Loki
(now with Chitauri army)
The Avengers (2012)
Characteristics and Powers: The only thing different from Thor this time around is Loki’s new scepter, so let’s talk about that. Its main capability is controlling people’s minds, turning them into slaves. But not mindless slaves–these guys can use knowledge, coordinate attacks, plan and predict. Complete brainwashing, but still autonomy. One problem though, is that this door works both ways, as both Hawkeye and Erik Selvig gain access to knowledge that helps them defeat Loki.
It can also act as a device for mental projection when he uses it to communicate with the mouth of Sauron The Other, who is a go-between for Thanos. This all comes with the standard energy blasts. Captain America notes that it works like a HYDRA weapon. Nick Fury says its powered by the Tesseract. I don’t know if they had Infinity Stones in mind when they wrote this movie, but this makes me doubt it.
Other than that, Loki has no new powers. In fact, he might be less powerful, as when he comes into the SHIELD facility, he looks sickly and sweaty. Word of God says it’s because he’s been influenced by the scepter. So what, it’s like a drug?
Relationship to the Hero(es): Loki and Thor have already tangled in the past, but that was a battle between gods. Now the gods have come to Earth and they want to dance. But by this time, Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow are used to dealing with larger-than-life situations, so they have no problem jumping in, no questions asked. Especially peeved is Steve Rogers, who is not too happy that the tesseract, a device he sacrificed his life to keep out of evil hands, is being used again. Bruce Banner reluctantly climbs on board to help find the cube. And the remaining Avenger, Hawkeye, is transformed into Loki’s brainwashed servant. This is unfortunate because Hawkeye did not get a movie, just a brief scene in Thor. So we don’t get a sense of what his betrayal means because we never knew him before.
Goals/Motivation: Before, Loki wanted to be king of Asgard. To be the inheritor of Odin’s throne instead of his brother. But because he was a frost giant and not the favored son (and never would be), that would never occur. So instead, maybe seeking a second place world to conquer, maybe to cheese off his brother who loves Midgard so much, but he intends to conquer Earth. To do that, he needs to open a big ol’ portal so the Chitauri army (a gift from the Mouth of Thanos) can get through and lay waste. What I’m wondering is, if Loki does manage to gain Earth, what does Thanos get? There are only two Infinity Stones on Earth, and Loki gets one right away. The other is with the Ancient One at the moment. Doesn’t seem like Thanos needs to take over the whole planet to get to her.
Relatability: This is the movie where Loki really becomes “the woobie“, which is a guy you feel sorry for because he always gets crapped on. Charlie Brown, Neville Longbottom, and so on. Now I don’t know how much sympathy you can give for the guy who kills Phil Coulson, but people seemed to attach to him so much that he got his own series. He gets the crap beaten out of him by Iron Man and Captain America. Then Thor throws him out of a plane. Hawkeye fires an arrow right at him, and he catches it, making it seem like he’s a badass, then it explodes in his face. He stands up to Hulk, then gets tossed like a rag doll. I guess the millennials find this endearing.
Fun Factor: Well, I would like that Chitauri chariot-skateboard he flies around in. And the big Chitauri battle-whale looks pretty cool. Ride that over Dodger Stadium and swallow the Goodyear blimp. Other than that, not much is different than the standard. And if you have to fend off six Avengers while you’re tooling around with your tesseract, it might not be worth it.
Fatal Flaw: Loki’s issue is that he thinks he’s more powerful than he actually is. Ego will do that to you, and allying with Thanos won’t do anything to help that. Here’s a big purple demigod letting you take his army of aliens on flying vespas and go get Earth, which is the thing you wanted in the first place. Again, he’s insecure about proving himself to his father or comparing to his brother to the point that he partners with Thanos. It’s like a kid with a broken home getting involved with drug dealing. People will go where the love is.
Method of Defeat: Defending himself from Black Widow and Hawkeye, he crash-lands into Avengers Tower. Loki stands up to him and brashly girds himself against the giant green monster, astonished by how impudent he is to an Asgardian god. Hulk responds by swinging him around like a little kid. Rendered inert, the Avengers capture him, and Thor takes him back to Asgard to serve a sentence.
Final Rating: ★★★★
