Collection of One-Shots

》character study

I like this subject a lot because as a fanfiction writer, it's something I've bitten my teeth into a whole lot of times, and I hope that with this analysis, maybe this post will be of use to other writers out there, plus it's just a way to run my mouth about my favorite character. So let's get this party started, shall we?

I'm not quite sure if my data is correct, but as far as I remember and from all the various things I've read since the first Avengers came out, about one year passed between Loki's feet first diving stunt and his adventures on Earth (Should've called Bilbo, he would have shown little Lokes a real good time). An Earth year, I should add. I'm not even sure if an Asgardian year is any different in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though it is amusing when aliens use our calendar.

We get little to nothing about what he's done in all that time that is actual canon- according to Tom Hiddleston himself, Loki's been through some very bad things, got caught up with the wrong people *cough* Thanos *cough*, that sort of thing that gets you into a lot of trouble, but I mean he did go shopping with Thanos and friends and got a pretty cool new outfit with a modesty flap. I haven't gotten the impression that Joss Whedon did that much character development other than focusing on his insanity, so all we're left with are the state of mind Loki was in when he tried to commit suicide, and the things he does and says when he reappears, not to forget the brief after-credit episode where a freshly zombified Lokiddo does the lip-synching for Erik Selvig with what looks like a freshly fried face and inky teeth (Okay but seriously Loki, wtf happened to you?). Let's put things into order, shall we?

At the end of the first movie, Loki is a mental wreck, he's a loose cannon and nothing is in his favor anymore, except for Thor. He is likely to have had a huge minority complex and self-esteem issues for most of his adolescence, but they are blown out of proportion when he finds out about his true origins. His madness originates in having his complete identity erased in a heartbeat (you can see everything change when he says "Laufey's son?") of finding himself not just the slightly unsuitable member of society he felt as before, but as an actual enemy of that society - or so he thinks, he is his own worst enemy.

What we mustn't forget is that Loki, despite all the heartbreak, is still loved and protected by his foster parents, and he's always been, even though Odin's favoritism may have been blatantly obvious he still grew up as a privileged Prince. If his father hadn't had an emotional attachment to him, he could have thrown him out as soon as he realized that Loki wouldn't fit his political purposes, as he said in the treasure vault. We can see that Loki's hostile reaction hurts him emotionally, and may even cause what looked like a heart attack that led to the Odinsleep episode.

Loki, on the other hand, doesn't just believe that he is a monster - because he has always believed that frost giants are monsters, ergo if he is blue, he is monstrous (thanks to the internalized racism that runs deep in Asgardian society) - he also comes up with what seems like this brilliant yet completely delusional plan to 'erase' his ancestry. We can assume that at that point, he is already beyond reasoning. His brain revolves around the question of how to get rid of the blue, and his solution is to burn it all. Interesting enough, this decision doesn't get born immediately - it is the direct product of Thor being banished to Earth, leaving Loki without his closest friend and possible ally in that situation, as well as him inheriting the throne for the time being. After all Loki's actual plan did not involve Thor being banished, the guard he told was meant to stop them before they ever left Jötunheim, and when they were not stopped by Odin subsequently we see the events that led to Loki's sort of demise, starting with when the Frost Giant grabbed his wrist.

These two factors leave him at a point where he is exposed to a power he never expected to had, probably never even really thought about except in theory, as he said he never wanted the throne, he only wanted to be considered Thor's equal in the eyes of their father. To be honest, he uses it in quite interesting a way. Mad, but brilliant in its logics. I think we can safely assume that Loki is a rather logical thinker and if his mind had not been scattered across the place he would've made a very reasonable ruler. (Also considering that since the end of Thor: The Dark World he has been ruling Asgard, he must be doing something right because in Agents of SHIELD episodes with Sif it doesn't seem like everything is falling apart based on her demeanor and such. Although what did Loki want with Lorelei?)