There are many characteristics of Tom Hiddleston’s MCU role that help him stand out among the likes of his brother, Thor, and other heroes and villains – but, if you ask me, Loki’s powers are a key, yet comparatively under appreciated, aspect of this matter.
In fact, the source of his most mischievous acts is truly the result of years of practice, although he does have a few tricks up his sleeve that do come naturally.
What brings out Loki’s dark side in the first Thor movie from 2011 is the abrupt discovery that he is not a natural-born Asgardian, but the son of the Frost Giant king, the truth of which Odin hid for years with a spell that conceals his true appearance.
He can manipulate almost anyone into believing almost anything, from perceiving thoughts or visions of his invention as their own, to seeing him appear as someone else with his shapeshifting ability or not seeing him at all when he turns invisible.
A nearly countless amount of magnificently mischievous tasks and even honorably heroic deeds have been committed by Loki in the Marvel movies so far.
It was actually in the scene from director Kenneth Branagh’s Thor origin story when Loki learns of his Frost Giant physiology when he shows off how his sorcery skills can come in handy whilst in combat, specifically by enhancing daggers’ speed with telekineses and projecting his image to distract opponents during the Thor-led attack on Jotunheim.
Loki’s sorcery was not the only thing that made him a formidable foe of his brother and his other “friends from work” in The Avengers, MCU’s first crossover movie from 2012.
Loki, once again, proved his impeccable durability in Thor: The Dark World by holding his own against more than one member of Malekith’s army of Dark Elves – which was also, pretty much, the extent of his heroism in that film.
Thor managed to expose Loki for impersonating their father in Thor: Ragnarok, which also sees Loki tap into his more heroic side, particularly when facing off against Hela to destroy her and, ultimately, Asgard as a whole.
In retrospect, I suppose we should have been to suspect that Loki’s death in Avengers: Infinity War was not permanent, or, at least, that the Marvel Cinematic Universe would find some way to bring him back into the story.
Jason has been writing since he was able to pick up a washable marker, with which he wrote his debut illustrated children’s story, later transitioning to a short-lived comic book series and amateur filmmaking before finally settling on pursuing a career in writing about movies in lieu of making them.