Playing Loki did wonders for Tom Hiddleston’s career by opening doors otherwise closed to him and the vast majority of young, hungry, and talented actors who know the struggle is real, even if it doesn’t last. He is a critically acclaimed actor and producer, no small feat, though it is a common one at this point. Like many thespians before him, he almost added “director” to his accomplished resume.
But it was not to be: For reasons beyond his control, the opportunity slipped through his fingers at the 11th hour — the place, Disney Plus; the job, an episode of Daredevil: Born Again. Nothing was set in stone, but the actor/budding auteur came close, as he was conversing and exchanging ideas with the show’s star, Charlie Cox.
Cox recalled the phonecalls he and Hiddleston had during an interview with Josh Horowitz, which is as far as things went. Hiddleston was scheduled to direct episode 12, according to Cox, although he wasn’t totally sure.
Born Again was originally slated to be something else before showrunner Dario Scardapane took over. Speculation, backed by anonymous inside sources from the set, suggests it was going to be less serious, following a vibe akin to She-Hulk. A complete overhaul reverted the series to the legacy sequel following the lingering plot threads from the Netflix years.
Unfortunately, that led to a reduction in the episode count of Born Again season 1. Cox said the run as initially written was going to be closer to 20 episodes than the nine produced. He didn’t mind this lighter workload, stating to Horowitz that the changes production underwent were "necessary" and made things "much better."
A year on and two seasons in, "what could’ve been" feels like a distant memory, although the possibilities remain compelling. Had Hiddleston reprised Loki for Daredevil, he would have brought with him multiversal potential. Kingpin might have tried to conquer time and space. The TVA might have even paid a visit to Hell’s Kitchen to stop him.
It all honestly sounds like fun at first glance. However, engaging in Doctor Who-level hijinx of Loki would definitely ruin the grounded, political, and streetwise presentation that makes Born Again so special. Not every Marvel offering needs to be the same flavor. In fact, they shouldn’t be.
Season 3 is a lock, and based on set photos, it looks like DD and The Defenders are getting the band back together. Matt Murdock might also sport a beard for however long. (Everybody copies Thor’s beard, it seems.)
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