“One nice thing about egotists: they don’t talk about other people.” ~ George Carlin
This goes back to the whole confidence/cocky thing I mentioned a few days ago. But the definition of an egotist is different. An Egotist is a person who is excessively conceited or self-absorbed; a self-seeker.
Loki is worried about one person, himself. His mission in each film has revolved around his needs, his desires, and his self preservation. The only person he even vaguely considers trying to please is his mother, Frigga. But even then, Loki is disinterested in doing anything for anyone except himself.
He demands respect and adoration from everyone, focusing on his own selfish needs. This is obvious in the Avengers. Loki answers to only one authority, himself. He doesn’t care about the consequences of his actions, only the outcome and what it will provide him when all is said and done. That is, in my mind, the epitome of egotistical.
Does this make him more a villain and less of an anti hero? Well, we all have ego, but can we let it drive us, define us, rule us and still be a good person? That’s a tough question.
I’m interested in what you think. Comment below. 🙂
*Images were found on Google images. No copyright infringement intended. Merely used as illustration points.
Jen Bradlee 
I love that George Carlin quote! Then again, I love a lot of George Carlin quotes.
As for your question, anti-heroes do often have selfish tendencies, but they don’t always rule them. Loki is intensely egotistical, and therefore the only thing you can rely on is that he’s going to look out for himself above all. That seems more villainous to me. If your actions have positive consequences for someone, but you did what you did for purely selfish reasons, I don’t think that’s enough to make you a good person. Intention means a lot. Then again, I’m not an expert. All I can offer is my humble opinion.
Great post!
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Thanks for your input, L.G. 🙂 Very good points! I love how complicated he is as a character. Opens up so many possibilities. Feel free to chime in on the rest of this month’s posts. I’m loving this discussion!
I think, like all villains, Loki’s upbringing defines his egotism. He was obviously taught as a child that he was ‘different’ to Thor – therefore ‘inferior’ – and so learned to rely on only himself for anything, including who to answer to.
Villains are usually defined by the choices they make – I suppose if Loki had chosen to at least admit he was an ass in the first movie to Thor – not even to his father, just to his brother, the main victim of his plans – it would have redeemed to more of an anti-hero status. But I do think that the second Thor film explored Loki to a greater extent; he was less *steepled fingers maniacal laugh* evil and more *so…does that make him a bit of a good guy?* evil.
Either way, I’m using this post as an excuse to watch The Avengers again, haha! 😀
Great point! I may have to re-watch all the movies a few more times…for research purposes, you know. It’s quite a challenge for me to just label Loki a “villain” period, end of story. He’s so much more complex. He does have his moments of compassion, but whether they’re selfishly motivated or not, I guess we’ll never truly know. Great input! ^5
Thanks for stopping by my blog, Jen. Now I find you are A-Zing one of my favorite characters. Not because he’s a villain but because he’s well, um. so, er, sexy…oh, and vulnerable deep inside. Going to love reading these!
Oh, Donna. You and I are going to be friends, I can feel it. 🙂 Loki isn’t a villain, he’s misunderstood and a bit dark. I’m so glad you stopped by. Feel free to chime in on the discussions. *hugs*