Application data
Character: Loki
Age: Not stated. Presumably the war between the Aesir and Jotnar occurred around 700 AD (prior to Viking raids starting on England), which would put Loki at around 1300 years old. Listed age would be 30.
Sex/Gender: Male
Canon Role: Antagonist (of the subtle, plotty variety)
"Real" Name: Lawrence Laufson
NOTE: I will be using the Movie continuity primarily, with additional personality/powers reference from the Rodi/Ribic Loki comic that was published in 2005. I've also added two of the more fannishly famous events from the comics and mythology to flesh out a little of Loki's back story.
Background:
Loki started his life in a rather precarious position. He is actually a Jotun, but was born as a runt and abandoned in a temple, presumably left to die. More significantly, he was the unwanted son of Laufey, king of the Jotnar. All that saved Loki from an early demise was the war between the Aesir and the Jotnar. Odin's forces drove the Jotnar back to Jotunheim, making their defeat total by taking their most powerful artifact, the Casket of Ancient Winters. Odin also found the abandoned infant and took him back to Asgard as well. Due to what appears to be the influence of Aesir magic (or if one wants to be extremely schmoopy, the warmth of Odin's love) Loki's Jotun appearance changed so that he looked the same as the Aesir, and he never had any clue as to his true heritage, which was kept secret from him by his adopted parents, Odin and Frigga.
We get to see Loki once as a young child, standing next to his adopted brother Thor in Odin's vault as their father told them of the war with the Jotnar. Thor was of course eager to pick a fight with Jotunheim again, while Loki was more cautious and thoughtful. Odin told the boys that while only one of them could be king (Thor), they were both born to be kings. At that young age, Loki didn't seem terribly disappointed by the prospect of not being king.
[Supposition alert!]
The movie says little else of Loki's childhood and young adult years. The most we get is an implication that Loki's been off having adventures with Thor and his friends, and that he's probably been to Midgard a time or two and impressed the humans with a little flash and bang. Looking at the 2005 Loki comic, it's implied strongly that he was a misfit growing up. I am of the opinion that his family does love him deeply, for all that they don't understand him. But all the love in the world doesn't make growing up easy when you simply don't fit into society. Loki grew up to be a magician and a scholar in the midst of a society that prizes physical prowess and one's abilities as a warrior.
[/Supposition alert!]
[Backstory from the comics and mythology]
During their time as adolescents, Loki noticed that the Lady Sif and Thor were growing very close and possibly falling in love. Intent on causing mischief, he cut off all of Sif's beautiful golden hair. This resulted in a fight with his brother and a very upset Sif; to make amends Loki went to the dwarves Brokk and Eitri and asked them to make new golden hair for her. However, he tried to trick them rather than pay them, so instead they made the new hair from strands of night. Thus, when he gave the new hair to Sif it grew black instead of gold. Thor thought she was even more beautiful with black hair, but that was about as far as it went - Sif soon decided to train as a warrior and any possible relationship beyond comerade-at-arms with Thor at that time ended.
[Supposition alert] In the movie, Loki and Sif give each other quite a few rather charged looks. Of course, making anything of those is pure interpretation and supposition. However, I find the idea that Loki had a bit of a thing for Sif quite charming. It would make his cutting of her hair an act of both petty jealousy and a desperate attempt to split up her and Thor so he could perhaps fool himself into thinking he had a chance. And his restoration of her hair perhaps less a matter of threats from his brother (in the movie, their relationship seems far too jolly for that sort of early violence, particularly considering how Thor reacts when Loki gets confrontational with him) and perhaps more a matter of real guilt on his part. [/Supposition alert]
In mythology, Sif's hair was actually made by the sons of Ivald, and then Brokk and Eitri made several different items to prove their superiority as smiths in a bet with Loki. Since the sons of Ivald don't come into the previous bit of backstory, I will say that Loki made a bet with Brokk and Eitri that they couldn't outdo themselves on the job they did on Sif's hair and make three items of superior quality. He wanted the dwarves to make things that he could give to Odin and Frigga as gifts to appease them over some mischief he had done. He wagered his head against their abilities, then attempted to interfere with their crafting to ensure he'd win the bet. They were able to craft amazing items all the same (Gullin-börsti, a golden boar for Frigga, and Draupnir, Odin's golden armlet) but Loki refused to give up his head as he'd promised. He pointed out that they could have his head but not his neck. Infuriated, the dwarves sewed his mouth shut so that Loki wouldn't be able to talk so glibly any more.
[/Backstory]
The next time we see Loki and Thor, both are men grown and it's time for Thor to be crowned as king. In a quiet moment before the ceremony, Loki told Thor that he may seem jealous on occasion, but he does love Thor and is happy for him. Simultaneously, Loki had secretly guided two Jotun through a hidden path into Asgard and kept them shrouded from the sight of Heimdall, the guardian of the Bifrost bridge. During the ceremony, before Thor could be crowned as king by Odin, the Jotun broke into the vault and attempted to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters. While they were unsuccessful (the Destroyer stopped them easily) this was enough to throw a wrench into the coronation and it was called off.
