Tom Hiddleston has discussed the longevity of Loki, saying he never expected the character to stick around - and admitting he still doesn't fully understand the God of Mischief. Over the past ten years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become the biggest movie franchise of all time, making over $12 billion worldwide and earning a consistently positive string of reviews. However, one area the MCU has been a constant magnet for criticism: the consistently forgettable villains.
That said, there is one villain who does not belong in that category: Tom Hiddleston's Loki. First appearing in Thor, he could have been your standard one-note villain, but the charismatic Hiddleston plays him with such swagger he became one of the series breakouts; he later appeared in The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World, becoming one of the MCU's most-loved anti-heroes. Many villains have come and gone, but six years in and we're still talking about Loki - he's next up in this year's Thor: Ragnarok. Nobody in their wildest imagination could have predicted this villain's rise to popularity. As it turns out, even Hiddleston.
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The actor spoke recently with Times of India and expressed surprise at how he's become such an MCU mainstay:
"It is a source of constant surprise to me that I'm still here. I never expected that when I started playing him. I feel a huge responsibility to deliver the character people know, even though it's been four years since I last played him, and also to try to take him in new directions."
It's testament to Kevin Feige and Marvel's writers for finding ways to keep the character fresh. Nothing is off limits for him, not even manipulating his own family members. Yet, it feels like there's something about the character's psyche that we have yet to explore. Hiddleston feels the same way, too, going on to say he's never quite got a full lock on the character:
"I've spent six or seven years of my life trying to get to the bottom of what exactly it is that he wants. When he seems to get close to what he wants-power, acceptance, belonging-he changes direction. I think that is the thing that keeps him interesting in a way. He's cunning and transformative and changeable, and will do everything he can to survive. He's the trickster. He's the God of mischief."
Loki has changed a lot over the past six years, going from fun villain to, it seems in Ragnarok, hero, so it's not shocking Hiddleston's never fully "got" him. Perhaps the most revealing statement from the actor, though, is how, despite that, he always fell right into the role:
"When I put on the costume, the make-up and wig for the first time for this film and looked in the mirror, I thought to myself, 'Wow, there he is.' It was like seeing an old friend. It was good to see him, in a way. I feel like I know him."
Loki is one of the few villains the MCU is yet to kill off and it's only prominent recurring presence (discounting now-hero Bucky). And that's probably not changing anytime soon - unless Thor: Ragnarok has a real surprise up its sleeve.
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Source: Times of India
