Loki, the Marvel Cinematic Universe's resident Norse God of mischief and lies, has won the hearts of audiences everywhere over the years. While most fans agree he's a constant highlight of the Marvel movies, dissenting voices are not so difficult to find. Whether to elaborate on their own opinions or to simply be contrary to popular belief, users of Reddit do not shy away from their less-than-stellar views on Loki.
From comparing Loki to other villains of his caliber to petty nitpicking, Redditors' views have time and time again proven themselves to be incredibly divisive. With Loki getting his own show on Disney +, it's more than likely that similar talking points will rear their heads again in the near future.
10 He's Less Interesting Than Ultron
While Avengers: Age of Ultron leaves much to be desired in comparison to its prequel, the character of Ultron himself is universally considered a decent threat against the Avengers. One fan in particular, however, claims Ultron to be the superior, more nuanced villain. While the post itself lays out a decent argument, it makes the mistake of misrepresenting Loki's motives and characterization to instead prop Ultron up.
While Loki is certainly a different breed of antagonist from Ultron, he has his own depths and is far more than the one-note villain the poster makes him out to be. Had the post taken a more charitable stance on Loki, it may not have been as divisive as it turned out to be.
9 He Let Thanos Win
While most of the fandom agrees that Star-Lord is partially to blame for Thanos' success in Avengers: Infinity War, not all fans feel the same way. This Reddit post postulates that if Loki left the Tesseract on Asgard when it was destroyed, then Thanos would have never obtained the Space Stone and therefore would be unable to perform the Snap.
Thanos, however, has several moments in Infinity War where he uses the Time Stone to prevent the Avengers from thwarting his attempts to collect the other stones. As one deleted user points out in the comments, Loki taking the Tesseract or not would have had little to no bearing on the outcome.
8 He's More Heroic Than The Avengers
While Loki has certainly had his own heroic moments, one fan argues that his sacrifice from Avengers: Infinity War was far more heroic than anything the Avengers have ever accomplished. The Reddit post they wrote states that the devil is in the details. While characters like Iron Man and Black Widow are inherently heroic and would never hesitate to put the needs of others before themselves, it's Loki's status as a villain that made his sacrifice all the more notable.
It's true that Loki's death perfectly capped off his story arc after decades of movies and stands out as notably heroic, but that does not make it inherently more so than anything the Avengers have done. Iron Man, Black Widow, and Loki's sacrifices are heroic for different reasons, and comparing the situations feels like comparing apples to oranges.
7 He Should Have Stayed Dead
Plenty of fans were heartbroken by Loki's tragic death in Avengers: Infinity War; naturally, when Loki was announced, those very fans celebrated their favorite trickster seemingly being alive and well. One fan, however, did not feel the same way. On a Reddit post, they expressed that Loki has 'died' so many times, only to keep coming back. In their eyes, Marvel doing this again even after Infinity War made Loki's death feel cheap.
The first episode of Loki establishes that the Loki featured is not the same one who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect his brother. The Disney+ Loki is virtually a different character, and only time will tell how else he diverges from his original counterpart.
6 He's Overhyped
Despite only two episodes of Loki's self-titled show having released as of writing, some fans have already made their judgment calls on the show. In this Reddit post, a skeptical viewer rants that Marvel fans have already decided Loki to because they like the anti-villain; they go on to say that good "nothing [is] happening... but people sitting in empty drab rooms giving exposition."
At the same time, Loki has only just gotten started. Fans are better off waiting a little longer before writing off the show for overselling Loki. Even the best tricks require a little set-up first.
5 He's Not A Trickster
Is Loki not mischievous enough to be the God of Mischief? According to one Redditor, that's exactly the conundrum at hand - and Tom Hiddleston's acting is supposedly to blame. The comments make plenty of contradictory observations, from calling Loki a mustache-twirling villain to accusing him of being completely bereft of mischief.
When he's not enacting evil schemes, Loki is plenty mirthful and mischievous. His interactions with his brother Thor prove this without a doubt; he teases him with clever wordplay, shapeshifts into his fellow Avengers to mock them, and even scares Thor by turning into a snake.
4 He's Not Intimidating
One Redditor has seemed to miss the point entirely by claiming that Loki as a villain isn't enough of a threat. In the comments, they elaborate that Loki feels too silly and ineffectual to realistically intimidate anyone trying to stop him. Loki, however, was never meant to be physically imposing like his brother; he works in the shadows and turns people against each other rather than display brute strength.
Even then, Loki has had plenty of intimidating moments. His antics in Stuttgart show him crashing a gala and frightening the guests, but plenty of other scenes in The Avengers play to Loki's terrifying side.
3 He's Not Likable
In a post expressing confusion over the appeal of Chaotic Neutral characters, Loki is named as one of the examples in question. The original poster deems Loki as totally selfish and declares that he would be a horrible friend before showing contempt towards fans who seemingly infantilize him and excuse his actions. While the poster claims they don't hate Loki, they do seem perplexed that people find him likable.
While it's understandable that not all people may like Loki, a character doesn't have to necessarily be likable in order to be liked. Even then, Loki consistently toes the line of morality; just when he's seemingly become irredeemable, his sympathetic motivations bring him back down to Earth.
2 His Fanbase Ruined Him
One noticeably bitter user had plenty to say with regards to Loki's infamously overexuberant fanbase. They show nothing but contempt at how Loki's fans treat the character, claiming that his once charming antics have now become irritating. Worth noting is their insistence that Loki is purely selfish and incapable of being truly heroic.
It's unfortunate that Loki's fanbase has scared this person away from the character; that doesn't mean, however, that they are completely wrong about Loki's characterization. Loki promises a full examination of what makes Loki work and so far has offered a deeper look into his Avengers-era persona than what this Redditor claims exists.
1 His Influence Has Ruined Other Villains
Nowadays, it feels as if every villain ever created is getting a redemption arc. Is there a single villain who paved the way for these others, or is it just an unlikely series of coincidences? One Reddit thread pins the blame squarely on Loki, arguing that every villain with a sympathetic backstory is trying to piggyback off of Loki's success, naming other villains such as Kylo Ren and the Joker as examples.
Loki is far from the first villain to be sympathetic; while his popularity may explain a recent increase in similar villains, he is not the end-all-be-all for the trope. Even before Loki became popular, other villains such as Mr. Freeze and Darth Vader, proved that villains could do horrible things while still having a chance to be redeemed.
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June 19, 2021 at 12:00AM
