"I was a king, the rightful king of Asgard! Betrayed!"
In a land where brute force and a willingness to run into battle are valued, Loki is seen as weak. While he is a master sorcerer and has the cunning to match he is still viewed as a coward and a sneak amongst his peers. Asgard is a society that is ruled upon these sorts of principles, the belief of might is right is prevalent. Loki is viewed as a coward as he finds more value in planning and magic than force, he often clashes with Thor and co. because of this. It's easy to see this in the way Sif is far more accepted, as she is a warrior-- though she did have to prove herself-- than Loki who is a sorcerer. Even when he lends his hand to battle it's often discredited because Magic is not viewed as anything other than cowardice and he grows resentful because of it.
Loki looks far different than the ideal Aesir, while he is tall, wiry, pale and dark-- the idealized look of the Aesir is far closer to Thor's own image. Bright, golden, powerful and muscular. Many expect, and want, Loki to be more like Thor; as the older brother is charismatic, boisterous, fearless, proud and open. Loki however prefers his silence, the shadows, magic and his privacy; and it is hard for many not to compare the two. Hard for Loki not to compare the two either.
"You are, all of you are beneath me! I am a god, you dull creature, and I shall not be bullied... "
Despite his insecurities and conflict Loki projects a sense of arrogance almost unmatched. He call humanity ants and believes that they crave subjugation, that it is his right to rule simply because he is 'a god'. He demeans the skills of others with words or actions. Pushes and uses these words to manipulate, to bend them to his will and finds a swell of satisfaction when things work out as he sees fit. He tries to disconnect himself from others and project a sense of apathy with it, as if he is above sentiment and sympathy all the while the little cracks in his facade show he is not.
He says poisonous things to get a reaction, pushes and pushes in hopes of raising the ire of others, to force them to lose their composure. Loki seems to delight in the control it give him, even amongst all the chaos he creates he likes to have a firm grasp on the outcome. His plans are generally thought out five or six steps ahead of average; planning so thoroughly that most would struggle to follow his leaps in logic. He knows people well enough that most times he can predict just what to say to rile them or to pacify them. He's that little voice in your ear whispering what you should do and lets you believe it was all your idea in the first place.
His True Motivations:
“The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd; the longing for impossible things, precisely because they are impossible; nostalgia for what never was; the desire for what could have been; regret over not being someone else; dissatisfaction with the world’s existence. All these half-tones of the soul’s consciousness create in us a painful landscape, an eternal sunset of what we are.” — Fernando Pessoa
There is a phenomenon in the Thor which I think speaks clearly of how he views his relations to other characters, particularly those who were supposed to be his friends or family; I mean of course the fact people frequently just tell him to shut up. I think this reaction is normal on their part-- as Loki is known for trickery or lying-- but to him it is just them dismissing his existence entirely. I think it also explains a lot of how he looks at himself on the inside. While he projects a sense of bravado and aloofness I think Loki is probably the most insecure character in Avengers.
Imagine this happens enough through the thousand or so years Loki has been alive-- as he spends most of his time with Thor, Sif or the Warriors Three. And while the lot of them tolerate Loki for Thor's sake, they are not as close to him as his brother (as is probably his fault) and instead favor to tolerate him, at least until everything goes to hell. In Loki's case his words are his biggest source of power; while he is not an incapable fighter, more often than not Loki uses his wit and cunning to win out. He uses these words to reason people into doing things they normally wouldn't, manipulates them into decisions they believe are their own with seeds of deceit carefully planted. The constant silencing of him through the film (when he attempts to speak to Heimdall, stall Thor with the Frost Giants or even speak to Odin during his fight with Thor) is a dismissal of his ability. He feels undermined because of this, compared to the others who are all known for being warriors, Loki values his words highly and being dismissed and ignored feels to him like them undermining him.
This is finalized at the end of Avengers when he is not just cuffed but gagged; his words are his power and they muzzle him. His words are dangerous and it is only after he uses them to manipulate the heroes that they finally realize this.
That isn't to say he's entirely a nice guy and a victim of circumstance; Loki is obviously off-kilter, from the negative way he twists things said to him to the chaos and mayhem he'll cause for attention. I believe Loki is a case of "any attention is good attention" and if he can't get the same positive attention as Thor-- who is the Crowned Prince, Golden Son, etc-- then he will be exactly what he feels people expect of him. The opposite. He'll cause chaos and cruelty, play tricks and pranks because he feels that behaving this way will equalize him to Thor in the sense he will be as bad as Thor is good.
"Because I am the monster who parents tell their children about at night."
Loki has a intense sense of self-loathing and much of it comes to the forefront in this line. He was told most of his life of the Jotun and how they are monsters, listens to his brother tell stories of ridding them all and watches his father fall into silence. He believes that they're monsters, that they would bring the fall of Asgard and then finds out that he is one. That those creatures most fear and despise are his kin, that he is not the true son of Odin and Frigga. It's in this moment that every slight he's felt (real or imagined) becomes part of this-- part of the fact that he is not a true Aesir.
He kills his real father and attempts to destroy all of Jotunheim in order to 'cleanse' himself of being a monster. If no other Jotuns remain than he feels he can be free of his true nature. On that same account he takes it so deeply as part of what he is. These stories about monsters and viciousness, that all Jotun are like this, and decides that he too will be like this. A vicious monster to be feared, because it's who he is. As if his birth was an explanation for his actions. Not to mention discovering that Laufey had abandoned him for being a 'bastard child' and had left him to die in a temple. He takes this as just another instance of being unwanted, unworthy, belonging in either Asgard or Jotunheim.
"And if I do, then what? I love Thor more dearly than any of you, but you know what he is. He's arrogant, he's reckless, he's dangerous! You saw how he was today. Is that what Asgard needs from its King?"
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"Is it madness? Is it? IS IT? I don't know what happened on Earth to make you so soft! Don't tell me it was that woman?... Oh, it was. Well, when we're done here, maybe I'll pay her a visit myself!"
Much of Loki's inner motivation is jealousy; jealous of his brother, of the way e relates to others, the way he is loved, the way he feels Odin prefers him and probably a dozen of other things.
It's apparent he's usually at his brother's side, attempting to talk sense into him, to reason with him; because he knows that Thor is brash, a brilliant warrior but not a man prepared to be king. It's obvious by the way Thor is more than willing to disobey Odin and go to Jotunheim, prepared to fight without the consideration of what it might do to their political relations, that Odin is tired or even that the lot of them can get killed. Thor thinks himself the best warrior, unable to fall as do many others that stand at his side. Loki, for all his love of Thor (and I do believe he loves him, which is why he also hates him so deeply), is not blind to his faults. Perhaps this is because he is so unlike Thor, a thinker first as opposed to a warrior, and while others all aspire to be like his brother Loki knows him best and has seen fool hearty mistakes in their youth.
I think he gets so enraged that Thor has changed on earth because for so long he has been trying to change Thor, to talk some sense into him. The thought that some mere mortal that Thor has known for three days can do what Loki couldn't in all the years they spent together on Asgard eats at him. Another thing that makes him feel disconnected from his brother, dismissed, forgotten. He already feels as if none will listen, but knows the Aesir are stubborn, but to have him changed so quickly and easily by what Loki considers a inferior being is painful.
It's in this moment he knows Thor has changed; but Loki has too. He went from brilliant plans to all out murder, ready to rid the realms of Jotunheim as his brother would have before. He has always wanted them to be equal, but while he has stooped to this Thor has risen up, changed himself, become a better person and it makes Loki crazy. For they will never be equal no matter what he does, in the end deciding that if he cannot be like Thor then he will be the opposite. The villain.
no subject
In a land where brute force and a willingness to run into battle are valued, Loki is seen as weak. While he is a master sorcerer and has the cunning to match he is still viewed as a coward and a sneak amongst his peers. Asgard is a society that is ruled upon these sorts of principles, the belief of might is right is prevalent. Loki is viewed as a coward as he finds more value in planning and magic than force, he often clashes with Thor and co. because of this. It's easy to see this in the way Sif is far more accepted, as she is a warrior-- though she did have to prove herself-- than Loki who is a sorcerer. Even when he lends his hand to battle it's often discredited because Magic is not viewed as anything other than cowardice and he grows resentful because of it.
Loki looks far different than the ideal Aesir, while he is tall, wiry, pale and dark-- the idealized look of the Aesir is far closer to Thor's own image. Bright, golden, powerful and muscular. Many expect, and want, Loki to be more like Thor; as the older brother is charismatic, boisterous, fearless, proud and open. Loki however prefers his silence, the shadows, magic and his privacy; and it is hard for many not to compare the two. Hard for Loki not to compare the two either.
Despite his insecurities and conflict Loki projects a sense of arrogance almost unmatched. He call humanity ants and believes that they crave subjugation, that it is his right to rule simply because he is 'a god'. He demeans the skills of others with words or actions. Pushes and uses these words to manipulate, to bend them to his will and finds a swell of satisfaction when things work out as he sees fit. He tries to disconnect himself from others and project a sense of apathy with it, as if he is above sentiment and sympathy all the while the little cracks in his facade show he is not.
He says poisonous things to get a reaction, pushes and pushes in hopes of raising the ire of others, to force them to lose their composure. Loki seems to delight in the control it give him, even amongst all the chaos he creates he likes to have a firm grasp on the outcome. His plans are generally thought out five or six steps ahead of average; planning so thoroughly that most would struggle to follow his leaps in logic. He knows people well enough that most times he can predict just what to say to rile them or to pacify them. He's that little voice in your ear whispering what you should do and lets you believe it was all your idea in the first place.
