Loki has brought a number of gifts into our lives. The amusing sparring between Mobius and Loki, discourse about jet skis, Miss Minutes, and a plethora of Lokis to name a few. The Disney+ series’ fourth episode, “The Nexus Event” introduced a trio of Loki variants in a mid-credits scene. And we got to know them all better in the latest episode, “Journey into Mystery.” These Lokis all made positive impressions. But Alligator Loki in particular stands out because, duh, he’s an alligator. Loki director Kate Herron shared some cute behind the scenes facts about the Loki critter. Spoilers for the latest episode lie ahead, so beware.
As you may have guessed, the team behind Loki didn’t train a wee alligator to wear golden horns and follow directions. No, they brought Alligator Loki to life using CGI. However, they still needed a stand-in for filming to hold the reptile’s place. So they used a stuffed alligator with googly eyes, as you can see in this incredible picture Herron shared on Twitter:
Look at his little chair! What a diva.
The stuffed animal provided a placeholder for the CGI artists to apply their skills to, and it also helped the actors. As Herron told Marvel, Kid Loki carries the critter around from time to time. This way, actor Jack Veal had something to work with. We feel pretty sure that they didn’t try to pour wine down the stuffed Alligator Loki’s throat, though.
Marvel
And as for whether Alligator Loki is actually a Loki, head writer Michael Waldron isn’t saying. Is he a Loki simply because he’s green? Or does he come from branched timeline where someone turned Loki into an alligator? We may never know.
Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of A Kid’s Guide to Fandom, available now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.