beastly roses app * revisions

[laufeysons]

"...day to day personality, outside of scheming and manipulating..." "How he approaches new people and situations, typical demeanor, more subtle personality points and quirks that aren’t so much main of a theme as his transition to villainy..."

A few choice words that come to mind when describing Loki are self-possessed, arrogant, and patronizing. It's obvious from the very beginning of Avengers that he has an incredible sense of self-importance, which was not overly apparent in Thor. When he introduces himself, he says, "I am Loki, of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose." Nick Fury, trying to reason with Loki, tells him, "We have no quarrel with your people," to which Loki responds, "An ant has no quarrel with a boot." Simple, but poignant, the metaphor is very telling of how Loki views himself and his goals. He thinks of himself as a superior, super-powerful force that the humans of Earth couldn't stop in their wildest dreams. His confidence isn't unfounded, as not only is he from a physically superior alien race, but he's also newly equipped with the Chitauri scepter powered by the Tesseract. His arrogance runs deeper than his obvious advantages; he also admits point-blank that he views himself above the humans in his conversation with Thor on the mountaintop:

Thor: You think yourself above them?
Loki: Well, yes.
Thor: Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother. The throne would suit you ill.

This arrogance shines through in his interactions with those around him – not only humans but other aliens as well, like the Chitauri and the other Asgardians, superhumans and superheroes – he even patronizes the Hulk, calling it a "dull creature." The result (getting thoroughly Hulk-smashed) shows most clearly the detriment of his overinflated ego.

Again, his confidence is not entirely unfounded. Loki may be violent and dangerous, especially while he's under the toxic influence of the Tesseract in Avengers, but he's not reckless. On the contrary, he's extremely cautious, constantly calculating, and lays his plans with great care. In Avengers, there seems to be a moment when Loki loses in battle with Captain America and Iron Man in Stuttgart, but it is later revealed that he allowed himself to be captured as a way to get on the Helicarrier and, as Tony Stark puts it, hit them all right where they live. Nick Fury catches on pretty quickly that Loki has ulterior motives, as evidenced by his comment to Thor that Loki seems like "the only person on this boat who wants to be here." Even after Natasha uncovers Loki's plan to unleash the Hulk, the Avengers are unable to prevent it from coming to fruition.

For all that he's a strategist, he's also an improviser and an opportunist, and he's constantly looking for opportunities to cause mischief and chaos. A prime example of this would be prior to his capture, when Clint Barton says that he needs a "distraction," and Loki happily provides by ad-libbing a sudden appearance in Stuttgart. That instance not only shows his ruthlessness (such as when he carves the eyeball out of a man's face), but also the flagrant enjoyment he gets from causing mayhem.

Loki is not to be trifled with. He would approach new people and new situations cautiously, until he decides whether he stands to gain anything from them and, if so, how he might best achieve it. Himself and his goals, whatever they may be at the time – world domination or simply causing chaos – are his top priority. Whomever he meets he will likely think beneath him. He doesn't make friends, only enemies or allies with whom continued correspondence is somehow mutually beneficial, although there's a high chance he'll screw them over in the end. God of mischief. Prince of lies. Silvertongue. He is not to be trusted. As Thor once said, he is "incapable of sincerity" and a "talented liar."

It may not be immediately apparent to someone meeting him for the first time, because he's sneaky and charming when he wants to be, but whether it's his snakelike smile or the way he looks down his nose at everybody, something might tip them off. With any luck, before it's too late.


"motivation for wanting to rule, specifically in the Avengers and his obsession with being worshipped"

Loki's ego is as large as the inferiority complex it's covering up. He carries a massive chip on his shoulder, and likely has for most of his life. Feelings of inferiority – of never meeting Thor's gold standard – that had always simmered below the surface reached a boiling point during the events of Thor, and are bubbling over by the time he appears in Avengers.

Superiority and inferiority are not mutually exclusive in Loki. It's true that he always felt different, he always felt less than Thor, especially in the eyes of their father. Years of living in Thor's shadow left an emotional scar on his heart that will likely never fade. Somewhere between Thor and Avengers, these feelings of inferiority became twisted up into grandiose delusions. Loki in Avengers is a character who feels like the universe owes him something. He's fixated on the idea that he was betrayed, by Thor and by Asgard. He calls himself "the rightful king of Asgard," and accuses Thor of "tossing" him "into an abyss" – "I who was and should be king!" Tom Hiddleston has said in regards to Loki: "Every villain is a hero in his own mind," and this is especially true for him in Avengers. The idea of that he's been slighted is partly what motivates him to conquer Earth. He's at once fully aware he's the "bad guy" in the scenario, while Thor and the Avengers are the "heroes," and still convinced that he's in the right. In his mind, he's the superior one, he deserves the Earth as compensation, and he'll do a better job of safeguarding it than Thor or Odin ever did.

