Loki Laufeyson (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Note: ''This article is about the incarnation of Loki from the Marvel Cinematic film series. The mainstream version can be found here: Loki.''

"I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose."

- Loki introducing himself to Nick Fury.

Loki is the secondary antagonist of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He first appeared as the main antagonist in both Thor and The Avengers, but later becomes the tritagonist/anti-hero of Thor: The Dark World and the deuteragonist of Thor: Ragnarok. He is set to appear in both parts of Avengers: Infinity War in an unknown role.

He was portrayed by Tom Hiddleston, who also played Captain James Hook in The Pirate Fairy, Thomas Sharpe in Crimson Peak, and later voiced Lord Nooth in Early Man.

Personality
Loki is the God of Mischief, and an expert liar. Though Loki tries to take over Asgard and Earth, all he really wants is the approval of his father and brother. He is a smart and intelligent man, and he will stop at nothing to fulfill his quest. While he may appear nice, in truth, Loki believes he is destined for a "glorious purpose", whether it be ruling Asgard or Earth. He is usually considered a lying and manipulative trickster, but this is only because he wanted to be an equal to Thor. Therefore, Loki does have emotion and he does communicate with some people despite his power and arrogance. His personality develops with each film he appears in:

Thor
Loki is first introduced as a shy, secretive and peaceful individual. He appears to love Thor very much as a brother, and tries to stand up to Odin when the latter banishes Thor. He is an extremely powerful Asgardian, but prefers to talk his way out of situations - this sets him apart from the rest of Thor's friends. When Thor and the company visit Jotunheim, Loki continuously tries to stop Thor from starting a fight with Laufey. He tries to broker a peace between Thor and Laufey, but when Laufey sneers at Thor, Loki's only response is "Damn", in that he knew this would spur Thor into attacking.

After Thor is banished, Loki contemplates on how, when fighting on Jotunheim where a Frost Giant grabbed his arm, his flesh turned blue as opposed to turning to ice. He goes to the Vault and inspects the Casket of Ancient Winters. When he holds the Casket, he slowly turns into a Frost Giant. When confronted by Odin, Loki becomes violent and angry for the very first time, demanding Odin explain what is happening to Loki. When he realises that he is in fact the son of Laufey, he experiences a borderline breakdown: he has been told all of his life that Frost Giants are ruthless, vicious monsters and are the enemy, which leads him to believe that this is Odin scorning him.

He also deduces that Odin favored Thor for so long because he saw Loki as a Frost Giant, and would never give Loki the throne. The final straw is when Odin says how, when he stole Loki as a child, he thought that he could broker a peace between Asgard and Jotunheim - but those plans no longer mattered. Loki's outburst of rage leads to Odin experiencing an Odinsleep. When he 'reluctantly' takes up the throne of Asgard, he becomes intensely furious that nobody - except for his mother Frigga - accepted him. He became further frustrated when he could not pick up Mjolnir, which he saw as a display of how he was unworthy of the Asgard throne. He becomes utterly ruthless in sending the Destroyer to kill Thor, and killing Laufey to try and gain the honor of his father.

When confronted by Thor, Loki calmly greets him before citing how he will destroy Jotunheim - he then attacks his brother. When he sets out to destroy Jotunheim, it shows that Loki is willing to commit genocide to gain Odin's admiration. When Thor finally confronts him, Loki displays the personality changes he has undergone throughout the film: he mocks Thor for his sudden change of heart about destroying the Frost Giants when, not long ago, he was willing to destroy them all with his bare hands. Also, he physically attacks Thor, stating that he never wanted the throne and only wanted to be Thor's equal. He also threatens violence against Jane Foster when he had finished with Thor, who attacks him after the threat. Throughout the resulting fight, Loki shows a psychopathic personality, laughing and sneering throughout the fight.

His mind snaps when he feels that Odin has disowned him, and how he denied Loki's plans being in any way in Odin's name. This leads him to attempt suicide, seeing no significance in life anymore.

Marvel's The Avengers
In his next appearance, Loki's personality takes an immense turn for the worst. He becomes a sociopathic megalomaniac, hell-bent on starting a war on all costs. When he arrives, the first thing he does is start killing people out of sheer sadistic lust. He introduces himself as Loki of Asgard - even though he is not king of the latter - and claims to be burdened "with glorious purpose", believing that his psychopathic behavior will be for the greater good. He becomes very pessimistic and skeptical, believing that freedom is a deception and is utterly worthless.

He suffers from delusions of grandeur, and believes himself to be the rightful king of Asgard - a factor he insists on throughout the film. He also has a cheerful, laid-back, effervescent, and superior demeanor which he also holds throughout the film. He displays genuine fear for the first time when the threat of being punished by Thanos is brought up. When Loki ambushes Stuttgart, he delivers a rousing speech about how humans, in his belief, were 'made to be ruled', and that in the end they will always 'kneel'.

