If you’ve been keeping up with the Marvel movieverse, you’re well acquainted with Thor’s trickster half-brother Loki and his current state of muted imprisonment at the end of The Avengers. With Thor 2 hitting theatres in 2013, anticipation over whether Loki will redeem himself or revert to villainy has been traded back and forth, with no clear indicator of what side the villain will play for.
In a recent interview with Empire, Tom Hiddleston, who plays the above mentioned villain, stays mum on what the capricious god will be up to, but says “Loki’s eternal predilection is to dance on the fault lines of villainy and redemption. I think whatever happens to him, he’ll always keep people guessing.”
Hiddleston’s portrayal of Loki in Thor and The Avengers has won over a lively fanbase devoted to rooting for the God of Trickery – so much so that an ongoing comic series starring Loki has been hailed as one of the best Marvel titles currently publishing. Written by Keiron Gillen, Journey Into Mystery #622 and onwards chronicles the adventures of Loki, reborn, de-aged and vertically challenged.
For those new to Thor comics, Loki looking like someone other than a grinning madman can be confusing. To make a long story short, Loki manipulated a war in Asgard but unexpectedly killed himself in order to help the Avengers defeat the Void, the repressed persona of the Sentry. Before dying, he tricked Hela into erasing his name from the Book of Hel, which prevented him from entering the afterlife.
Loki, resurrected without memories, was discovered in Paris by Thor, who had missed his brother and went looking for him. Eventually, Thor convinced Loki that he really had been the God of Mischief, and managed to restore his identity (but not most of his memories and abilities).
Although it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing Kid Loki in Thor 2, seeing the young Asgardian prince of lies pop up in future Thor installments would be a smart move as he would make for an excellent character. Why, you ask? Check out our five reasons below as to why Kid Loki deserves his own film.
5. He’s Not Predictable
Throughout Loki’s history, we’ve come to expect him to screw everyone over in order to benefit himself. Someone sent Captain America swastika-covered socks? Classic Loki. Asgard turned into toddlers? Yep, Loki’s fault. Odin sleeping? Lafeyson leading an army around this time is pretty much a given.
Apparently, even Loki grew tired of that. The whole reason behind his ploy to resurrect himself was to change, and ultimately become someone as fickle as the God of Trickery should be – within the boundaries of evil, of course.
Surprisingly, Kid Loki deviates from his past self’s wishes and decides to be a force of good; sneaky, backstabbing, but still undeniably good. In the series, Loki is in constant conflict with doing the right thing and doing what is expected of him. Resurfacing memories of his former self’s actions have saddled Loki with the grim task of bearing the brunt of Asgard’s hatred and feeling guilty for a past life. Only time will tell if Loki will fall again. It can be said this is an inevitable fate for the Trickster.
In the movie Thor, this wavering alignment served Loki well in terms of winning over the audience. A future depiction of a child experiencing these inner battles would surely boost public opinion even further. Am I right?
4. Kid Loki Is Still The God of Mischief, Just Pint-Sized
During Journey Into Mystery, Loki proves he’s every bit the mischief maker his predecessor was, if not more so.
Despite pledging himself to good, Loki can only do what he knows best – trickery, stealing, and telling lies. Notable moments where this occurred include taming a Hel Wolf, fooling a fire demon, and cutting deals with multiple devils.
What is even more remarkable about these feats are Loki’s deficit magical and physical abilities. He achieved them through sheer cunning rather than spells and his powers.
Seeing Loki’s trademark hoodwinking further expanded on the big screen would be great. Seeing Loki conning people twice his size, while retaining his wit would be even greater.
3. His Pets Are Evil And His BFF Serves The Goddess of Death
Before offing himself, adult Loki left his reincarnation a riddle that revealed a ghostly image of him explaining why he committed suicide and asking Kid Loki to join him. Loki refused, and sealed the remnants of his former self in the form of a magpie, in order to serve as an avian advisor.
The notorious shapeshifter has taken many forms – countless civilians, a suit of armour, the Scarlet Witch, Sif, and most recently, a child. The escapades of Kid Loki and his talking bird minion/evil conscience in a movie could provide the mainstream audience with an excellent example of Loki’s versatile capabilities, without confusing them with overly complex comic continuity.
Completing Loki’s unholy trinity is Leah, a handmaiden to Hela. Often serving as the straight man to Loki’s comedy act, Leah is forced by her mistress to stay in Asgard to assist him. Mostly stoic and uncaring, Loki’s unbridled cheerfulness met with Leah’s indifference makes their interactions with others all the more complete and hilarious. A movie with Leah and Loki could be a friendship between teens moviegoers could enjoy without unnecessary romantic subtext.
Lastly, there’s Thori. In a Christmas issue involving Hellhound puppies, Loki manages to find homes for all of them except a foul-mouthed pup. He decides to take the dog in as his own, and names him after his brother.
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Published: Jul 3, 2012 11:58 pm