Joss Whedon has revealed why he had to leave out Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, the villain featured in three Marvel films, from the higly anticipated Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Why Isn’t Loki In Avengers: Age of Ultron?

Fans looking for Loki in Avengers: Age of Ultron will be sorely disappointed, as Thor’s adopted brother doesn’t even make a cameo in the action film, which opens everywhere Friday. While Loki is still very much a part of Age of Ultron, Hiddleston himself fails to appear on screen.

“We did shoot something, but it didn’t play. The movie has so much. It’s so filled and we didn’t want it to feel overstuffed. I really wanted to have Loi in it, but I understood the decision that there were now too many voices in the chorus,” Whedon told MTV.

Despite Loki’s physical absence, his character is a vital part of the Age of Ultron plot, as his magical scepter – which he used in The Avengers to control Hawkeye – is a crucial piece of the Ultron puzzle. This time, instead of Loki wielding its evil powers, Ultron, played by James Spader, and the new addition of Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) are the ones wreaking havoc.

Fans of the Marvel Universe will recall that Loki was last seen using his scepter and powers to fake his own death and claim his father’s throne in Thor: The Dark World (2013). He was also the main villain in The Avengers and will no doubt continue his villainous ways in Thor: Ragnarok, set for a 2017 release.