He still maintains an intense dislike for Odin and Thor, Odin for lying to him all of his life, and Thor for outshining him all of his life. He is almost playfully sadistic and competitive in fighting Thor - using childish tricks to outsmart him, and mocking him for his sentiment towards the humans. He is also extremely manipulative in a similar way to Hannibal Lecter - he taunts his enemies from his cells, giving cryptic clues to the nature of his plans, at the same time sneering at the likes of Black Widow (Who, like, reveals a traumatic experience from her past, which he uses against her).

He appears to be significantly more narcissistic in this film, which is his primary reason for underestimating the Avengers. When faced with Tony Stark near the end of the film, he sarcastically remarks "Please tell me you are going to appeal to my humanity", and when Tony reveals his plan to threaten him, Loki says he should have left his armor on for that. When Stark then promises that Loki will be brought down, he voices his belief that he will win just because he has an army. He underestimates the fact that his army does not have something to fight for.

When attacked by the Hulk, Loki loses his temper for the first time and snaps at the Hulk, only to be incapacitated moments later.

Thor: The Dark World
Evidently Loki's condition has only worsened after his defeat while trying to conquer Earth and capture at the hands of Thor. He has become heavily more sardonic, even by his standard, sarcastically mocking his adoptive father and brother when he was at their mercy and showed suicidal tendencies while meeting with Odin in Asgard "if I am for the ax so be it." He still retained his chilling-calm demeanor, when Kurse had infiltrated Asgard he wasn't fazed about the mass breakout that was occurring behind him and instead casually read his book however he did scream at Frigga when she referred to Odin as his "father."

On the subject of Thor, Loki shows a penetratingly complex opinion. He at one point refers to Thor as an oaf, but nonetheless appears to accept the idea of cooperating with him again. He is capable of exchanging quips with him, and even changing his appearance to Sif's as a form of mockery. He had an almost childishly laid-back, lackadaisical exterior, sarcastically responding to the Warriors Three's threats to kill him with "apparently there will be a line." He also directed sarcastic remarks at him whilst they were in mortal danger. However, Loki shows that he is still extremely resentful and bitter towards Thor, and even goes so far as to blame him partially for Frigga's death.

However Loki also reveals his more caring and "anti-hero" side of his personality. He genuinely loved his adoptive mother and was enraged when she was killed by Malekith, even working with the brother he loathed to get revenge on the Dark Elf. He also showed signs of honor such as saving Jane Foster when she was close to death and defending Thor from the Dark Elves. He also showed less contempt for Thor even with his dying breath saying he did it for him. Loki still retained his deceptive and manipulative side, such as pretending to betray Thor on Svartalheim and faking his death so he could usurp Odin's throne.

Thor: Ragnarok
Loki's personality began to take turn for better after Odin's death and learning the harsh truth Odin hid from them. In spite of odds between him and Thor still remains, the God of Mischief displayed genuine sympathy towards his adoptive brother Thor when the latter left devastated by the truth about Hela and Asgard turned out rose to power in violent means instead of peaceful ways Odin taught him all this time, much like how Loki himself did after finding out he was a Frost Giant,thus allowing Loki to reconnect with Thor. He was evidently worried that Thor would die against Hela and tried to convince him to stay in Sakaar and was evidently frustrated and hurt that Thor coldly ignored him. Loki would ultimately made the decision of standing alongside his brother Thor after Thor asked him to grow up. After the destruction of Asgard, Loki and Thor seem to have fully reconciled.

Powers and Abilities
Loki's main weapon may be his intelligence, but he is still an extremely powerful being:
 * Superhuman Strength and Durability: Loki was strong enough to knock Thor and Captain America to the ground in combat, throw Stark across a room and through a window, and send other humans flying with a single strike. He is shown as being only phased after taking strikes from Captain America's shield, fists and kicks, recovers being struck by Iron Man's repulsors and Thor's strikes and survived a beating from the Hulk that would have killed most others. He was also unharmed by machine gun bullets, an explosion from one of Hawkeye's arrows and rather long falls.
 * Superhuman Speed and Agility: Loki is capable of moving at speeds and evading attacks beyond human capabilities which he used in his battle with the Captain.
 * Combat: Centuries of training in Asgard has made Loki an extremely dangerous and unpredictable opponent. He was able to kill several Frost Giant's, match Thor, overpower the Captain and kill a group of Dark Elves in combat. He is completely capable of fighting with spears, knives or even his bare hands, with utter ease.
 * Weapons Handling: Loki's signature weapon is a dagger which he handles with marvelous skill, using it to defeat several Frost Giants and Dark Elves single-handedly. He is proficient with throwing knives which he used to kill SHIELD agents with a perfect on the mark throw. He is also formidable with spears, using Gungnir and the Chitauri spear to great effect as close combat weapons, riffles and tools.
 * Cryokinesis: Not long after learning of his Jotun blood, Loki discovered and mastered an ability to create and manipulate ice, which he used to freeze the Bifrost in place when trying to destroy Jotunheim.
 * Magic: Using his inborn skills and his teachings by Frigga, Loki is capable of using impressive magical abilities for a wide variety of situations. These include but are not limited to:
 * Illusion Manipulation
 * Shapeshifting and Voice Manipulation
 * Invisibility
 * Clonning
 * Apportation
 * Telekinesis

