One of the biggest mysteries out of the Loki premiere is Judge Renslayer. In the first episode of the Disney+ series, Gugu Mbatha-Raw's TVA overseer puts a variant of the God of Mischief on trial before begrudgingly handing him over to Owen Wilson's Agent Mobius, but it's immediately clear her role and influence reaches much further.
How that plays out is a mystery to come over the next five episodes, but to get a better idea of what it's like joining the MCU, Screen Rant got on a call with Mbatha-Raw. We discussed her character's backstory, getting to grips with the complicated lore, and how the previous Marvel Studios series impact this show.
Before you came on, were you familiar with the MCU, and Loki in particular?
I was aware and, I suppose, familiar. But I wouldn't say I was by any means an expert. I had seen some of the films, but not all of them, and I was aware of Tom's character.
How did you find coming into a show that doesn't just have an existing character, but is built on the idea of keeping the timeline and the canon in check? How did you find dealing with all that exposition?
Initially, it was quite a lot to get your head around. I had a great conversation with Kate Herron, our director, and she was explaining everything about the Time Keepers and the Sacred Timeline and the Time Variance Authority. And it was sort of mind-blowing, because it's all worldbuilding of an aspect of the MCU that we haven't even really seen on screen before. It was a lot to get my head around. But then once I read the scripts, and I saw the sets and we got into doing some rehearsals and some stunt training and everything, it all started to fit together.
What was the initial pitch that you got when you found out more about the project? What were this story and character sold us?
It was very much sold to me as a darker, deep dive into this antihero - everybody's favorite villain, really, Loki. And for me, my character - a judge in the TVA, the Time Variance Authority - was very much pitched to me as this authoritative character who's kind of a boss and runs this area of the TVA. She's powerful and strong and has a lot of authority over Loki. So, I thought that could be quite fun.
I like your character, how it's a bureaucratic power and not superpowers. Where did you look to convey that, because it's a very different sort of power to what we normally see?
Yeah, it was really interesting. I think a lot of it was in the script and the dynamic with Mobius as being a longstanding friendship, but she is technically superior to him. So, that was kind of fun, because Owen has so much wit and comedic talent with improv as well. So, to be able to play with that dynamic was really, really cool.
This character has a very large comic book history. Did you look into that at all? Because so far, there's very little relationship between the two.
Yes, I read a little bit about Renslayer in the comics. But initially, the producers and Kate did let me know that this section that we're in with the TVA is more of an origin story for her. In a way, that let me off the hook of having to know everything that comes next, because we're starting pre-comics. That was kind of exciting as well, to be able to feel a sense of ownership over her.
Speaking of ownership, some of the other actors on the show today have talked about the costumes and the way they built the character around that. Could you talk about deciding the look? It's a very stripped-down look, like a lot of the TVA.
A lot of the costume design was already in place. Even in one of my first meetings, there was a mock-up drawing of me in the costume already. They'd already designed the brown color palette, the browns and oranges of the TVA; that sort of 50s modern style. But we had a lot of fittings with the suit, wanting it to feel high status, and wanting her to [be] in this tailored, well-fitted suit that has some movement to it as we get into the fights, with more of a frock coat or tailcoat to it. So, that was kind of fun. And I think when I put on the jacket, it makes me stand up straight and be much more aware of my posture than I would be. And the suit and tie kind of vibe gives you that formal power energy that she has.
Could you talk a bit more about the physical side of her and the fighting? Can you give us an idea of what fighting style she has?
You'll have to watch to find out exactly, but we talked with our amazing stunt team about the idea that Renslayer came up as a hunter originally. She had a military background; she had fight training in her muscle memory. But now that she's a top judge at the TVA, she doesn't very often have to use her fighting skills, because there are other people to do. But when she does, it really means something. And she is not scrappy; she is very elegant and minimal in her fighting style, because she's very skilled. So, we were trying to find a way to make her movement seem pared down and slick, as opposed to anything too scrapy. So, that was interesting, how that plays into the costume and the rest of her physicality.
You can't have missed the release of the previous two Marvel TV shows, WandaVision and The Falcon on the Winter Soldier, they've been massive. Does that change your perception going into the release of Loki, knowing that these shows can go massive? Does it make it a little nerve-wracking, waiting for the audience to see this?
I try not to pay too much attention, because there's only so much you can control as an actor. You sort of have to go, "I've done my bit. Now it's over to the rest of the world to enjoy it." I'm really happy that the other shows have been so successful. I think it's great for Disney+, and I think it's really great that people are so excited to see Loki. But in terms of worrying or trying to control the outcome, I think that's not the best use of my energy.
Owen Wilson described the show as really being about free will. What's your interpretation of the meaning of the series?
Yeah, that's really interesting. That's definitely one of the themes that we explore. I think the idea of destiny versus free will, the idea of: can anybody ever change? Are we essentially our fundamental nature? Is that who we are, for all time always? Or can anybody change; can a villain change their spots? Or are we all good or all bad? That gray area of flawed human beings. I think those are all really interesting themes that are there under the surface of the show.
Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.
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