Thor was furious about this turn of events and proceeded to throw a giant blond temper tantrum. Loki calmed his brother down, but then proceeded to subtly convince him to go to Jotunheim and look for answers as to this invasion. Thor immediately jumped on the idea and dragged Loki along with Sif and the Warriors Three. On the way to the Bifrost - effectively a wormhole generator that can transport the Aesir to whatever realm they wish to go to - Loki stopped to speak to a guard and warn them what Thor was intending to do. His intention was to have the guards show up to drag them all back to Asgard before things could get out of hand.
Loki attempted to sweet talk Heimdall to let them use the Bifrost, which didn't work. Thor baldly stating their purpose did, however, since Heimdall wanted to know how the Jotun snuck past his all-seeing eyes and got into Asgard. With Heimdall's help, the six friends used the Bifrost to get to Jotunheim.
In Jotunheim, Thor demanded answers from the Jotun King Laufey, who refused to give him any information. Laufey was also not interested in starting a war, however, and told Thor to leave. Unfortunately, one of the Jotun decided to taunt Thor, who started a massive fight. Loki participated in that fight, showing a proficiency with using illusions in battle - and with throwing knives. During the massive battle, one of the Jotun grabbed Volstagg (a member of the Warriors Three) and the frost giant's cold grip burnt the man's skin badly. Shortly after, a Jotun managed to grab Loki. Its freezing grip shattered his armor, but rather than burning his skin it merely turned his hand blue. Loki stabbed the Jotun quickly, but was obviously disturbed by the strange transformation of his skin, which returned to its normal color once the Jotun had died and let go.
Laufey unleashed a massive monster, which everyone but Thor was smart enough to run away from. Thor followed and ultimately killed the beast, but then the six friends were surrounded by frost giants. At that point, Odin transported down to Jotunheim via the Bifrost and retrieved the Aesir, attempting a little diplomacy with Laufey. However Laufey indicated that a new war between Jotunheim and Asgard was now coming because of Thor's actions.
In the Bifrost chamber, Thor and Odin argued, with Thor ultimately calling his father an old man and a fool. Loki, as witness to the argument, attempted to intervene. After a nasty shout from their father, he stepped back and kept his mouth shut as Thor had his powers removed and was banished to Midgard. ([supposition] It's an open question as to whether or not Loki actually intended for Thor to be banished. I think that he didn't actually intend for it to happen, but he probably didn't quite realize just how far Thor would push Odin. [/supposition])
While Thor was dealing with the fun of suddenly being mortal in Midgard and getting hit by a car, Loki was left to deal with the aftermath of his "prank," which was more than he'd really bargained for. Sif and the Warriors Three attempted to get him to talk to Odin, since Loki's silver tongue would hopefully be able to convince his father that Thor should be brought back to Asgard. Loki was a little too distracted by what had happened in Jotunheim. Rather than go to Odin, he went down into the vault, where he grasped the Casket of Ancient Winters and found himself transformed into a Jotun - if a very short one, with nice hair.
Odin walked into the vault then, and Loki demanded the truth from him, though he'd already partially figured it out himself. Odin reluctantly revealed that Loki was indeed a Jotun, an apparently unwanted baby that he had taken home with him at the end of the war. This truth hit Loki extremely hard. He'd grown up believing that the Jotnar were monsters, so finding out that he was one of them was painful to say the least. And it also solidified the feeling he'd always had, that Thor had been favored by everyone because now he could see a reason for it. He wanted to know why Odin had taken him, demanding the reason in a pained voice. While Odin claimed that it was because he hoped Loki could help forge a lasting peace with Jotunheim, Loki viewed himself instead as just another stolen relic, who was now useless to his adopted father because peace was now out of the question - because of Thor. Loki demanded to know why Odin didn't tell him the truth. Odin claimed that he wanted to protect Loki from the truth, but it was plain Loki didn't believe him. The ensuing argument with his father caused Odin to collapse into unconsciousness. Suddenly horrified, Loki shouted for the guards to come help after grasping vainly at his father's limp hand.
With Odin unconscious in the Odinsleep (yes, really) and Thor banished, this left Loki as the de factor king of Asgard. [supposition] Later, Loki claimed that he never wanted to be king - he wanted only to be Thor's equal. This is a statement I actually believe to be true, and the fact that he was made king showed how badly the situation had spun out of control for him, and left him feeling that he could only forge ahead and attempt to make it work while simultaneously wallowing in utter rage at what Odin and Thor had done to him. [/supposition] Sif and the Warriors Three tried to approach Loki to ask for Thor's return. They were obviously surprised to see Loki sitting on the throne and wielding Gungnir (Odin's spear); apparently Odin's condition had been kept fairly secret. It was quickly obvious that Sif and the warriors didn't trust him. Loki claimed that he couldn't undo his father's last act as king, and quickly drove them from the throne room with his cold and frankly creepy attitude.
