The God of Mischief finally got his own series, Loki, back in 2021 on Disney Plus which was met with great acclaim. When it came to inspiration for one of the villains of the show, the art department got a little help from a beloved Japanese franchise.
The monster that devours all things at the end of time, Alioth, was inspired by one of Studio Ghibli’s most famous movies, Princess Mononoke.
In Marvels Loki: The Art of the Series, visual development artist Alexander Mandradjiev talked about the process behind designing the terrifying devourer of all things.
“They wanted it to be smoke, but the smoke is not just smoke, it needed to feel like there’s something inside of it that’s alive. So that triggered some ideas. After the first designs I did, Head of Visual Development at Marvel Studios Ryan Meinerding came to me and was like, ‘They want to see it have more of a creature shape, but Alex, don’t do creature. It needs to still feel random and nature-like, but it’s constantly twisting and kind of shifting shape.'”
It was through this direction that Mandradjiev’s mind turned towards the Ghibli film, one full of spirits and demonic powers.
“I immediately thought of Princess Mononoke—the first boar demon and the wormlike effect with the many legs. I was wondering how I could get that across with clouds, and I did that. I used that feeling and that image from Mononoke to capture a squatting god.
“I wanted this guy to feel like he’s on the ground, on his knuckles, but if he was to stand up it would be just a huge, weird thing that probably also dissolves into a much more massive cloud shape. There was also lightning that would surge through. And something that could feel like a face, hinting at just eyes.”
In Princess Mononoke, the demon boar attack is one of the creepier moments in the film, where the boar god Nago, becomes corrupted by an iron bullet that is lodged inside after it has been shot. Black ooze seems to seep out of it, turning it into a rabid-like being, with multiple legs and red eyes.
Though Alioth is more smoke-like and much larger, you can certainly see how the characters share similarities, as primordial beings.
It is uncertain if we will ever see Alioth again after both Loki and Sylvie managed to make their way past him to get to the Citadel and meet with He Who Remains. The last we saw of Sylvie she was still there, though after seeing photo’s from the set of Loki season two we know that she managed to find her way out, perhaps passing by the beast once more.
The second season of Loki will debut on Disney Plus in the summer of 2023.