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Based on Robert Rodi and Esad Ribic‘s visually impressive 2004 miniseries Loki, the four-episode Blood Brothers, debuting March 28, gives Thor’s adopted brother and archenemy Loki a chance to shine horrifically as a complicated villain who seizes power in Asgard and executes a tyrannical reign of vengeance.
“The audience identifying with and possessing commonalities with Loki and some of his actions is part of what makes this story so fascinating,” Blood Brothers producer Ruwan Jayatilleke told Wired.com in an e-mail interview.
“Loki has decided that he’s had enough, upturns the system and takes his persecutors to task,” he added. “But he’s not just out to rule the world or vanquish his enemies. What one discovers at the end of this story is that it’s as much about Loki being misunderstood as it is simply about his being Thor’s brother, how that has shaped much if not all of his life, for good or bad.”
Perhaps, but as you can judge from its title and its trailer premiere above, Blood Brothers is far from a bloodless coup. From its torturous imprisonment of Thor to its ruthless politics and visceral violence, Blood Brothers is probably not for the squeamish young, who are likely better served with Disney XD’s The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
But as the latest installment in the Marvel Knights Animation series — which has produced stunning work like Warren Ellis’ Iron Man: Extremis — Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers nicely sets the table for the live-action Thor film arriving May 6. Whether it’s supposed to or not.
“To be clear, Blood Brothers and the Thor live-action film are not connected,” Jayatilleke said. “I really can’t speak to the film. Obviously, we may have riffed on certain elements or characters that may or may not be in the film, but the animation is stand-alone content.”
Blood Brothers will be available on iTunes, Xbox Live and PlayStation. After its March 28 debut, additional episodes land weekly on Wednesdays starting April 6. Episodes are available in high-definition for $2.99 and $1.99 for standard definition. Just don’t call it a motion comic, warned Jayatilleke.
“This is animation,” he said. “Is it full-scale 100 percent animation? No. It’s getting darn close though. Sure, we want to use technology and new techniques to push production values up, and drive costs down. But not at a cost to the story we choose to tell.”
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