Family

 * Frost Giants - Biological Family
 * Laufey † - Biological Father and Victim
 * Adoptive Family
 * Bor † - Adoptive Grandfather
 * Odin † - Adoptive Father and former king
 * Frigga † - Adoptive Mother and former queen
 * Thor - Adoptive Brother and Situational Ally
 * Hela † - Adoptive Sister, Enemy and Attempted Killer

Allies

 * Thanos - Formerly
 * The Other † - Formerly
 * Chitauri - Formerly
 * Leviathan - Formerly
 * Revengers - Teammates
 * Bruce Banner/Hulk - Ally
 * Brunnhilde/Valkyrie/142
 * Sakaaran Rebels
 * Korg
 * Miek
 * Asgardians - Allies turned Enemies turned Allies
 * Heimdall
 * Skurge/Executioner †

Enemies

 * Asgardians - Allies turned Enemies
 * Einherjar †
 * Einherjar Guard † - Victim
 * Sif - Ally turned enemy
 * Warriors Three † - Allies turned enemies
 * Fandral †
 * Volstagg †
 * Hogun †
 * Lorelei
 * Frost Giants
 * Hailstrum †
 * Grundroth †
 * Raze † - Victim
 * Dark Elves
 * Malekith †
 * Algrim/Kurse † - Victim
 * Erik Selvig - Former Thrall
 * Jane Foster - Enemy turned ally
 * Heinrich Schafer † - Victim
 * German Old Man - Attempted Victim
 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Nick Fury
 * Maria Hill
 * Phil Coulson † - Victim
 * Jasper Sitwell †
 * Avengers
 * Tony Stark/Iron Man - Formerly
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Formerly
 * Thor - Adoptive Brother - Formerly
 * Bruce Banner/Hulk - Formerly
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
 * Clint Barton/Hawkeye - Former Thrall
 * Kree
 * Vin-Tak
 * Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange (rival/ally)
 * Grandmaster - Ally
 * Sakaaran Guards
 * Topaz †
 * Fenris †
 * Berserkers †
 * Thanos

Quotes
"Enough! You are all of you beneath me! I am a god, you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by-"

- Loki's short last words to Hulk before being beaten by him.

"Oh, dear. Is she dead?"

- Loki, just after Jane collapses.

"I am Loki of Jotunheim, and I have brought you a gift!. In exchange, I would like to sit on the first row to see Asgard burn!"

- Loki to Malekith while carrying out the plan he created with his "brother"

"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help."

- Loki to Thor as he requests his aid in defeating Malekith.

"Well done, you just decapitated your grandfather!"

- Loki to Thor

"An ant has no quarrel with a boot"

- Loki to Nick Fury

"Are you ever not going to fall for that?"

- Loki to Thor in "The Avengers" after he uses his duplication ability to trick him

"Brother, whatever you're doing, I suggest you do it faster."

- Loki to Thor "Odin continues to bring me new friends. How thoughtful!"

- Loki

Trivia

 * Loki is the first villain to appear in more than one film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - possible exceptions include Thanos (Appearing in end-credits scenes in both Avengers movies, and debuting properly in Guardians of the Galaxy), Baron von Strucker (Who appeared in a mid-credits scene in Captain America: the Winter Soldier and as an antagonist in Age of Ultron), and Klaw (Who appeared in both Age of Ultron and Black Panther). He has appeared in Thor, The Avengers, and Thor: The Dark World, making him so the most recurring independent villain of the series.
 * Loki is the second antagonist to be defeated by a lone main protagonist so far in the MCU. Iron Monger and Aldrich Killian were both killed by Pepper Potts; Malekith was crushed by his ship; Red Skull was vanished due to the Tesseract; and Whiplash was defeated by Iron Man with the help of War Machine. Loki and Thor's fight in Thor ended in a stalemate whereas in The Avengers, Loki was beaten by Hulk. Ironically, Hulk also beaten by Abomination, making Hulk the victor in two consecutive good vs bad fights and the first one to beat an antagonist in a fair fight without any assistance, the second being Ant-Man who defeated Yellow Jacket.
 * He is the only antagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to serve as the main antagonist of more than one film.
 * Loki was Tom Hiddelston's breakout role.
 * Loki seems to have a backstory akin to Tai Lung from Kung Fu Panda, as they were both promised a life of glory and heroics by their father figures and seeking to make them proud, only to become disillusioned after learning that this wouldn't be in the cards. Loki and Tai Lung both still saw themselves as heroes in spite of their actions, with Tai Lung intending to take back the Dragon Scroll and Loki attempting to destroy Jotunheim and later conquer Earth. This backstory is also akin to Anakin Skywalker, who was promised a life as a hero, but ended up falling from grace and seeking to kill his mentor (Obi-Wan Kenobi).
 * The scene in Marvel's The Avengers in which Loki is overpowered by the Hulk is considered to be one of the funniest and most memorable moments in the MCU.
 * Because of the reason he appears in more than one film, overall, he is considered to be the secondary antagonist of the entire MCU, but after his redemption he is considered one of the main protagonists of the MCU.
 * Loki and Thor 's relationship is similar to that of Gamora's and Nebula's.

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