Loki went to his father's room where Odin was locked in a deep sleep. He spoke to Frigga, asking her why Odin had lied to him - she reiterated that Loki was their son, and that they never wanted him to feel different. Frigga then said that there was hope for Thor, because nothing Odin does is ever without purpose.
Motivated by the need to interfere with whatever redemption might exist for Thor, Loki took a clandestine journey down to Midgard. Thor was being held captive by SHIELD at the time. After sneaking into the interrogation room, Loki lied to Thor and told him that Odin had died, and that Thor couldn't ever come back to Asgard. On his way out of the SHIELD facility, Loki tried to lift Mjolnir, but was unable to do so.
Loki also took a stop in Jotunheim, where he offered Laufey a chance to invade Asgard and kill Odin. He also confessed rather smugly that he was the one who had guided the two Jotun into Asgard in the first place, as a trick to ruin Thor's coronation and "save Asgard from his idiotic rule" for a while longer. Loki offered to return the Casket of Ancient Winters as payment for Laufey slaying Odin, and Laufey accepted.
He took the Bifrost back to Asgard, where Heimdall observed that he couldn't see anything that Loki did while he was in Jotunheim. Heimdall also implied that he found that suspicious in light of the fact the two Jotun that snuck into Asgard had been hidden similarly. Loki attempted to regain some control of the situation by reminding Heimdall of the loyalty he owed to the throne of Asgard, and then ordered the man to let no one else use the Bifrost.
Sif and the warriors went soon to Heimdall, who shared their distrust of Loki and sent them to Midgard despite Loki's orders. Loki learned quickly of this betrayal and sent the Destroyer to Midgard with the intention of preventing Sif and the Warriors Three from bringing him back. Controlling the Destroyer from Odin's throne, he destroyed a good portion of the small New Mexico town they were in. Thor stepped forward then to sacrifice himself in exchange for Loki stopping the destruction. For a moment Loki seemed prepared to have the Destroyer walk away; instead, the Destroyer struck Thor once, hard enough to kill a mortal. Of course, this noble act of self-sacrifice showed a certain development within Thor, and he regained his powers and blew up the Destroyer.
Sensing his plot spiraling dangerously out of control, Loki hurried to the Bifrost and used the Casket of Ancient Winters to freeze Heimdall. He then let Laufey and a few Jotun into Asgard, and took them to the palace himself. There, he let them invade Odin's bedroom (where Frigga managed to kill one before being knocked down by Laufey). However, before Laufey could murder Odin, Loki revealed his true aim and killed Laufey using Gungnir while proclaiming himself Odin's son. Frigga ran into his arms... at which point Thor showed up, powers restored, and demanded an explanation.
Loki used Gungnir to blow Thor out of the building - after first having the balls to say, "It's good to have you back." - then ran to the Bifrost to finish his plans before Thor could interrupt him. At the Bifrost, Loki turned the bridge on and aimed it at Jotunheim, freezing the controls so that it would remain on, which would eventually destroy that entire realm. Thor showed up to try to stop him, saying that he didn't want to fight. Loki, however, plainly wanted - needed even - to fight, and goaded his brother until they came to blows. The conversation between the two before the fight showed a complete emotional breakdown on Loki's part. He claimed that his plans were to prove that he is a worthy son to Odin and a worthy heir to the throne, while in the next breath saying, "I never wanted the throne - I only wanted to be your equal!" He also informed Thor that they were never actually brothers. [supposition] As emotionally overwrought as Loki was in that scene, I think most of what he said there was the truth as he understood it. [/supposition]
For someone not primarily a warrior, Loki fought well with Gungnir, using his magic to disorient Thor with illusions as well. Eventually Thor won the fight by knocking Loki over and setting Mjolnir on top of him so he couldn't move. Then Thor decided the only way to save Jotunheim was to destroy the Bifrost by breaking it in half with Mjolnir. The destruction of the bridge caused a massive explosion. At the end of the shockwave, Thor hung from the bridge with Odin (suddenly awakened by the emergency) holding his legs. Thor had hold of Gungnir, and Loki held on to the other end of it, suspended over empty space by only the grip of his hand.
Desperately, Loki tried to tell Odin that everything he did was for Odin, for all the Aesir, that he could have destroyed Jotunheim. Odin only shook his head sadly and said two words: "No, Loki."
Despairing and with his life shattered around him, Loki let go of Gungnir and fell away into space, where he was quickly sucked into the rip in space/time that had been caused by the Bifrost.
