God of Mischief

What I found interesting with that little scene was actually Loki’s concerned look while Pierce is claiming the prisoner, precisely; no one is looking at Loki and Loki throws a visibly startled glance at Thor: will he truly grant his new allies custody of an Asgardian prince? And then, once it becomes clear that that won’t happen, Loki allows himself to roll his eyes rather theatrically*.

RECEPTIONIST: I have no idea how to use graphic design software...

MARVEL:  We’ll pay you thousands! RECEPTIONIST: *opens a Word file, closes eyes, selects fonts at random*

I believe Hiddleston was a much more passionate advocate for Loki before Waititi got his mits on him. He’s always had a genuine enthusiasm for exploring the psychology of Loki, though I think that spark diminished as they increasingly turned him into a comedic sidekick.

But most especially:

I have to say, I am absolutely stunned by this news. Never would I have guessed that they would do this. When I first saw a post about it, I thought it was trolling.

There are a lot of ways for this to go wrong, so I’m not exactly excited as of yet. Portman has been praised for many performances (including by the Academy, to be sure), but she’s not known for comedy. (Maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised) And I felt the slapstick tone of Thor: Ragnarok undercut the story. (I don’t begrudge the legions of fans who loved it. It’s just that the appeal baffles me.) So it could all come off as a farce and make Foster look ridiculous.

Sensitivity to building actual authentic characters may be important to Taika for films close to his heart such as Boy, but superhero movies? It seems pretty clear he sees them as little more than fun and gags, with no need for actual substance.

 Women are going loco for Loki in the latest Avenger’s film, myself among them.  While it would be easy to dismiss this wildfire of obsession as yet another handsome bad-boy, I think the attraction runs deeper than just attention to a pretty face. 

I am not drawn to Loki by his looks – no disrespect meant to the fine Tom Hiddleston – but what I find far more compelling than his appearance is his nuanced portrayal of character whose story resonates so strongly with my own. 

It has long been thought that the masculine hero’s journey is a miss-match when it comes to a woman’s experience of life.  However, it was not until I saw the Avengers that it occurred to me – perhaps the female journey to identity does not lie in the tales of our culture’s heroes, but of their villains.

Beyond the cut, I delve into two Antagonist tales from recent films – Loki, from Marvel’s Thor and Avengers, and the Megamind from the eponymous film by Dreamworks – comparing them to my own personal experiences.  While I acknowledge that my perspective may not be shared by everyone, I hope that others can join me in exploring this idea with their own experiences and parallels.

SPOILER WARNING:  This article contains some mild spoilers (mostly quotes) on Marvel’s Thor & Avengers, major spoilers on Dreamwork’s Megamind, and details from Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew”.

I like the idea that the person you thought was the villain is really the victim, and that the story is really about the villain trying to regain his humanity.