If you think about it, it’s kind of surprising that Tom Hiddleston is still sticking around the Marvel universe. Marvel has rarely brought back a villain for multiple movies; with the exception of Sebastian Stan‘s Winter Soldier, Loki is a unique character within their collection of films. Of course, that shouldn’t be read as a criticism; even before characters like Spider-Man and Ant-Man were being brought to the big screen, it was Hiddleston’s god of mischief who brought charm and humor to the MCU. Any self-respecting Marvel fan will be happy to have him back.

If you were surprised to see Loki come back to the Marvel movies, you weren’t the only one: in a recent interview with The India Times (via iO9), Hiddleston himself expressed surprise that his character has persisted in the Marvel universe through all these years. Here’s what the actor had to say:

It is a source of constant surprise to me that I’m still here. I never expected that when I started playing him. I feel a huge responsibility to deliver the character people know, even though it’s been four years since I last played him, and also to try to take him in new directions.

With big changes on the horizon for the MCU, it’s fair to wonder what Marvel’s exit strategy is for the Thor: Ragnarok character. Will Hiddleston serve as the through line between Avengers movies? Will he be given a fitting curtain call? There’s no point in wondering about Hiddleston’s movie career post-Marvel  —  he’s already proven his star power in movies and shows like The Night Manager and Crimson Peak  —  so we’ll just continue to enjoy him for as long as we have him. Hard not to feel like Thor: Ragnarok will be one last hurrah for Chris Hemsworth and Hiddleston in their iconic roles.

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