NYCC 2023 Spotlight: The Timeless Reign of Loki - Tom Hiddleston’s Glorious Purpose
Rich L
New York Comic Con is one of the biggest conventions in the United States, and because of that, also one of the most difficult to purchase tickets for. Regardless, it's almost always worth the price as well as waiting in the queue for your turn to get your tickets. This is at least the fifth time I've gone to the convention, and the third NYCC under Covid. One of the major opportunities I was able to do this time around was get a photo op with actor, Tom Hiddleston.
Thankfully, I lucked out and had two great friends that got a ticket for a photo op with him, and I was able to join them! Unfortunately, with photo ops, they tend to move so fast that you don't really get to talk to the person that you're meeting, unlike autograph lines. So here is my 2-second convo I had with Tom Hiddleston:
Me: “Hey Tom, how's it going?”
Tom Hiddleston: “You all look great!”
- photo goes off -
Us: “Thank you, see you later Tom!”
Tom Hiddleston: “Thanks for coming out!”
However, as great, and painless as this process was, that's not what I'm here to discuss in detail today. One of the reasons Tom Hiddleston was a guest was because his work presently, and over the years as Marvel Cinematic Universe's iconic God of Mischief, Loki is spectacular.
Thor / Avengers
Hiddleston’s portrayal as Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been longer than Chris Evans as Captain America; which is crazy to think about. He made his debut as the main antagonist in Thor (2011) and Loki really started shining in the first Marvel movie superhero team up, Avengers (2012). He was the main antagonist of that film (though under the supervision of Thanos) and started to be a person with a glorious purpose.
Something that helped bring Loki to another level was getting him out of his element. In the first Thor film, it only involved Asgardians and other high fantasy beings. There's nothing wrong with this, but we tend to see thematic similarity in movies like this. As fantastic as the world of Asgard and its inhabitants were, the repetitive portrayal of otherworldly realms might have lead to a sense of déjà vu for audiences. By transporting Loki into different environments and situations, the character became a versatile narrative asset. And for many, it's fun to see these specialized characters in different kinds of settings. Seeing characters like Thor and Loki interact with characters like Tony Stark and Nick Fury in the MCU, felt similar to Aragorn and Saruman from Lord of the Rings, interacting with James Bond or Doc Brown. This was what really showed Loki as being a serious villain, but at the same time he could still make you laugh both deliberately and accidentally. It probably helped that the first Avengers film is what set the tone for Loki as he provided us with a lot of opportunities to laugh at him and fear him.
Thor 2: The Dark World
Loki's next appearance was in a much less popular film, Thor 2: The Dark World (2013). This is the first time Thor and Loki teamed up in the movies, as well as acknowledging more of their experience on Midgard (Asgardian “Earth”). For example, there's a funny moment where Loki shape shifts into Captain America, attempting to mock Thor's new allies. Another moment from the movie, was a jail scene with him. Someone comes to deliver the news about his mother being murdered while he's imprisoned, and he just quietly stands up, magically makes the objects in the cell violently slam against the wall, with little to no sound. Loki is allegedly killed off in this movie, and we don't see him for a bit.
Thor: Ragnarök
Loki makes a return in Thor: Ragnarök (2017),when to no one's surprise (not even Thor), his last death was faked. In this film, Loki flip flops between protagonist and antagonist multiple times. First, teaming up with Thor against Hela, then letting Thor be sold off to Sakaar, and then near the end of the film teaming up with Thor against Hela. Loki's role in this movie felt like a metaphor for his role in the entire MCU. Once again, we get to see him and Thor interact with people in a new setting, this time more sci-fi than earthly. Things also come full circle for Loki when he gets to see his brother get smashed by the Hulk like he did in the first Avengers film. The two brothers appear to finally come to an understanding, as if they will live happily ever after.
Avengers: Infinity War
Here, in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), is where Loki is killed off (again), fairly violently by Thanos, with no evidence of him pulling a disappearing act like he did in Thor 2. It was pretty shocking and really set the stage for how much of a serious threat Thanos is by easily dispatching the main antagonist of the first Avengers film. Many of us thought this was the end for Hiddleston and this character, yet he was suspiciously quiet about his demise.
