We’ve Got Good News & Bad News, Loki Fans

Look, Joss Whedon will always be amazing for a number of reasons, so I probably won't stay mad at him for too long. But for now? I'm furious! I mean, Avengers: Age of Ultron is absolutely killing it at the international box office and that's great and all, but the movie is missing one crucial thing: Tom Hiddleston. More specifically, Age of Ultron doesn't feature Hiddleston's character — and enemy of the Avengers — Loki, which seems like an absolute scandal. How could he leave Loki out? Why didn't he put Loki in? LOOOOOOKIIIIIIII! Ahem. Don't worry — Whedon has a perfectly good explanation for this omission, whether or not we're ready to accept it.

"We did shoot something, but it didn’t play," Whedon explained in an interview with MTV News. "The movie has so much. It’s so filled. We didn’t want it to feel overstuffed. I really wanted to have Loki in it, but I understood the decision that there were now too many voices in the chorus. At some point the embarrassment of riches is actually embarrassing." It's also embarrassing that Loki isn't in this movie, especially considering what a fan favorite he is, but that's none of my business...

In all seriousness, you've got to respect a director that is so dedicated to making a polished and cohesive final project that he's able to sort of turn off the white noise of public opinion in order to push forward. Hiddleston fans are some of the most vocal out there, and his performance as Loki seems to be pretty universally loved. Still, popularity doesn't always make something a good fit, and Whedon did the right thing by ensuring that Age of Ultron flowed well, without gratuitous content that didn't fit with the overall picture. After all, he wanted to include Loki — Hiddleston filmed several scenes which were eventually cut — it just wasn't right.

Plus, there's one important thing to remember: this is hardly the end for the Avengers — the film franchise or the actual characters within the Marvel universe, meaning that Loki won't be off our screens for too long. He'll definitely be in Thor: Ragnarok , and there's no telling whether he'll show up in the Age of Ultron two-part sequel, Infinity War. All is not lost! We just have to be patient, and Hiddleston will bring his Loki goodness back to the superhero world in no time.

Watch Joss Whedon explain his reasons for keeping Loki out of Age of Ultron and try not to be too upset. It'll be okay, I promise.

Images: Getty Images (1); Giphy (1)