Marvel Update to Loki's Bio

[lynnenne]

Hello, friends! Welcome to your Sunday discussion post. This week's topic:

About a month ago, Marvel updated their official character bio for Loki to include this retcon:

Arriving at the Sanctuary through a wormhole caused by the Bifrost, Loki met the Other, ruler of the ancient race of extraterrestrials the Chitauri, and Thanos. Offering the God of Mischief dominion over his brother’s favorite realm Earth, Thanos requested the Tesseract in return. Gifted with a Scepter that acted as a mind control device, Loki would be able to influence others. Unbeknownst to him, the Scepter was also influencing him, fueling his hatred over his brother Thor and the inhabitants of Earth. [my emphasis]

What's your opinion on this "official" statement? How do you interpret it? Was Loki mind-controlled or merely made crankier than usual, the way Bruce was when he was holding the scepter during the big argument scene in The Avengers?

Does this change your view on Loki's character or his behavior? Is Marvel's "official" statement different from your head canon?

And why do you think they felt the need to update his MCU bio now, seven years after The Avengers was released in theatres?

Comments

[wannabedarklord]

I didn't see it as a retcon. I've always thought that was the canon. There were enough subtextual and behavioral cues in his performance to interpret it that way (enough that I thought we were supposed to interpret it that way). That said, I never thought it was full on control, and the bio doesn't say it was either. But with how messed up Loki was before and after his suicide attempt via the Void, it's no wonder he was easy prey.

As for why they felt the need to update it, probably because of the TV show, whatever that will turn out to be like.

My ultimate opinion is some variation of VINDICATION [insert Captain Holt gif here]

[sholio]

Same. I mean, even back when I didn't like Loki, which was pretty much everything pre-Ragnarok, I still thought it wasn't extrapolation on the part of the fandom, it was actual canon, between the way he acts and the fact that he looks like absolute hell throughout the entire movie. Especially when we see the scepter having the same effect on other characters, e.g. the argument scene.

My reaction when that came out and the fandom started talking about it was just a kind of bafflement because I had no idea it was in any way controversial or questionable. I think it's pretty solidly established in canon.

At the same time, as you say, it's not actual mind control, it's just influence -- pushing his worst impulses, power-hunger and anger and that kind of thing.

[wannabedarklord]

Lol, and here I am hating Ragnarok and IW (which was just stupid; how many frickin times is marvel going to kill him, ugh), but loving everything else.

There were so many fights about the canonicity of the scepter's influence. So many. But I think a lot of them were motivated more by 'how dare you like a villain, stop woobifying him' type of disdain to the point they just rejected any reading that the scepter might have been influencing him, or goodness forbid, he was anything other than a perfectly willing minion. You know, despite the death and torture threats and all the other things you mentioned.

[lynnenne]

There were enough subtextual and behavioral cues in his performance to interpret it that way (enough that I thought we were supposed to interpret it that way).

That's interesting, because even though it was obvious (to me, anyway) that the scepter was influencing the Avengers, it never struck me as influencing Loki. What I took from the movie - his limp when he first arrives in the SHIELD base, the dark circles under his eyes, the threats from The Other - was that Thanos had probably beaten him up enough for Loki to realize that he couldn't defeat him. Instead, he cut a deal to give Thanos something he wanted (i.e. the Tesseract). I always thought he was acting under duress, because Thanos wouldn't be Thanos if he wasn't threatening somebody, but the influence of the scepter never occurred to me.

Having said that, I suppose it does make sense that if the scepter could influence everyone else, it would influence Loki even more so. He spent more time with it than anybody.

[dendriteblues]

Well, knowing what we know about Loki and his usual responses to danger....I wouldn't automatically say that him cutting a deal is a sign he isn't under duress.

Often when Loki is in the most vulnerable position that's when he tries the hardest to appear in control. (Like say when he's stranded on Sakaar, but he's chatting up nobles with a winning smile and trying to pull one over on the ruler of that planet. Make no mistake, he's in deep shit. This is a savage planet which openly supports slavery and capital punishment without a trial. He has no ship, no contacts, no money, and no weapons beyond his magic. That's duress. But he doesn't show it, not even to Thor.)

Personally I've always thought it was a little bit of both. He's obviously afraid of Thanos, either just by the distant threat of him or from torture and direct harm. They've intentionally kept this vague, so there's no way to know. But we do know that before A1 he's in a position of vulnerability with very few options, and by pure dumb luck he happens to have some experience with the planet Thanos wants to invade. From Loki's perspective it's the only viable way to get in a more secure position after his fall.

So he makes a deal and he gets played. The Other is clearly watching his every move in Avengers I, and we now know it's canon that the scepter makes him act more extremely than he usually would. (Although I agree that he's very much liable for his decisions here, I'm not trying to exonerate him of all guilt.) Even if he wanted to double cross Thanos, he's in a predicament where he can't possibly do it. Even when Thor offers him a chance to switch sides, Loki knows Thanos is more powerful. Siding with Thor would guarantee his imminent death once Thanos destroys Earth.

I feel like you can very easily interpret A1 as Loki under two forms of duress. Physical danger from Thanos and his forces and mental strain from the scepter's influence.

[calime]

This.