spoilers

A-Z Blog Challenge Day 22

/ Jen Bradlee / 4 Comments

Slide20

“Man is by nature competitive, combative, ambitious, jealous, envious, and vengeful.” ~ Arthur Keith

**Spoilers Ahead…Thor 2: The Dark World**

I think today’s character trait goes hand in hand with yesterday’s. Vengeance is often a by product of one’s inability or refusal to forgive.  Forgiveness isn’t in Loki’s nature…and the result is his constant hunger for revenge.  He wants those who caused him pain to suffer, and even those who haven’t caused him any injury.  His rage is channeled into his ultimate goal, taking his birthright.

We see this vengeful nature in Thor and the Avengers in it’s full glory.  The hatred, anger, rage, and bitterness taint his actions, but he does control them for the most part. In Thor 2, however, he is much more in control of his emotions.  It’s almost as if he’s harnessed and buried it deep inside himself, using it to power his agenda.

When Frigga dies, Loki’s rage and pain is palpable. (I still wonder why they chose to cut the scene of him screaming in the cell. *growls at whoever made that decision*) Thor comes to him for help to get Jane away from Asgard, but I think part of Loki believes this is the only opportunity he will get to enact his vengeance.  It’s never mentioned whether he knows who killed Frigga or not, but I think he knows deep inside who is at fault.  Part of it is his own, as we know.

Loki has no care who he hurts in his quest. He will feed his vengeance until it consumes him, finally turning his heart to stone. Then no one will be able to save him and nothing will slake his vengeful lust.

A-Z Blog Challenge Day 16

/ Jen Bradlee / 11 Comments

Slide21

“Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.” ~ John Kenneth Galbraith

******Spoilers Ahead!!!!! If you haven’t seen Thor 2: The Dark World, might want to stop reading.****

As you should realize by now, these posts are completely opinion based supported with my own observations and interpretations of the films.  That being said…Loki would make a better king than Thor.

Queue the collective gasp of Thor fans around the world.  Well, my apologies, but Thor doesn’t quite have what it takes to rule in my honest opinion.  One of the biggest reasons is: Loki is pragmatic.

When I think of someone who is pragmatic, they are logical and take a more realistic view of the world, the good and the bad.  They are able to remove their emotional investment and make decisions accordingly.  Loki can be emotional, don’t get me wrong.  He has made decisions while affected by his emotions.  BUT…Loki always seems to come out on top. Why?

Because he’s cold and calculating…and he’s learning (especially as the films progress) that any decisions from emotional impulse are often regretted later. He uses logic and reason to make decisions instead of leaning on ideas and theories. By honing this pragmatic approach he’s adopted and sculpted to suit his needs, he could be a wonderful, albeit dangerous, king.

Loki shows this best at the end of Thor 2 when he is disguised as Odin, Thor confesses he doesn’t want the throne. Do you really think Odin would have been so forgiving and understanding of Thor’s decision to reject the crown?  I don’t think so.  Loki knows this, but he also knows if he removes Thor from Asgard by letting him follow his heart, it opens up a world of possibilities for him. It seems as though he’s using emotion to make this decision, but in reality, he’s being pragmatic and taking the logical steps to ensure his brother cannot challenge him. I don’t know about you, but I’m extremely curious to know how Loki plans to pull off his charade as Odin and how long he intends to draw it out before revealing himself to the kingdoms.

What do you think?  Is Loki pragmatic?

**Image at the top was made from a screenshot found on Google images, no copyright infringement intended.**

A-Z Blog Challenge Day 9

/ Jen Bradlee / 2 Comments

Slide7

“Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.” ~ Ernest Hemmingway

“Brainy is the new sexy.” ~ Irene Adler from Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia

Can I get a huge “Duh!” here?  Yes, well I might have just given away my age with that reference to ’90s pop culture, but nevermind that.

In every movie, Loki shows his intelligence. It’s part of how we identify him. He’s not strong and brawny like Thor.  He’s introverted and intelligent.  Mind over muscle.  As I referenced in the quote above, “brainy is the new sexy.”

A few days ago I compared Loki to a chess player, able to see several moves ahead in anticipation of his opponent’s strategy. This is where the intelligence comes in. He’s not ignorant of the risks, or the rewards of his actions. I believe he sometimes misses the unintended consequences.  But not even the smartest man can anticipate every eventuality.

*SPOILERS AHEAD if you haven’t seen THOR: The Dark World*

When Loki is in the dungeon and the “Cursed” Elf faces off with him through the glass, they were measuring each other.  Loki’s mind was working, you could see it. When he directs the Elf to take the left stairs, he’s positioning his pieces on the board.  He was using the events before him strategically.  However, he could not have known the consequences of that action would lead directly to Frigga’s death. While it’s never revealed if he knew the correlation, I’m sure he must have sensed it and pieced the information together.

His intelligence is both a blessing and a curse. He is underestimated by it and overconfident because of it.  Some of the best villains are cast as intelligent, as are some of the most fascinating anti heroes.  Moriarty and Sherlock, respectively, are perfect examples of this.

This level of intelligence makes him a better candidate for King, in my opinion, than Thor. Mix it with his ability to dissociate and distance himself from emotion while making a decision.  Yeah, it makes him a better ruler…but it also makes him more dangerous.

Thoughts?  I can’t wait to hear them.