Was Loki Ever An MCU Villain? Tom Hiddleston Didn’t Think So

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Tom Hiddleston"s comments on Loki"s motivations throughout his MCU arc raises questions about the God of Mischief"s villainous nature. Tom Hiddleston"s Loki is one of the first MCU villains and one of the characters with the most screentime. Across five MCU movie appearances and two seasons of his own Disney+ series, Loki"s MCU journey went through many drastic changes. Loki was Thor and The Avengers" main antagonist, then Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok"s secondary hero, Avengers: Infinity War"s first major casualty, and finally Loki season 1 and season 2"s heroic protagonist.
Both in the comics and in Norse mythology, Loki is a deity with no defined allegiances. Loki can torment Thor and the rest of his fellow gods (the Aesir) one day and help them stop a threat the next. The Norse Loki kicks off the events that lead to Ragnarok, but he"s also the last resort for many deities and mortals when they need an immortal ally. In Marvel Comics, Loki has assembled the all-star villain team "the Cabal", but also joined the Young Avengers and saved the Asgardians by saving their history in the middle of multiversal collapse.
Was Loki Ever A True MCU Villain? Loki's Motivations Make Him Different From Most MCU Villains Close Tom Hiddleston reflected on his twelve-year journey as Loki Laufeyson during a Deadline panel for Loki season 2 (via CBR). Hiddleston voiced his appreciation for the character and confessed, "I never saw him as a villain" because "I always saw him from the very first film as a broken soul with a shattered heart who felt like he didn"t belong." Tom Hiddleston"s idea that Loki was never a villain evidently influenced the MCU character, as Loki displayed clear signs of remorse and grief even in his antagonistic appearances.
MCU Loki Appearance
Role
Thor
Main antagonist
The Avengers
Main antagonist
Thor: The Dark World
Secondary hero
Avengers: Infinity War
Hero
Loki season 1
Main hero
Loki season 2
Main hero
Loki wasn"t always driven by his resentment towards Odin and Thanos either. For example, the Mind Stone embedded in the Scepter likely influenced Loki"s actions in The Avengers, and he genuinely wanted to help Thor defeat Malekith and the Dark Elves in Thor: The Dark World, only usurping Odin"s throne when he found the opportunity. The original Loki variant redeemed himself when he helped Thor fight Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, and he could have been a full-fledged hero if Thanos hadn"t killed him in Avengers: Infinity War"s opening sequence.
Tom Hiddleston's Loki MCU Comments Make It Harder To Call Him A Villain Tom Hiddleston Never Played Loki As An Actual Villain

Custom image by Nicolas Ayala Tom Hiddleston played Loki Laufeyson as a troubled god with poor impulse control and questionable morals, not as a mustache-twirling villain. Unleashing the Destroyer and leading an alien invasion on Earth might seem like mischievous deeds to a god like Loki rather than potentially world-changing terrorist attacks. From Loki"s perspective, he just wanted to belong and be admired given that he would never be Odin"s "true" son and the rightful king of Asgard. Even then, Loki often realized the error of his ways and tried to course-correct by helping Thor.

Related Sorry, But Loki Season 3 Would Destroy Marvel's Most Perfect Ending A Marvel Studios executive recently addressed the chances of Loki season 3 happening, but the return of the popular series is not what Loki needs.
Posts 2 Of course, regret and emotional baggage from childhood aren"t enough to justify Loki"s actions. Loki betrayed Thor and Odin multiple times, consciously decided to accept the Scepter from Thanos and the Other, and ignored the repercussions of toppling his own father"s reign. Characters like Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, Shang-Chi, and Scott Lang also had a troubled past and had multiple chances to let out their frustrations in violent, mischievous, or damaging ways, but they instead chose to transform their pain into motivation to become heroes.
MCU's Majorly Changed Loki Arc Means He Was A Hero And A Villain No Version Of Loki Will Ever Be A Full-Fledged Hero Or A Full-Blown Villain

Custom image by Nicolas Ayala Tom Hiddleston"s original Loki variant inched toward his redemption despite several stepbacks, and his selfless sacrifice in Avengers: Infinity War cemented himself as an honorary Avenger. Yet, the MCU went one step further and fully redeemed Loki in his own series. Loki season 1 and 2"s protagonist technically isn"t the same character as the one Tom Hiddleston played in his five previous MCU appearances, but he proved that every Loki variant can turn their life around if they so desire.
Loki is neither a hero nor a villain, just like he"s neither a Frost Giant nor an Asgardian, and neither a god nor an alien
Tom Hiddleston"s two main Loki variants can"t escape the sins of their past, but those villainous deeds allowed them to recognize their mistakes and perform heroic acts to compensate. Hiddleston"s original Loki helped Thor defeat Malekith and Hela (and at least tried to help Thor defeat Thanos), and the second Loki earned his place as the God of Stories — protector of the whole multiverse — after saving the entire Sacred Timeline. Therefore, Loki is neither a hero nor a villain, just like he"s neither a Frost Giant nor an Asgardian, and neither a god nor an alien. Just like his mythological counterpart, Tom Hiddleston"s Loki is always somewhere in between.
Source: Deadline (via CBR)

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*Availability in US Showrunner Michael Waldron Writers Michael Waldron , Eric Martin Directors Kate Herron Cast Tom Hiddleston , Richard E. Grant , Erika Coleman , Gugu Mbatha-Raw , Sophia Di Martino , Owen Wilson , Wunmi Mosaku , Sasha Lane Release Date June 11, 2021 Seasons 2 Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe Expand Upcoming MCU Movies

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