Personality:
One major part of Loki's personality are his feelings of alienation; he is is very much a misfit in Asgard. He's a magician among a society that prizes physical prowess; basically, he is a bookworm that has grown up surrounded by jocks his entire life. While it's plain that many of the Aesir really do love him - Thor certainly does, and I feel like in the movie Frigga and Odin genuinely love him as well - they do so without really understanding who he is as a person. He's treated with suspicion and no small amount of disdain by many of his peers. While it's unclear if this started before or after his propensity for tricks began, it's obviously become a horrible feedback cycle. Loki feels mistreated, so he pulls some sort of cruel trick, which causes everyone to distrust him even more. Loki wants to be understood, and he wants to be accepted and appreciated for who he truly is. Without that acceptance, he lashes out by manipulating people and playing "pranks," often reacting with jealousy because he sees Thor and his friends getting praise, recognition, and understanding that Loki can simply never have. Likely tricking and manipulating people allows him to feel superior to them (though that isn't the only reason he does it) and thus makes their negative reactions to him feel less hurtful.
The other reason he plays awful "pranks" is that he's extremely intelligent; it simply gives him something to do. If he's not playing some sort of mental twelve dimensional chess game, he starts getting bored, which translates out to misbehavior of some extremely unpleasant sort.
Trying to decide which bits of what Loki says are actually true is extremely difficult, and can very much change the characterization depending on how you read them. I do think that it's genuine at the end of the movie when Loki tells Thor that "I only wanted to be your equal." It's already been established that he's the perennial misfit, and he just wants to be accepted as Thor's equal rather than Thor's shadow. There's also a deleted scene from the beginning of the movie where Loki tells Thor that while he might have his moments of envy, he does love his brother. I think that this sentiment is genuine as well - Loki really does love his brother, otherwise he probably wouldn't feel nearly as much rage as he does toward Thor. I think that instance also interestingly reads as a sort of oblique apology before the fact, since Loki knows what is coming.
Tied up in the love that Loki does have for his family is also an extreme amount of rage that's probably been building up as long as he's been cognizant of the fact that he's different - and seen as lesser - from his brother. This rage came to a head when he found out by accident that he was adopted. I think this particular revelation melted his brain a bit, so to speak, because suddenly he found that he was one of the very monsters that all Aesir learn to hate from an early age. And just as suddenly, his supreme level of social alienation makes sense. The sudden influx of self-loathing he felt was something he turned outward, attacking his own family and then attempting to destroy the Jotnar to prove that he really was as good as any of the Aesir and hated the Jotnar just as much as any of the Aesir could. This spate of overt violence was something unusual for Loki, I think, since he's normally a very subtle player. It indicates just how out of control and emotionally overwrought he was during that time. I also think that the following quasi-suicide attempt was an aberration, an attempt to escape a situation that he could find no good resolution to.
Ultimately, this leaves Loki lost and searching for a firm identity for himself. He's not comfortable in his own skin and needs to learn to live with himself now considering his Jotun heritage and all of the rather terrible things he did before he basically threw himself off the Bifrost. He desperately wants to be accepted for who he is, while simultaneously being unable to accept himself. Being secretive is part of his DNA; he's unwilling or unable to reach out to others no matter how troubled he becomes, which means that when he does make a mistake the situation can spiral easily out of his grasp - as is seen in the movie. Though it is worth noting that things only go really out of control when he's blindsided by information that was purposefully kept secret from him. He's more comfortable interacting with others on the level of a puppet master because he knows he must be superior to them, while what he really just needs is a hug.
He's not evil. He's just complicated.
Physical description:
Loki is about 6'2", 165 lbs. He's got short black hair, green eyes, fairly pale skin and somewhat foxy facial features. He's definitely more suited to being a magician than a fighter - long-fingered hands, musculature that's lean and wiry. He has a constant lean and hungry look about him, which serves to sharpen and define him as handsome.
Powers:
Loki really has two categories of abilities - magical, and those that come from his Jotun heritage.
Magic - Loki's rather fertile imagination seems to be the limit as far as what he can do with his magic. Fly, teleport, transmute things, shapeshifting, casting illusions, making himself invisible to even Heimdall. In the movie canon, the confirmed powers he has are illusions and super powers of sneaky invisibility.
Jotnar powers - He's obviously immune to extremes of cold - in the movie, a Jotun grabbing him just made him go blue and didn't burn him like it did to Volstagg. He can also use the Cask of Ancient Winters to spray things with ice. In the movie, the Jotnar can manipulate ice, forming it into weapons. I would surmise that Loki should probably be able to do this as well, and his heritage likely gives him enough strength and stamina that he can almost keep up with the Aesir.
Nerfed powers:
I think Loki probably shouldn't have access to any of his magic. He'd still *have* his magic (so he won't go crazy from its absence) but he just won't be able to use it. I think that level of nerfing is really necessary because what he can do with his magic is just a little too ridiculous. I would like for him to retain access to Jotnar abilities... primarily just the better than human strength, speed, and stamina, and the ability to manipulate ice. Mostly because while that ability can be useful, considering how much he hates the Jotnar he won't want to use it outside of an extremely dire situation. The ice ability will be limited in that he can only create enough ice to make a dagger-sized wedge, and he can only maintain it for a few minutes at a time.
