Loki Season 2"s Cut Car Chase Scene Led To One Of The Show"s Best Moments

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Warning: This article contains spoilers for Loki season 2, episode 2, "Breaking Brad."
Summary

Loki season 2 introduces a new power for the God of Mischief, using shadows with horned helmets to capture a villain, showcasing his intelligence and quick-thinking.
The original plan for the chase scene in episode 2 involved a high-speed car chase, but the director decided to go with Loki using his shadow powers instead to avoid traditional tropes and better align with Loki's character.
The use of Loki's shadows not only references his villainous past but also raises the question of whether he is still a villain or if his attempts to be a hero are paying off. A car chase wouldn't have had the same impact and wouldn't have fit with Loki's magical abilities.

Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief showed off a formidable new power in Loki season 2, but this wasn't the original plan for the Phase 5 series. Marvel Studios' Loki has become one of the most popular projects in the MCU, and is currently the only Disney+ series to receive a second season, marking the returns of Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Wunmi Mosaku, and many others joining the cast for Loki season 2. Loki is one of the MCU's longest-running characters, first being introduced back in 2011's Thor as Chris Hemsworth's titular God of Thunder's adoptive brother and envious adversary, though Loki has recently left his villainy behind - more or less.
Loki may have been in the MCU for over a decade already, but Marvel Studios is still coming up with new powers for the God of Mischief that have never been seen before. Loki season 2, episode 1, "Ouroboros," introduced the concept of time-slipping, in which Loki is dragged between the past, present, and future very violently. While this may have been cured, theories suggest Loki's time-slipping could be key to defeating Kang the Conqueror. Loki season 2, episode 2, "Breaking Brad," also gave Hiddleston's former villain a new ability, which became crucial in capturing Rafael Casal's Hunter X-5, a.k.a. Brad Wolfe, but this almost wasn't the case.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Loki Season 2’s Shadow Moment Almost Didn't Happen

In the opening moments of "Breaking Brad," Loki and Mobius travel to London in 1977 to find Hunter X-5. Casal's MCU newcomer had escaped to live a life on the Sacred Timeline after completing his search for Sophia Di Martino's Sylvie, a female variant of Loki. Hesitant to return to the TVA with Loki and Mobius, X-5 tries to escape capture, but Loki demonstrates a new power that allows the pair to incapacitate him, using shadows with horned helmets to restrain him. This was a genius scene that proved Loki's intelligence and quick-thinking during a high-octane moment, but this moment almost didn't happen, according to "Breaking Brad" director Dan Deleeuw.
During an interview with Variety, Marvel Studios VFX artist-turned-director Dan Deleeuw revealed that the original plan for this chase scene involved Loki and Hunter X-5 in a high-speed car chase. In an effort to "go a little bit more towards the dark Loki side and move away from a traditional chase," Deleeuw decided to instead have Loki chase X-5 by foot before using shadows to capture him. This not only allowed Loki to veer away from falling into tropes of chase scenes in film and TV, but also provided Loki with an exciting new ability that much better suits his character's history, origins, and journey in the MCU.
Why Loki's Shadow Powers Work So Much Better Than A Car Chase

Loki season 2, episode 2, raised the question of whether Loki is still a villain, or whether his attempts to be a hero are actually paying off. This discussion was highlighted with the use of Loki's shadows to capture Brad Wolfe. The fact that the shadows sported horned helmets resembling the one worn by Loki during his previous MCU appearances - most notably when he appeared as a villain - meant that "Breaking Brad" delivered the perfect reference to Loki's roots. A traditional car chase wouldn't have had the same impact, and wouldn't have made sense for the magically-inclined Loki, so it was the right choice to change this scene.
New episodes of Loki release every Thursday at 6pm PT/9pm ET on Disney+.
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