Loki Season 2 Director Reveals The Real-Life Inspiration For Victor Timely

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Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Loki season 2, episode 3, "1893"!
Summary

Director Kasra Farahani drew inspiration from real-life inventor Granville Woods for the character of Victor Timely, bringing to light the social challenges he would face in the 19th century.
Timely's introduction in episode 3 showcased his theatrical flair and fast-thinking personality, contrasting with his nervous interactions with Ravonna and Miss Minutes.
By basing Timely on a renowned inventor who overcame obstacles, there is potential for him to take on a more protagonist role in aiding Loki and Mobius and expanding the concept of Kang in the MCU's Multiverse Saga.

While already being based on a Marvel character, director Kasra Farahani reveals the real-life inspiration he and Jonathan Majors looked for in creating Loki season 2's Victor Timely. The Kang the Conqueror variant is introduced in episode 3, entitled "1893", as a brilliant inventor in the 19th century who uses conman technique to fund many of his experiments. Unlike He Who Remains, Loki and Mobius seek out Timely in the hopes of bringing him back to the TVA to repair the Temporal Loom before the multiverse collapses.
While speaking exclusively with Screen Rant for the episode's release, Farahani opened up about the creation of Timely for Loki season 2. The director revealed that he and Majors looked towards the real-life inventor Granville Woods for inspiration in portraying the Kang variant, drawing a number of parallels to the fellow 19th century figure and wanting to shine a light on the social challenges the two would face during the time period. See what Farahani explained below:

The other thing that Jonathan and I talked about is this historical figure named Granville Woods, which is in some ways an uncanny mirror for Timely. He was a black inventor who lived basically the exact time Timely would've lived, who invented many things and was constantly having people trying to steal his patents, claim them, including Edison who tried to claim ownership of his patents twice and lost in court both times. So there was that. We wanted to get that element in there because if you have a figure like this in this moment in time in history, and he would be facing those challenges.

What Timely's Real-Life Inspiration Could Mean For His Loki Season 2 Arc

In his introduction on the stage of the Chicago World's Fair, Timely displays much of the same theatrical sensibility that Majors brought to his performance as He Who Remains in the season 1 finale as he shows off his early incarnation of the Temporal Loom. Unlike the TVA creator, though, his off-stage personality is much more of a fast-thinking character even as he stutters in his conversations with Ravonna and nervously interacts with the former TVA Judge and Miss Minutes.
However, with Majors and Farahani looking towards Woods as a source of inspiration in crafting Timely, it could paint a brighter picture for his Loki season 2 arc than some initially expected. By basing the character on a figure who was not only well-renowned in his field for his inventions, but also for overcoming many social obstacles, he could very well take on a more protagonist role than his other variants in aiding the Loki and Mobius in restoring the TVA to stability.
Your browser does not support the video tag. This would in turn be a fresh expansion on the concept of Kang within the MCU's expanding Multiverse Saga, setting up the possibility for future chapters to see heroes like the Avengers actually turn to more compassionate variants like Timely for help in bringing down the more violent ones. With that said, Timely's arrival at the TVA heading into Loki season 2, episode 4 could see him enact a secret plan to overtake the agency and further open the doors for the multiverse war to begin.
New episodes of Loki season 2 air Thursdays on Disney+.
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