits scene in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Meanwhile, Echo is a spin-off from the Hawkeye series that debuted on Disney Plus in December 2021. It will follow Maya Lopez aka Echo (Alaqua Cox) as she returns to her hometown in Oklahoma and must confront her past and reconnect with her family. The show is also set to feature Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), potentially setting up his own upcoming series Daredevil: Born Again, and the villainous crime lord Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) is also set to make an appearance.
It’s been a rough few months for the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the third Ant-Man movie proving to be a critical and commercial disappointment earlier this year. However, the recent release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 seems to have reversed course for the juggernaut franchise and has re-engaged some viewers who were starting to lose interest in the inter-connected comic book universe. Hopefully, Loki season 2 and Echo can continue that trend.
These confirmed release dates also set up the MCU for a big end to 2023. Alongside debuting two new Disney Plus series, the sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel, The Marvels, is set to hit theatres on November 10. It will see Brie Larson reprise her role as Carol Danvers, and will also include Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). The first trailer for The Marvels was released last month, and it looks like the injection of upbeat fun the MCU needs right now.
