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Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic continues apace with the release of the second season of Loki on Disney Plus.

Tom Hiddleston is back in the titular role, with the new season picking up in the aftermath of Loki's explosive encounter at the end of season 1 with "He Who Remains," the Kang variant who set up the Time Variance Authority. With the Sacred Timeline destroyed and the multiverse now uncorked, Loki is set to come up against a new variant of Kang in the form of Victorian-era scientist Victor Timely (Jonathan Majors).

Mobius (Owen Wilson), Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) both return, while there's a host of new characters joining including TVA agent Ouroboros, played by Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once star Ke Huy Quan.

After some widespread disappointment surrounding recent small screen Marvel offerings such as Secret Invasion, could this second installment featuring the God of Mischief see Disney Plus get back on track? Here's how to watch Loki Season 2 and why a VPN could be a useful tool.

How to watch Loki Season 2 on Disney Plus

Disney Plus will begin streaming Loki Season 2 on Thursday, Oct 5. in the US and Canada, with the first episode landing at at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET, (that's 2 a.m. BST in the UK and 11 a.m. AEST in Australia on Friday, Oct. 5). 

The remaining five episodes will be released at the same time each week.

Soon, Disney Plus' ad-free service will cost more in the US, but new subscribers can still lock in a year of ad-less Disney Plus for $110, or one month for $11. You can also try out the new ad-free Disney bundle, which launched in September. On Oct. 12, the ad-free tier goes up to $140 a year or $14 a month. If you're already a subscriber, you will be charged the new price during your next billing cycle that falls on or after that date. 

There is also an ad-based tier that costs $8 per month (no option to pay annually), and the price won't increase in October. Read more on how we tested Disney Plus' ad-supported tier and what to expect with the price hike.

Sign up for a standalone Disney Plus subscription with or without ads, or choose one of its bundle options. Disney packages its streaming services together -- Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN -- at a discount, letting you bundle two or three platforms in a single subscription. There are four bundles available now: Duo Basic, Duo Premium, Trio Basic and Trio Premium. 

How to watch Loki Season 2 from anywhere with a VPN

Perhaps you're traveling abroad and want to stream Disney Plus while away from home. With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the series from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming too.

A VPN is the best way to encrypt your traffic and stop your ISP from throttling your speeds. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that's passed our tests and security standards.

You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you're using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list, such as Surfshark or NordVPN. 

If you're looking for a secure and dependable VPN, our Editors' Choice is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on multiple devices and provides stable streams. It's normally $13 per month, but you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% -- the equivalent of $6.67 per month -- if you get an annual subscription. 

ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Follow the VPN provider's instructions for installation and choose a country where Loki season 2 will be streaming on Disney Plus. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you're connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream the TV show on more than one device, it's possible you'll need to configure each one to ensure you're signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you're logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you're ready to open Disney Plus to stream. 

If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you've followed installation instructions correctly and you've picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services have restrictions on VPN access.