The Surprising Crime Thrillers That Inspired Loki

Unless you've been stuck in another timeline, you're well aware that Marvel has been expanding its already impressive cinematic universe with a slate of original shows on Disney+. "WandaVision" took fans on an emotional journey through the psyche of Wanda Maximoff aka the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), while "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" saw Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) team up for an odd-couple adventure. The new upcoming series "Loki," which is already getting strong early buzz from critics, will show Marvel fans another side of their favorite mischief-maker.

The series sees Loki (Tom Hiddleston) apprehended by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and plunged into a fight to correct the true timeline, lest he be wiped from existence altogether. Similar to how "WandaVision" fused hallmarks of the MCU style with thoughtful homages to classic sitcoms, "Loki" promises to bring a bit of neo-noir thriller to the proceedings.

During a June 7 press event attended by Looper, director Kate Herron, writer Michael Waldron, and President and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Kevin Feige spoke about the new series' inspirations, which include a few films that may surprise you.

During the "Loki" presser, Herron, Waldron, and Feige were asked to speak on where they drew inspiration for the show's crime thriller elements. Herron kicked off the discussion by saying, "Stylistically, I would say me and my DP Autumn [Durald], we were really inspired by a lot of film noir films and you can see that in our lighting and how we approached it."

She followed up by getting even more specific. "'Seven' is a very heavy influence," she noted, before teasing, "there's a little reference to 'Seven' in Episode Two, a little needle drop which I'm sure fans of that film will recognize instantly ..."

Waldron agreed that "Seven" director David Fincher served as a major reference for the show. He went on to add, "'Zodiac' and [Jonathan Demme's] 'Silence of the Lambs' were two specific ones that we were really looking at a lot in the writer's room."

While Feige was in general agreement with Herron and Waldron's responses, he had a much more specific answer for how the creative team arrived at the style of the show. The entertainment industry powerhouse gave props to Herron, saying, "It was really Kate's meetings with us and her pitch that brought in all those references and allowed us to look at this ... in a different genre than we were anticipating."

You'll be able to check out how those influences come to life when "Loki" premieres on Disney+ on June 9.