Loki Season 2: Zaniac explained

❘ Published: 2023-10-13T01:15:00

Marvel/Disney+

Loki Season 2 Episode 2 introduces the character of Brad Wolfe aka Zaniac, but who exactly is new character? Here’s what we know.

Loki — Marvel‘s latest superhero TV series — is currently underway with its second action-packed, time hopping season.

While Episode 1 brought Loki, Mobius, and the TVA back together, along with some new quirky characters, Episode 2 continues to introduce new characters including Brad Wolfe aka Zaniac.

But, who exactly is Zaniac and how does it he fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Here’s everything we know.

Who is Zaniac in Loki Season 2?

Zaniac’s real identity is Hunter X-5 or Brad Wolfe, a former TVA hunter who preferred living his life as Brad Wolfe the actor on Earth.

Eagle-eyed Marvel comic book fans will recognize the name Zaniac as the parasitic entity from the Dark Dimension who comes to Earth to possess a human and act as Dormammu’s agent. At first, it possesses a man in the 19th century and murders five different women, becoming known as Marvel’s Jack the Ripper.

Then, it attaches itself to Brad Wolfe, who is starring in a movie titled Zaniac, which follows a serial killer who targets women in retribution for being abused by his mother as a child. After being caught in a nuclear explosion from the Manhattan Project, Brad takes on the appearance of his movie’s villain and began targeting women to kill just as the entity’s earlier hosts had done before.

He is then stopped by Thor in The Mighty Thor #371 and #37, which is actually the first time the TVA appears in the comics, hence the link to Loki Season 2.

Movie poster for the film Zaniac in Loki

Though Brad appears to be a regular human for now, his appearance alone suggests that Thor’s version of Zaniac could make an appearance this season.

This is incredibly interesting as Zaniac is technically Thor’s villain, so this could be a way for the show to bring Loki’s big brother back into the fold. Plus, Zaniac could be the link to bringing Doctor Strange back into the multiverse saga as he fought Dormammu in his first film.

Fans will have to continue to watch Loki Season 2 to see how the Brad Wolfe/Zaniac connection pans out and effects the rest of the remaining four episodes.

Loki Season 2, Episode 1 is now streaming on Disney+. You can check out our other coverage below: