IN DEFENCE OF LOKI

Associate editor Chris Hewitt on why Tom Hiddleston’s God Of Mischief isn’t all bad

HERE’S A CONTROVERSIAL thought: Loki, Asgardian God Of Mischief, Thor’s adopted brother, and the one Marvel Cinematic Universe villain everyone can agree has been a resounding success, isn’t actually a villain. Has he displayed villainous tendencies since he first popped up, with his goth hair, in Thor? Yes, sure, you could argue that he manipulated his father, Odin, into stranding his more powerful brother on Earth and then yelled his dad into a coma. But who amongst us can say we haven’t done that?

And okay, so he later tried to take over Earth with the aid of an army of undead alien skeletons. But that doesn’t make him all bad. And I will admit that he then seized the throne of Asgard by pretending to be his dad. If that’s evil, then I don’t ever want to be good. Oh, and there was that time he turned into a snake and scared the shit out of his brother But none of this makes him evil. Just misunderstood.

The Marvel movies in which he’s appeared reflect this. Loki’s lot is a miserable one. He’s forever being punched, kicked, slammed into the ground by the Hulk, humiliated, emasculated, outwitted. Even his attempt to rule the Earth is at the behest of Thanos. While Loki craves power and obeisance, and while he can trade insults with the best of them (he, perhaps unfortunately, popularised “mewling quim’” for a while there), there’s nothing truly malevolent about him. Rather, he’s a little boy lost, a disenfranchised soul looking for his place in the universe. And, let’s face it — if you had a hat with massive horns like that, you’d be pissed off too.

Part of that may come from the humanity and heart with which Tom Hiddleston has imbued the character. He’s a classic case of younger-sibling syndrome, looking for his place in the universe, and by the end of Thor: Ragnarok he’s found that place: by his brother’s side. And while there may be a spark of mischief still in him, he’s incontrovertibly no longer a bad ’un, and therefore should not be on this list.

Oh, hang on — I’d forgotten about the time he killed beloved S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson in cold blood. With a spear through the chest, no less. Okay, leave him where he is. He’s a bloody rotter.