If you’ve read enough of my articles, you know I’m usually a fan of DC Comics over Marvel. However, with DC’s recent record in the amazing game of “Let’s See How Many People We Can Piss Off,” I’ve started paying more attention to Marvel characters not named Tony Stark.
Here is a shocker: Loki’s character is interesting as hell. But not because of his actions in the movies or comics. It’s not because Tom Hiddleston plays him so well (although he does). It’s the actions before we even see Loki the first time that make him so interesting.
Loki’s descent into evil territory is two-fold. For starters, he is a frost giant adopted by the Norse god Odin during the Norse’s first war with the frost giants. While Odin did raise Loki as his own, the differences were noticeable at second glance. Most Norse gods are physically imposing fighters, while Loki’s strength comes from misdirection and magic.
The differences might not matter at first glance, but when you’re compared to your brothers and sisters, specifically compared to Thor, it gets a tad rough.
The media has recently been discussing a controversial syndrome called Adopted Child Syndrome. It’s based on the idea that adopted children can suffer from serious mental disorders stemming from their status as an adopted child. For your statistically average child, this can manifest as behavior issues.
For Loki, the realization that he wasn’t a true Norse god could and did drive him towards evil actions ranging from restarting the war between the Norse gods and the Frost Giants to declaring open war against Earth.
Loki also gets slammed with a bout of sibling rivalry. The concept that sibling rivalry is a psychological disorder has gained steam recently. Constant comparisons to Thor and his other siblings, Tyr, Hermond, and Balder, could have driven Loki mad.
And by Loki’s actions, it seems that it has. Loki’s entire existence has melted down to making Thor and the other Norse gods’ lives living hell.
In the comics, Loki is constantly using magic and misdirection all in an attempt to eliminate Thor, working with Frost and Storm Giants and some of the universe’s most evil creatures. But the most well-known example of Loki’s need to be noticed comes from Hiddleston’s portrayal in the film adaption, Thor. In order to prove himself to Odin, he derived a huge plan revolving around starting another war against the Frost Giants. He allowed his biological father, Laufey, into Asgard to attempt to kill Odin, only to then kill Laufey. In a convoluted plan, he wanted to start a war between the Norse and the Frost Giants just so he could prove he was strong.
I did the same thing. I framed my brother in order to catch him eating cookies, even though I told him he could have the cookie.
Loki’s Cookie by X-DarkHunter-X on deviantART
Okay, it’s not the same.
Truth is, Loki’s evil actions are attempts to be noticed. He wants to be considered his own man, as opposed to the adopted, weak one. Can you blame Loki? His methods are wrong, but the wish to be accepted by his family is one we all strive for daily.
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