Tom Hiddleston has become synonymous with Loki, Marvel’s mischievous god, but his inspiration came from an unexpected place: a DC villain. The actor recently revealed that watching Tim Burton’s Batman as a young adult shaped his approach to Loki. Jack Nicholson’s Joker, with his charisma, humor, and unpredictable energy, left a lasting impression on Hiddleston, helping him craft one of MCU’s most beloved villains.
Tom Hiddleston took up Loki due to this DC character film
Tom Hiddleston said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he probably wouldn’t have taken on Loki if he hadn’t seen Jack Nicholson’s legendary Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman. “Truthfully, I don’t think I would’ve played Loki without that film,” Hiddleston admitted. “I think the way Jack Nicholson played the Joker was so… at the time in my life when I saw it, it made such an impact on my imagination.”
When preparing for the first Thor movie, Hiddleston deliberately kept Nicholson’s Joker in mind. “I think, probably, when I came to play Loki for the first film, I consciously carried Jack Nicholson in mind,” he said. Hiddleston admired how Nicholson balanced menace with showmanship and wanted to bring that same charm, mischief, and unpredictability to his Marvel character.
Hiddleston also revealed that on set, he tried out a bunch of different approaches to bring Loki to life. Director Kenneth Branagh pushed him to experiment with takes inspired by other actors. These included Peter O’Toole, Jack Nicholson, and Clint Eastwood. These variations gave “different flavors of things in the edit,” and helped make Loki feel layered, unpredictable, and full of surprises.
Looking ahead, Hiddleston is preparing for Avengers: Doomsday, picking up after Loki’s grand finale at the end of Loki Season 2 as the God of Time. Now, Loki has the grand task of keeping the multiverse in check.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled for release on December 18, 2026.