His True Motivations:
There is a phenomenon in the Thor which I think speaks clearly of how he views his relations to other characters, particularly those who were supposed to be his friends or family; I mean of course the fact people frequently just tell him to shut up. I think this reaction is normal on their part-- as Loki is known for trickery or lying-- but to him it is just them dismissing his existence entirely. I think it also explains a lot of how he looks at himself on the inside. While he projects a sense of bravado and aloofness I think Loki is probably the most insecure character in Avengers.
Imagine this happens enough through the thousand or so years Loki has been alive-- as he spends most of his time with Thor, Sif or the Warriors Three. And while the lot of them tolerate Loki for Thor's sake, they are not as close to him as his brother (as is probably his fault) and instead favor to tolerate him, at least until everything goes to hell. In Loki's case his words are his biggest source of power; while he is not an incapable fighter, more often than not Loki uses his wit and cunning to win out. He uses these words to reason people into doing things they normally wouldn't, manipulates them into decisions they believe are their own with seeds of deceit carefully planted. The constant silencing of him through the film (when he attempts to speak to Heimdall, stall Thor with the Frost Giants or even speak to Odin during his fight with Thor) is a dismissal of his ability. He feels undermined because of this, compared to the others who are all known for being warriors, Loki values his words highly and being dismissed and ignored feels to him like them undermining him.
This is finalized at the end of Avengers when he is not just cuffed but gagged; his words are his power and they muzzle him. His words are dangerous and it is only after he uses them to manipulate the heroes that they finally realize this.
That isn't to say he's entirely a nice guy and a victim of circumstance; Loki is obviously off-kilter, from the negative way he twists things said to him to the chaos and mayhem he'll cause for attention. I believe Loki is a case of "any attention is good attention" and if he can't get the same positive attention as Thor-- who is the Crowned Prince, Golden Son, etc-- then he will be exactly what he feels people expect of him. The opposite. He'll cause chaos and cruelty, play tricks and pranks because he feels that behaving this way will equalize him to Thor in the sense he will be as bad as Thor is good.
Loki has a intense sense of self-loathing and much of it comes to the forefront in this line. He was told most of his life of the Jotun and how they are monsters, listens to his brother tell stories of ridding them all and watches his father fall into silence. He believes that they're monsters, that they would bring the fall of Asgard and then finds out that he is one. That those creatures most fear and despise are his kin, that he is not the true son of Odin and Frigga. It's in this moment that every slight he's felt (real or imagined) becomes part of this-- part of the fact that he is not a true Aesir.
He kills his real father and attempts to destroy all of Jotunheim in order to 'cleanse' himself of being a monster. If no other Jotuns remain than he feels he can be free of his true nature. On that same account he takes it so deeply as part of what he is. These stories about monsters and viciousness, that all Jotun are like this, and decides that he too will be like this. A vicious monster to be feared, because it's who he is. As if his birth was an explanation for his actions. Not to mention discovering that Laufey had abandoned him for being a 'bastard child' and had left him to die in a temple. He takes this as just another instance of being unwanted, unworthy, belonging in either Asgard or Jotunheim.
Much of Loki's inner motivation is jealousy; jealous of his brother, of the way e relates to others, the way he is loved, the way he feels Odin prefers him and probably a dozen of other things.
It's apparent he's usually at his brother's side, attempting to talk sense into him, to reason with him; because he knows that Thor is brash, a brilliant warrior but not a man prepared to be king. It's obvious by the way Thor is more than willing to disobey Odin and go to Jotunheim, prepared to fight without the consideration of what it might do to their political relations, that Odin is tired or even that the lot of them can get killed. Thor thinks himself the best warrior, unable to fall as do many others that stand at his side. Loki, for all his love of Thor (and I do believe he loves him, which is why he also hates him so deeply), is not blind to his faults. Perhaps this is because he is so unlike Thor, a thinker first as opposed to a warrior, and while others all aspire to be like his brother Loki knows him best and has seen fool hearty mistakes in their youth.
I think he gets so enraged that Thor has changed on earth because for so long he has been trying to change Thor, to talk some sense into him. The thought that some mere mortal that Thor has known for three days can do what Loki couldn't in all the years they spent together on Asgard eats at him. Another thing that makes him feel disconnected from his brother, dismissed, forgotten. He already feels as if none will listen, but knows the Aesir are stubborn, but to have him changed so quickly and easily by what Loki considers a inferior being is painful.
It's in this moment he knows Thor has changed; but Loki has too. He went from brilliant plans to all out murder, ready to rid the realms of Jotunheim as his brother would have before. He has always wanted them to be equal, but while he has stooped to this Thor has risen up, changed himself, become a better person and it makes Loki crazy. For they will never be equal no matter what he does, in the end deciding that if he cannot be like Thor then he will be the opposite. The villain.