Other notable abilities:
Loki is something of a red-headed step-child among the Aesir when it comes to fighting, but that still means he's extremely competent compared to normal humans. His main proficiency is with daggers (fighting with them and throwing them), though he also showed he could do a reasonable job with a spear when he fought Thor using Gungnir at the end of the movie.
Loki is also an utterly consummate liar and manipulator. Without the use of telepathy (or managing to catch him in a lie fair and square), it should really be impossible for people to tell that he's not being honest with them, because he really does lie like he breathes.
Loki's Direction
I think Loki - once he's gotten over the initial shock of being alive and not having access to his magic - will consider Landel's as an opportunity for a fresh start. No one knows him or his reputation, particularly if he tells no one his real name. He can start fresh with his plotting and set up a more favorable situation for himself. He's going to want to find out how his magic has been restrained, of course, and will want a way to reverse that.
I think ultimately he'll set up his goals as:
(1) figure out what's going on
(2) ingratiate myself with the people in charge
(3) stab them repeatedly in the back
(4) take over and get my magic back
(5) then move on to a more interesting problem, like taking over this pathetic excuse for a realm.
He's going to be quite friendly to the other patients without intending to ever make friends - it will be interesting to see if someone actually does manage to befriend him and interact with him on a genuine level - and always looking for a means to keep himself entertained and turn any situation to his advantage while keeping his overarching goals in mind. Because, that is of course the other wrinkle - Loki is still going to be trying to play tricks and set people against each other because otherwise he'll get bored.
Age: Not stated. Presumably the war between the Aesir and Jotnar occurred around 700 AD (prior to Viking raids starting on England), which would put Loki at around 1300 years old. Listed age would be 30.
Sex/Gender: Male
Canon Role: Antagonist (of the subtle, plotty variety)
"Real" Name: Lawrence Laufson
NOTE: I will be using the Movie continuity primarily, with additional personality/powers reference from the Rodi/Ribic Loki comic that was published in 2005. I've also added two of the more fannishly famous events from the comics and mythology to flesh out a little of Loki's back story.
Background:
Loki started his life in a rather precarious position. He is actually a Jotun, but was born as a runt and abandoned in a temple, presumably left to die. More significantly, he was the unwanted son of Laufey, king of the Jotnar. All that saved Loki from an early demise was the war between the Aesir and the Jotnar. Odin's forces drove the Jotnar back to Jotunheim, making their defeat total by taking their most powerful artifact, the Casket of Ancient Winters. Odin also found the abandoned infant and took him back to Asgard as well. Due to what appears to be the influence of Aesir magic (or if one wants to be extremely schmoopy, the warmth of Odin's love) Loki's Jotun appearance changed so that he looked the same as the Aesir, and he never had any clue as to his true heritage, which was kept secret from him by his adopted parents, Odin and Frigga.
We get to see Loki once as a young child, standing next to his adopted brother Thor in Odin's vault as their father told them of the war with the Jotnar. Thor was of course eager to pick a fight with Jotunheim again, while Loki was more cautious and thoughtful. Odin told the boys that while only one of them could be king (Thor), they were both born to be kings. At that young age, Loki didn't seem terribly disappointed by the prospect of not being king.
[Supposition alert!]
The movie says little else of Loki's childhood and young adult years. The most we get is an implication that Loki's been off having adventures with Thor and his friends, and that he's probably been to Midgard a time or two and impressed the humans with a little flash and bang. Looking at the 2005 Loki comic, it's implied strongly that he was a misfit growing up. I am of the opinion that his family does love him deeply, for all that they don't understand him. But all the love in the world doesn't make growing up easy when you simply don't fit into society. Loki grew up to be a magician and a scholar in the midst of a society that prizes physical prowess and one's abilities as a warrior.
[/Supposition alert!]
[Backstory from the comics and mythology]
During their time as adolescents, Loki noticed that the Lady Sif and Thor were growing very close and possibly falling in love. Intent on causing mischief, he cut off all of Sif's beautiful golden hair. This resulted in a fight with his brother and a very upset Sif; to make amends Loki went to the dwarves Brokk and Eitri and asked them to make new golden hair for her. However, he tried to trick them rather than pay them, so instead they made the new hair from strands of night. Thus, when he gave the new hair to Sif it grew black instead of gold. Thor thought she was even more beautiful with black hair, but that was about as far as it went - Sif soon decided to train as a warrior and any possible relationship beyond comerade-at-arms with Thor at that time ended.
