by Ryan Rigley
Thor may be facing off against the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim in 2013, but what does that mean for Loki? With the news of Malekith the Accursed being the main villain of "Thor: The Dark World," it seems like the God of Mischief might be put on the sidelines for this next movie. Either that or we'll be seeing him in a new light, possibly even coming to the aid of his brother Thor; that is, if he can get over his extreme jealousy and hatred for him.
Tom Hiddleston has already portrayed Loki as the antagonist in "Thor" and "The Avengers," both to great effect. But how does Hiddleston's take on the God of Mischief stack up against his comic book counterpart? Click past the jump to find out!
What Worked: One thing that Tom Hiddleston absolutely nailed was Loki's misunderstood nature. With his Frost Giant origins and Thor's constant overshadowing of him, Loki is probably one of the most sympathetic villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the comics, you really get a sense for what made Loki the madman that he is today. Hiddleston not only makes a point of conveying how much it means for Loki to become King of Asgard, but also how much it hurts him to find out so late in life that he was essentially adopted by Odin. It's hard to make an audience feel bad for someone who would kill an entire race on a whim; Hiddleston, however, pulls it off quite flawlessly.
What Needed Work: In the comic books, Loki is an extremely gifted sorcerer; he has the ability to cast illusions, teleport inter-dimensionally, and shape-shift. With that said, we don't really get a sense of how magically-inclined Tom Hiddleston's Loki really is. In "Thor," he does show us that he has the power to project holographic versions of himself but he only really uses it twice, and briefly at that. Plus, he never once shape-shifts! In the comics, Loki often times will use his shape-shifting abilities to either transform himself into an animal or impersonate someone else, i.e. Thor and Captain America. If the Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had these abilities, it would make him infinitely more of a challenge for both the Guardians of Asgard and Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
What Was New & Interesting: Tom Hiddleston's Loki tends to carry a staff around with him practically everywhere he goes. In my opinion, this is a great visual representation of Loki's status as an extremely powerful sorcerer; albeit one that can't shape-shift. Also, the fact that Loki's staff grants him the power of mind control bares the need for further explanation. Let's think about this for a second. That blue gem embedded in Loki's staff; is it possible that this is the Mind gem, one of the six Infinity gems that make up Thanos' Infinity Gauntlet? I guess we'll just have to wait for "The Avengers 2" to find out!
What do you think of Hiddleston's portrayal of Loki? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter, and tune in next week for another look at a classic comic book villain of old!
Tags loki, the avengers, thor, tom hiddleston, Villainese
Tom Hiddleston's Loki: What Worked, What Didn't
Posted 8/6/12 8:00 am EST by Splash Page Team in Commentary, Marvel
by Ryan Rigley
Thor may be facing off against the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim in 2013, but what does that mean for Loki? With the news of Malekith the Accursed being the main villain of "Thor: The Dark World," it seems like the God of Mischief might be put on the sidelines for this next movie. Either that or we'll be seeing him in a new light, possibly even coming to the aid of his brother Thor; that is, if he can get over his extreme jealousy and hatred for him.
Tom Hiddleston has already portrayed Loki as the antagonist in "Thor" and "The Avengers," both to great effect. But how does Hiddleston's take on the God of Mischief stack up against his comic book counterpart? Click past the jump to find out!
What Worked: One thing that Tom Hiddleston absolutely nailed was Loki's misunderstood nature. With his Frost Giant origins and Thor's constant overshadowing of him, Loki is probably one of the most sympathetic villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the comics, you really get a sense for what made Loki the madman that he is today. Hiddleston not only makes a point of conveying how much it means for Loki to become King of Asgard, but also how much it hurts him to find out so late in life that he was essentially adopted by Odin. It's hard to make an audience feel bad for someone who would kill an entire race on a whim; Hiddleston, however, pulls it off quite flawlessly.
What Needed Work: In the comic books, Loki is an extremely gifted sorcerer; he has the ability to cast illusions, teleport inter-dimensionally, and shape-shift. With that said, we don't really get a sense of how magically-inclined Tom Hiddleston's Loki really is. In "Thor," he does show us that he has the power to project holographic versions of himself but he only really uses it twice, and briefly at that. Plus, he never once shape-shifts! In the comics, Loki often times will use his shape-shifting abilities to either transform himself into an animal or impersonate someone else, i.e. Thor and Captain America. If the Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had these abilities, it would make him infinitely more of a challenge for both the Guardians of Asgard and Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
What Was New & Interesting: Tom Hiddleston's Loki tends to carry a staff around with him practically everywhere he goes. In my opinion, this is a great visual representation of Loki's status as an extremely powerful sorcerer; albeit one that can't shape-shift. Also, the fact that Loki's staff grants him the power of mind control bares the need for further explanation. Let's think about this for a second. That blue gem embedded in Loki's staff; is it possible that this is the Mind gem, one of the six Infinity gems that make up Thanos' Infinity Gauntlet? I guess we'll just have to wait for "The Avengers 2" to find out!
What do you think of Hiddleston's portrayal of Loki? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter, and tune in next week for another look at a classic comic book villain of old!
Tags loki, the avengers, thor, tom hiddleston, Villainese
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