Loki’s Zaniac easter egg ties into Thor’s most ridiculous villain

Loki has made the bold step of introducing Zaniac, an obscure Marvel character who started as a mishap and eventually became a later version of Jack the Ripper. Seriously. 

Loki Season 2 is off to a roaring start, with the TVA in shambles and the timeline threatening to unravel. That doesn’t mean the show can’t stop to have some fun, though. 

Season 2 Episode 2 kicks off with Loki finding a TVA Agent, Brad Wolfe, who has seemingly abandoned his post. Wolfe has instead become intoxicated by the promise of his life on the Sacred Timeline, becoming a Hollywood star. 

Loki and Mobius catch Brad at the premiere of his latest film, Zaniac. What fans may have missed is that Zaniac is a nod to one of Thor’s most absurd foes. 

The original Zaniac is Thor’s most ridiculous supervillain

Zaniac debuts with an incredibly out-there origin in 1982’s Thor #319. Brad Wolfe is an up-and-coming actor who has taken on the role of Zaniac, a horror monster. A disgruntled passerby casts aside a lit cigar, which lands in a crate of explosives. 

The original Zaniac was said to get his powers from residual Manhattan Project radiation.

The explosion does far more than create damage. See, the film is being shot at the same spot where Project Manhattan was once conducted. The explosion jolts loose radioactive energy that impacts Wofle, making him believe he really is the demented Zaniac and giving him the ability to form radioactive energy daggers. 

Thor manages to best Zaniac and saves the day, and Brad is treated for radiation poisoning. The origin was clearly too tame for Marvel, though, as they would revisit the character years later and rework his origin. 

Zaniac is eventually revealed to be a demon

1986’s Thor #371 sees Brad Wolfe, imprisoned for his crimes as Zaniac, escape with help from a mobster, “Thug” Thatcher. Wolfe kills Thug’s girlfriend and is shot in retaliation, at which point a number of demonic entities rip free from his body. It possesses Thug, and Zaniac is reborn.

A 1986 retcon established Zaniac was actually a demon who had been possessing men for centuries.

This retconned demonic Zaniac gets a wild backstory. A TVA agent from the future, Justice Peace, chases the Zaniac demon to the present, where he allies with Thor. Zaniac will live forever and end the world, it seems. Peace has been tracking the demon from his earliest incarnations, which seem to include Jack the Ripper.

Regardless, Zaniac is dealt with in Thor #372. When the Zaniac-possessed Thug kills Jane Foster, Thor and Justice Peace go back in time and kill all of the demons, preventing Thug’s possession and saving Jane from death. 

Loki Season 2 Episodes 1-2 are now streaming on Disney+. You can check out our other coverage below:

Season 2 Episode 1 review | Why Loki’s helmet has horns | Marvel’s Loki powers and weaknesses explained | How strong is Kang? Powers and weaknesses explained in Marvel Comics | Loki Season 1: Events to remember | When does Loki Season 2 take place? | Loki Season 2 Episode 1 post-credits scene | Who Is Ouroboros in Loki? | Where is Kang in Loki Season 2?