[Supposition alert] In the movie, Loki and Sif give each other quite a few rather charged looks. Of course, making anything of those is pure interpretation and supposition. However, I find the idea that Loki had a bit of a thing for Sif quite charming. It would make his cutting of her hair an act of both petty jealousy and a desperate attempt to split up her and Thor so he could perhaps fool himself into thinking he had a chance. And his restoration of her hair perhaps less a matter of threats from his brother (in the movie, their relationship seems far too jolly for that sort of early violence, particularly considering how Thor reacts when Loki gets confrontational with him) and perhaps more a matter of real guilt on his part. [/Supposition alert]
In mythology, Sif's hair was actually made by the sons of Ivald, and then Brokk and Eitri made several different items to prove their superiority as smiths in a bet with Loki. Since the sons of Ivald don't come into the previous bit of backstory, I will say that Loki made a bet with Brokk and Eitri that they couldn't outdo themselves on the job they did on Sif's hair and make three items of superior quality. He wanted the dwarves to make things that he could give to Odin and Frigga as gifts to appease them over some mischief he had done. He wagered his head against their abilities, then attempted to interfere with their crafting to ensure he'd win the bet. They were able to craft amazing items all the same (Gullin-börsti, a golden boar for Frigga, and Draupnir, Odin's golden armlet) but Loki refused to give up his head as he'd promised. He pointed out that they could have his head but not his neck. Infuriated, the dwarves sewed his mouth shut so that Loki wouldn't be able to talk so glibly any more.
[/Backstory]
The next time we see Loki and Thor, both are men grown and it's time for Thor to be crowned as king. In a quiet moment before the ceremony, Loki told Thor that he may seem jealous on occasion, but he does love Thor and is happy for him. Simultaneously, Loki had secretly guided two Jotun through a hidden path into Asgard and kept them shrouded from the sight of Heimdall, the guardian of the Bifrost bridge. During the ceremony, before Thor could be crowned as king by Odin, the Jotun broke into the vault and attempted to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters. While they were unsuccessful (the Destroyer stopped them easily) this was enough to throw a wrench into the coronation and it was called off.
Thor was furious about this turn of events and proceeded to throw a giant blond temper tantrum. Loki calmed his brother down, but then proceeded to subtly convince him to go to Jotunheim and look for answers as to this invasion. Thor immediately jumped on the idea and dragged Loki along with Sif and the Warriors Three. On the way to the Bifrost - effectively a wormhole generator that can transport the Aesir to whatever realm they wish to go to - Loki stopped to speak to a guard and warn them what Thor was intending to do. His intention was to have the guards show up to drag them all back to Asgard before things could get out of hand.
Loki attempted to sweet talk Heimdall to let them use the Bifrost, which didn't work. Thor baldly stating their purpose did, however, since Heimdall wanted to know how the Jotun snuck past his all-seeing eyes and got into Asgard. With Heimdall's help, the six friends used the Bifrost to get to Jotunheim.
In Jotunheim, Thor demanded answers from the Jotun King Laufey, who refused to give him any information. Laufey was also not interested in starting a war, however, and told Thor to leave. Unfortunately, one of the Jotun decided to taunt Thor, who started a massive fight. Loki participated in that fight, showing a proficiency with using illusions in battle - and with throwing knives. During the massive battle, one of the Jotun grabbed Volstagg (a member of the Warriors Three) and the frost giant's cold grip burnt the man's skin badly. Shortly after, a Jotun managed to grab Loki. Its freezing grip shattered his armor, but rather than burning his skin it merely turned his hand blue. Loki stabbed the Jotun quickly, but was obviously disturbed by the strange transformation of his skin, which returned to its normal color once the Jotun had died and let go.
Laufey unleashed a massive monster, which everyone but Thor was smart enough to run away from. Thor followed and ultimately killed the beast, but then the six friends were surrounded by frost giants. At that point, Odin transported down to Jotunheim via the Bifrost and retrieved the Aesir, attempting a little diplomacy with Laufey. However Laufey indicated that a new war between Jotunheim and Asgard was now coming because of Thor's actions.
In the Bifrost chamber, Thor and Odin argued, with Thor ultimately calling his father an old man and a fool. Loki, as witness to the argument, attempted to intervene. After a nasty shout from their father, he stepped back and kept his mouth shut as Thor had his powers removed and was banished to Midgard. ([supposition] It's an open question as to whether or not Loki actually intended for Thor to be banished. I think that he didn't actually intend for it to happen, but he probably didn't quite realize just how far Thor would push Odin. [/supposition])
While Thor was dealing with the fun of suddenly being mortal in Midgard and getting hit by a car, Loki was left to deal with the aftermath of his "prank," which was more than he'd really bargained for. Sif and the Warriors Three attempted to get him to talk to Odin, since Loki's silver tongue would hopefully be able to convince his father that Thor should be brought back to Asgard. Loki was a little too distracted by what had happened in Jotunheim. Rather than go to Odin, he went down into the vault, where he grasped the Casket of Ancient Winters and found himself transformed into a Jotun - if a very short one, with nice hair.
Odin walked into the vault then, and Loki demanded the truth from him, though he'd already partially figured it out himself. Odin reluctantly revealed that Loki was indeed a Jotun, an apparently unwanted baby that he had taken home with him at the end of the war. This truth hit Loki extremely hard. He'd grown up believing that the Jotnar were monsters, so finding out that he was one of them was painful to say the least. And it also solidified the feeling he'd always had, that Thor had been favored by everyone because now he could see a reason for it. He wanted to know why Odin had taken him, demanding the reason in a pained voice. While Odin claimed that it was because he hoped Loki could help forge a lasting peace with Jotunheim, Loki viewed himself instead as just another stolen relic, who was now useless to his adopted father because peace was now out of the question - because of Thor. Loki demanded to know why Odin didn't tell him the truth. Odin claimed that he wanted to protect Loki from the truth, but it was plain Loki didn't believe him. The ensuing argument with his father caused Odin to collapse into unconsciousness. Suddenly horrified, Loki shouted for the guards to come help after grasping vainly at his father's limp hand.
