Before I get into this let me give my overall review of the show (SPOILER ALERT):
I enjoyed the last 2 episodes more than the first 4. I can’t begin to tell you how much nerdy testosterone for each episode on social media I’ve seen. I liked them fine I liked the callbacks from films in this 13-year franchise. I genuinely believed the friendship of Hiddleston as Loki & Mobius played by Owen Wilson. But really the last couple of episodes had my attention. The female variant of Loki, Sylvie, has just opened Pandora’s box. I’m not sure to what extent that is but a recent Deadpool ad with Korg the Rock creature most famous from Thor: Ragnarok, the plot to No Way Home, and Doctor Strange & The Multiverse of Madness greatly implies that everything live-action Marvel thing now exists retroactively speaking within the confines of the MCU…well anything Disney is allowed to do at the very least. We’re still not sure what’s happening with Namor…but why would we when we have Mr.Nimbus? Now that’s a great segway into my topic.
Recently, a writer addressed similarities to Rick & Morty. Michael Waldron who wrote both shows even talked with Dan Harmon over notes (Harmon co-creator & occasional voice actor). Did Loki really take things from the hit Adult Swim show? After watching the show it had been apparent what it reminded me of. Granted, Multiverse in the Superhero genre isn’t a new phenomenon. In fact, DC, Star Wars, Star Trek & perhaps now with the most notoriety, Marvel, in recent years have established each franchise has different realms of reality linked to their own existence. Particularly within Marvel’s Nexus aka their Deus Ex Machina whenever a random event happens.
The TV show Rick & Morty perhaps made Multiverse more mainstream since it predates Marvel or DC doing it in their films or shows & Star Trek didn’t really expand upon theirs outside Leonard Nemoy showing up.
So with that said, does that still make Loki a blatant rip-off of the Adult Swim smash hit? To some extent, yes. Is that a bad thing or is it ripping off the show horribly? I wouldn’t go that far.
In the grand scheme of things, Rick & Morty at the end of itself is a Rip-Off. When Co-Creator and Rick & Morty voice actor Justin Roiland conceptualized the show it was a blatant copy of Back To The Future called Doc & Mharti. It would eventually evolve to what the show is today with help from other Co-Creator Dan Harmon.
See though by that point Back To The Future was 20 years old by the time the show came to be. Meanwhile, Loki comes out during the height of Rick & Morty’s popularity. We can blame the timing on the Pandemic but there are so many things you can make parallels with in regards to both shows.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe currently is the most commercially successful franchise that’s out right now. They are so infallible to any major criticism they have gotten away with a lot (apparently to the point where it got an IGN reviewer fired) but? what makes Loki a rip-off of Rick & Morty?
Let’s start with both shows leads, Rick Sanchez & Loki. The biggest thing is the premise of multiple versions of themselves out there that are basically apparatuses of themselves that are dangerous to existence. Whether they are called Variants the other Alternate selves.
The entire Loki series is very similar to the 10th Episode of Season 1 Close Rick-counters of the Rick kind where a Rogue Rick is out there killing other Ricks & the main Rick is accused of doing it.
So while the premise bears similarities the personalities of the main characters are very similar too. Both are narcissistic, nihilistic, apathetic criminals who drink various types of alcohol and seem like they want to kill their allies but don’t. They also don’t care if they die or not. Now I’m not saying Sanchez characteristics are unique to him but when you have a premise like that & both shows happen to debut in the month of June that doesn’t just feel like a coincidence. That tells me Disney wanted to cash in on the popularity of the show & take advantage of their Marvel brand name to get people to watch THEIR take on Rick & Morty.
And honestly, it is rather genius. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is the perfect character to capitalize on this. I mean you have an intelligent deceitful being that can teleport through worlds, has a history of traveling through galaxies but spends a lot of time on Earth, not to mention a relative with an on-&-off again antagonistic relationship.
Now, to those that like or love the Disney+ show that wants their hands on me, that call me a Marvel hater or that I’m paid off by Warner Bros. to trash on the show let me make one thing clear: Loki is a good show even if it is a Rip-Off. I mean the “variant” takes on Loki meeting his alternative selfs already seems to Rival that of Omni-Man’s meme. The show knows how to captivate the audience & so does Kevin Feige.
But I’m being honest here. For me knowing it is a blatant rip-off of one of the best shows on TV I can’t separate them for being their own thing. Obviously, there are things in Loki that stand out honestly I’m only invested whenever he references other instances of the MCU. I think what made WandaVision work for me (@ least for half the series) & Falcon & Winter Solider is they were able to keep concepts that have been done before fresh mostly because there isn’t anything big on TV right now you can compare them to.
The show I guess needed to exist to launch the major plot of Phase 4. Do you remember when Walter Peck ordered the shut down of the Ghostbusters storage facility & all hell broke loose? That’s basically what Sylvie did when she killed the version of Kang (Oh yeah & there’s a female version of Rick too).
Now that Season 2 of Loki is coming out we will have plenty of chances to have originality in the future. Loki could have exceeded Rick & Morty as a show for me. But it is really more of the same in terms of Marvel’s humor & lack of compelling villains once again except for Kang With Marvel’s villain track record it’s like a game of Go-Fish. You hope for Vulture, Killmonger, or Thanos in your hand. If Marvel insists of taking ideas from Rick & Morty look at how they handle their villains in their show. Maybe then they could match the genius of Rick & Morty.
This is a great way to let people know you’ve only watched two shows in your entire life.
If you had actually read the article the author points out he is aware other shows have done the things both shows have done.