Does anyone else regard 'Thor' as, essentially, a tragedy about Loki?

[garwyli91]

Think about it. Loki has been blessed with this grandiose lifestyle, and yet still, he places himself in the shadow of his brother. He's insecure about his place in his family, in the world. He strives to be accepted, but is consistently given reason to believe he will never equate to his brother. Add insult to injury, he discovers his place of origin is completely opposite from his so-called family's. He's been told all these years to fear these species, to fight them, and now he learns that he IS one of them. He can't really find another outlet for his emotions, so in the interest of 'vengeance' - maybe more of an attempt to dominate and take control of his purpose - he crowns himself king. And, of course, all hell breaks loose.

I think the story is heart-wrenchingly beautiful, in its exploration of insecurity, destiny/purpose, and what can occur if you lose your personal identity. Is this just me? Am I over analyzing things?

[gobrwy]

Think about it. Loki has been blessed with this grandiose lifestyle, and yet still, he places himself in the shadow of his brother. He's insecure about his place in his family, in the world. He strives to be accepted, but is consistently given reason to believe he will never equate to his brother. Add insult to injury, he discovers his place of origin is completely opposite from his so-called family's. He's been told all these years to fear these species, to fight them, and now he learns that he IS one of them. He can't really find another outlet for his emotions, so in the interest of 'vengeance' - maybe more of an attempt to dominate and take control of his purpose - he crowns himself king. And, of course, all hell breaks loose.

I think the story is heart-wrenchingly beautiful, in its exploration of insecurity, destiny/purpose, and what can occur if you lose your personal identity. Is this just me? Am I over analyzing things?

1 user rate this review as good

[tanishia]

I've always liked Loki, in both the mythology (I'm Norwegian, so I grew up with the stories), and in the comics. I analyze it the same way you do. It's sad.

But in the movie, at least Thor pleads, "just listen to me, brother," and obviously still loves him. In the future, maybe Loki will no longer feel wronged, and they can be a family like they were when they were kids. It also helps that Thor isn't an arrogant asshole anymore.

So I agree, it is a tragedy, but I like to think there's hope for the future.

EDIT: In my mind, Loki has never been a villain, and never will be. He has a chip on his shoulder, for sure, but he's not evil.

[fychan97]

I think it's a bit silly to say the Thor movie was about Loki. It was clearly about Thor. Loki's part was pretty small in comparison to him.

But I do like Loki, especially in the comic books, and I think his story in the comic book was really just sadder, because he never stood a chance. (Laufey was abusive, Odin only took him out of guilt, everyone knew he was a frost giant and treated him like he was born evil, etc).