With Odin unconscious in the Odinsleep (yes, really) and Thor banished, this left Loki as the de factor king of Asgard. [supposition] Later, Loki claimed that he never wanted to be king - he wanted only to be Thor's equal. This is a statement I actually believe to be true, and the fact that he was made king showed how badly the situation had spun out of control for him, and left him feeling that he could only forge ahead and attempt to make it work while simultaneously wallowing in utter rage at what Odin and Thor had done to him. [/supposition] Sif and the Warriors Three tried to approach Loki to ask for Thor's return. They were obviously surprised to see Loki sitting on the throne and wielding Gungnir (Odin's spear); apparently Odin's condition had been kept fairly secret. It was quickly obvious that Sif and the warriors didn't trust him. Loki claimed that he couldn't undo his father's last act as king, and quickly drove them from the throne room with his cold and frankly creepy attitude.
Loki went to his father's room where Odin was locked in a deep sleep. He spoke to Frigga, asking her why Odin had lied to him - she reiterated that Loki was their son, and that they never wanted him to feel different. Frigga then said that there was hope for Thor, because nothing Odin does is ever without purpose.
Motivated by the need to interfere with whatever redemption might exist for Thor, Loki took a clandestine journey down to Midgard. Thor was being held captive by SHIELD at the time. After sneaking into the interrogation room, Loki lied to Thor and told him that Odin had died, and that Thor couldn't ever come back to Asgard. On his way out of the SHIELD facility, Loki tried to lift Mjolnir, but was unable to do so.
Loki also took a stop in Jotunheim, where he offered Laufey a chance to invade Asgard and kill Odin. He also confessed rather smugly that he was the one who had guided the two Jotun into Asgard in the first place, as a trick to ruin Thor's coronation and "save Asgard from his idiotic rule" for a while longer. Loki offered to return the Casket of Ancient Winters as payment for Laufey slaying Odin, and Laufey accepted.
He took the Bifrost back to Asgard, where Heimdall observed that he couldn't see anything that Loki did while he was in Jotunheim. Heimdall also implied that he found that suspicious in light of the fact the two Jotun that snuck into Asgard had been hidden similarly. Loki attempted to regain some control of the situation by reminding Heimdall of the loyalty he owed to the throne of Asgard, and then ordered the man to let no one else use the Bifrost.
Sif and the warriors went soon to Heimdall, who shared their distrust of Loki and sent them to Midgard despite Loki's orders. Loki learned quickly of this betrayal and sent the Destroyer to Midgard with the intention of preventing Sif and the Warriors Three from bringing him back. Controlling the Destroyer from Odin's throne, he destroyed a good portion of the small New Mexico town they were in. Thor stepped forward then to sacrifice himself in exchange for Loki stopping the destruction. For a moment Loki seemed prepared to have the Destroyer walk away; instead, the Destroyer struck Thor once, hard enough to kill a mortal. Of course, this noble act of self-sacrifice showed a certain development within Thor, and he regained his powers and blew up the Destroyer.
Sensing his plot spiraling dangerously out of control, Loki hurried to the Bifrost and used the Casket of Ancient Winters to freeze Heimdall. He then let Laufey and a few Jotun into Asgard, and took them to the palace himself. There, he let them invade Odin's bedroom (where Frigga managed to kill one before being knocked down by Laufey). However, before Laufey could murder Odin, Loki revealed his true aim and killed Laufey using Gungnir while proclaiming himself Odin's son. Frigga ran into his arms... at which point Thor showed up, powers restored, and demanded an explanation.
Loki used Gungnir to blow Thor out of the building - after first having the balls to say, "It's good to have you back." - then ran to the Bifrost to finish his plans before Thor could interrupt him. At the Bifrost, Loki turned the bridge on and aimed it at Jotunheim, freezing the controls so that it would remain on, which would eventually destroy that entire realm. Thor showed up to try to stop him, saying that he didn't want to fight. Loki, however, plainly wanted - needed even - to fight, and goaded his brother until they came to blows. The conversation between the two before the fight showed a complete emotional breakdown on Loki's part. He claimed that his plans were to prove that he is a worthy son to Odin and a worthy heir to the throne, while in the next breath saying, "I never wanted the throne - I only wanted to be your equal!" He also informed Thor that they were never actually brothers. [supposition] As emotionally overwrought as Loki was in that scene, I think most of what he said there was the truth as he understood it. [/supposition]
For someone not primarily a warrior, Loki fought well with Gungnir, using his magic to disorient Thor with illusions as well. Eventually Thor won the fight by knocking Loki over and setting Mjolnir on top of him so he couldn't move. Then Thor decided the only way to save Jotunheim was to destroy the Bifrost by breaking it in half with Mjolnir. The destruction of the bridge caused a massive explosion. At the end of the shockwave, Thor hung from the bridge with Odin (suddenly awakened by the emergency) holding his legs. Thor had hold of Gungnir, and Loki held on to the other end of it, suspended over empty space by only the grip of his hand.