The impact of Loki's death extended beyond the confines of the film, sparking discussions and debates among fans and critics alike. Loki's death, once perceived as final, became a catalyst for new and intriguing plotlines, demonstrating Marvel's approach to handling its interconnected universe.
Avengers: Endgame
Loki briefly appears in the following film, Avengers: Endgame (2019). During the retrieval of the infinity stones, some of the characters revisit their past selves from the first Avengers movie and beyond. Loki is seen being held captive like he was at the conclusion of the first Avengers movie, but this time, something goes wrong with retrieving the tesseract. This past version of Loki gets his hands on the tesseract, and then warps away to an unknown location. Once again, Tom Hiddleston is quiet about his status in the MCU after this film’s release, and what is even more suspicious, as actors of characters who perished in the film (Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Scarlett Johannsen as Black Widow) were on their way out, Hiddleston’s role was neither acknowledged or mentioned until....
Loki
This question was answered not too long when it was announced that Loki would be getting his own show on the upcoming streaming service, Disney+, which turned out to be following the version of Loki that disappeared via the Tesseract, in Avengers: Endgame. While this version of Loki was a more “villainous” version, the events of this show slowly put him more in the “good guy” lane than the original Loki we’ve grown to admire. Loki becomes a part of the Time Variance Authority (TVA), which watches over timelines to make sure they're intact and kill all who disrupts it. Allegedly good. Once again, we see him in a completely new element, bouncing off characters that are part of the TVA, like Owen Wilson as Mobius. We also see him confront other variants of himself, such as the female variant, Sylvie, played by Sophia Di Martino. While Loki is more of the protagonist this time, he still does have some “anti-hero” qualities, and can still be a bit of a narcissist.
This show is also a big deal, as it introduced the next villain from Marvel, Kang the Conqueror or “He Who Remains”, played by Jonathan Majors, as well as, pushing the concept of multiverses in the MCU to new levels. At the time of me writing this, the season finale of the second season will soon or have just premiered showing audiences just how important the MCU timeline is.
Final Analysis
Tom has a knack for making Loki incredibly charming, while still being able to take him as a threatening villain. Hiddleston is great at playing him in different scenarios where the audience can accept him playing either the hero or the villian. Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, my experience with Loki was pretty limited. I knew him from some video games like Marvel Ultimate Alliance and the Thor comics. It didn't help that I always found the classic yellow and green spandex Loki, silly looking as well. That's something else this cinematic version of Loki that has made me appreciate about him, his rebrand.
His design has been far sleeker and more stylish which helps me take him more seriously as a snake in the grass. Before I get hate mail from people who liked classic Loki, this long-standing contrast has helped me appreciate the “classic” Loki, as the older variant version, played by Richard E. Grant (Pic Right), made an appearance in the first season of the series and wowed audiences with his “mischievous gifts”.
The character and actor have definitely gained some love from fans and creatives as I’ve seen many cosplays of Loki over the years, and at different conventions (even non comic/fan related ones). I even remember seeing a woman at a Renaissance Faire dressed as Marvel’s Loki and it was mind-blowing. I don't think there is any character in the MCU that has perished in some form as much as Loki has and returned unscathed. This character has done wonders for Mr. Hiddleston as well. Since portraying Loki, he's been in other hits like the series called The Night Manager (2016), as well as other hit films like Kong: Skull Island (2016) and the Essex Serpent (2022).
As for now, Loki's reign in the MCU appears to be going strong. When will it end? That remains uncertain. It seems impossible to kill the God of Mischief due to his newly acquired “time-manipulating” abilities. Additionally, Loki's character development in the MCU and his potential to be the most powerful being in the multiverse makes it hard to predict when his reign will end. As for now, Hiddleston’s portrayal of Loki suggest that we are in for an unpredictable ride.
As for Loki, he’s having the timeline of his life in the MCU, and fans, myself included, eagerly await the unfolding of Loki's storyline and the continuation of his glorious purpose.
