Tom Hiddleston says his portrayal of Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was directly inspired by Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’, revealing that a classic DC villain helped shape one of Marvel’s most iconic characters.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the actor said watching Burton’s 1989 ‘Batman’ – and Jack Nicholson’s performance as the Joker – had a lasting impact on him. “Truthfully, I don’t think I would’ve played Loki without that film,” Hiddleston said.

He explained that Nicholson’s take on the Joker reshaped his understanding of what a villain could be. “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,” he said. “I understood he was the villain, but he was having such a good time. He was so charismatic and so inventive and so free.”

Hiddleston said that sense of playful danger carried directly into his approach to Loki. “I think, probably, when I came to play Loki for the first film, I consciously carried Jack Nicholson in mind,” he said, noting that he wanted Loki to feel dangerous but entertaining rather than purely menacing.