He claims, repeatedly, that he's come to "free" the humans "from freedom." He calls freedom "life's great lie" and says that humans will only find true happiness in subjugation. It's the same kind of twisted logic that countless tyrants before him have used, and it's all a crock. Giving his spiel in Stuttgart, he tells the frightened people kneeling before him in the street, "You will always kneel." The one brave old man who stands up to him says, "Not to men like you," to which Loki responds, "There are no men like me." The man says, "There are always men like you." The fact the scene is set in Germany, as well as Captain America's one-liner about "the last time he was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else," aids in drawing the parallel between Loki and historical figures like Hitler. The comparison might seem a little heavy for a comic book movie, but it puts Loki's character – his motives and ambitions – into sobering perspective. He has convinced himself (wrongly) that his rule, even if he has to win it by force, will make the Earth a better place, typical of tyrannical rulers.

He's also motivated by the desperate need to prove himself, which stems back to his sense of inferiority and never living up to Odin's expectations – Thor's standard. It's an act of proving himself, and it's vengeance against Thor. Thor hits the nail on the head when he says, "So you take the world I love as recompense for your imagined slights." From this also comes his obsession with being worshiped, as if it can fill the void he felt all his life. Like Tony says, "Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... sonofabitch." The desire to be worshiped, to have everyone kneeling before him and in full view, has its roots – like his overcompensating ego – in the low self-worth that he was made to feel for most of his life. It all boils down to what the Other aptly calls his "childish need" – a need for acceptance, for love, and for the power he feels was stolen from him.


"canonically, the Aesir are believed to be gods by humans, but are in fact aliens. We would like the app revised to reflect this, and for you to elaborate on what you mean by 'god-like' in his abilities section."

The Thor universe on a whole toes the line of mythology and science-fiction. One of the running themes in Thor (2011) is the overlapping of science and magic. Jane Foster, Darcy, and Erik Selvig hit on the topic in a scene in Thor, after Jane has just witnessed Thor attempting (and failing) to retrieve Mjolnir.

Erik: I'm talking about science, not magic.
Jane: Well, "magic's just science we don't understand yet." Arthur C. Clarke.
Erik: Who wrote science-fiction.
Jane: A precursor to science fact!
Erik: In some cases.
Jane: Well, if there's an Einstein-Rosen bridge, then there's something on the other side. And advanced beings could have crossed it!
Erik: Oh, Jane.
Darcy: A primitive culture like the Vikings might have worshiped them as deities.
Jane: Yes! Yes, exactly. Thank you.

(I'm not saying it's aliens, but...) Technically speaking, the Asgardians are aliens. But traditionally and colloquially – and canonically – they're referred to as gods, or "basically gods." In Avengers, Natasha tells Steve, as he suits up to go after Thor and Loki, "You better sit this one out, Cap. These guys come from legend, they're basically gods." Tony calls Thor a "demigod." And it's clear that Loki considers himself a god; aside from wanting to make everyone kneel before him, he tells the Hulk, "I am a god, you dull creature." So, yes, technically the Asgardians are an alien race. But they are hardly ever referred to as such – even Jane uses the term advanced beings, rather than "aliens" – and Loki, especially, would instead refer to himself as a god.

That being said, describing Loki's abilities as "godlike" was meant to distinguish them from the superhuman abilities of other characters, like Captain America. Thor and Loki both display extreme strength and durability that would seem to rank above the other super-powered characters. For example, they both take direct hits from Captain America's shield and it hardly seems to faze them (in both cases, the shield bounces right off), and they both take beatings from the Hulk and walk away afterwards. In fact, Thor is said to be the only Avenger who can provide a match for the Hulk. Either way, "godlike" could be substituted with "super(human)" strength, durability, agility, etc. The word could also be removed from in front of "longevity." It was simply meant to indicate that they have extremely long lives and protracted youth, generally characteristic of "gods."


"We’d like to know what you meant by pulling punches, preferably citing canonical evidence."

What was meant by saying that Loki pulls his punches was that certain canonical evidence suggests that, despite his supposed determination, he doesn't always fight to his fullest potential. The supporting evidence for this was meant to be Coulson's claim that Loki lacks "conviction," followed by the fight with Thor on top of Stark Tower, in which Loki fails to kill Thor or even really make an effort. What was meant was that Loki dreams big and talks big, but it's questionable whether he would ever finish the job of destruction/domination that he sets out to do. Does he lose because the Avengers are too much for him, or is it due to some inherent failing in his nature, as Coulson suggests? ("You're going to lose," Coulson says. "It's in your nature.") Loki seems to experience moments of doubt, such as during his fight with Thor on the roof of Stark Tower (as previously cited), which makes one wonder if he really knows what he's doing, after all.

Another instance that could be taken as a moment of doubt occurs right before Coulson delivers his line about Loki's lacking conviction, when Loki has Thor trapped in the Hulk's cage. He hesitates before hitting the button that drops the cage from the Helicarrier, although what exactly Loki was thinking in that moment can only be speculated. But it may be no coincidence that Coulson tells Loki he lacks conviction directly after, and that Thor survives his fall.

I could elaborate more on this and how it indicates Loki's conflicted feelings, but I feel as though anything more edges too much into meta territory, and in that case I would rather, if possible, retract it altogether.