Desperately, Loki tried to tell Odin that everything he did was for Odin, for all the Aesir, that he could have destroyed Jotunheim. Odin only shook his head sadly and said two words: "No, Loki."
Despairing and with his life shattered around him, Loki let go of Gungnir and fell away into space, where he was quickly sucked into the rip in space/time that had been caused by the Bifrost.
Personality:
One major part of Loki's personality are his feelings of alienation; he is is very much a misfit in Asgard. He's a magician among a society that prizes physical prowess; basically, he is a bookworm that has grown up surrounded by jocks his entire life. While it's plain that many of the Aesir really do love him - Thor certainly does, and I feel like in the movie Frigga and Odin genuinely love him as well - they do so without really understanding who he is as a person. He's treated with suspicion and no small amount of disdain by many of his peers. While it's unclear if this started before or after his propensity for tricks began, it's obviously become a horrible feedback cycle. Loki feels mistreated, so he pulls some sort of cruel trick, which causes everyone to distrust him even more. Loki wants to be understood, and he wants to be accepted and appreciated for who he truly is. Without that acceptance, he lashes out by manipulating people and playing "pranks," often reacting with jealousy because he sees Thor and his friends getting praise, recognition, and understanding that Loki can simply never have. Likely tricking and manipulating people allows him to feel superior to them (though that isn't the only reason he does it) and thus makes their negative reactions to him feel less hurtful.
The other reason he plays awful "pranks" is that he's extremely intelligent; it simply gives him something to do. If he's not playing some sort of mental twelve dimensional chess game, he starts getting bored, which translates out to misbehavior of some extremely unpleasant sort.
Trying to decide which bits of what Loki says are actually true is extremely difficult, and can very much change the characterization depending on how you read them. I do think that it's genuine at the end of the movie when Loki tells Thor that "I only wanted to be your equal." It's already been established that he's the perennial misfit, and he just wants to be accepted as Thor's equal rather than Thor's shadow. There's also a deleted scene from the beginning of the movie where Loki tells Thor that while he might have his moments of envy, he does love his brother. I think that this sentiment is genuine as well - Loki really does love his brother, otherwise he probably wouldn't feel nearly as much rage as he does toward Thor. I think that instance also interestingly reads as a sort of oblique apology before the fact, since Loki knows what is coming.
Tied up in the love that Loki does have for his family is also an extreme amount of rage that's probably been building up as long as he's been cognizant of the fact that he's different - and seen as lesser - from his brother. This rage came to a head when he found out by accident that he was adopted. I think this particular revelation melted his brain a bit, so to speak, because suddenly he found that he was one of the very monsters that all Aesir learn to hate from an early age. And just as suddenly, his supreme level of social alienation makes sense. The sudden influx of self-loathing he felt was something he turned outward, attacking his own family and then attempting to destroy the Jotnar to prove that he really was as good as any of the Aesir and hated the Jotnar just as much as any of the Aesir could. This spate of overt violence was something unusual for Loki, I think, since he's normally a very subtle player. It indicates just how out of control and emotionally overwrought he was during that time. I also think that the following quasi-suicide attempt was an aberration, an attempt to escape a situation that he could find no good resolution to.
Ultimately, this leaves Loki lost and searching for a firm identity for himself. He's not comfortable in his own skin and needs to learn to live with himself now considering his Jotun heritage and all of the rather terrible things he did before he basically threw himself off the Bifrost. He desperately wants to be accepted for who he is, while simultaneously being unable to accept himself. Being secretive is part of his DNA; he's unwilling or unable to reach out to others no matter how troubled he becomes, which means that when he does make a mistake the situation can spiral easily out of his grasp - as is seen in the movie. Though it is worth noting that things only go really out of control when he's blindsided by information that was purposefully kept secret from him. He's more comfortable interacting with others on the level of a puppet master because he knows he must be superior to them, while what he really just needs is a hug.
He's not evil. He's just complicated.
Physical description:
Loki is about 6'2", 165 lbs. He's got short black hair, green eyes, fairly pale skin and somewhat foxy facial features. He's definitely more suited to being a magician than a fighter - long-fingered hands, musculature that's lean and wiry. He has a constant lean and hungry look about him, which serves to sharpen and define him as handsome.
Powers:
Loki really has two categories of abilities - magical, and those that come from his Jotun heritage.
Magic - Loki's rather fertile imagination seems to be the limit as far as what he can do with his magic. Fly, teleport, transmute things, shapeshifting, casting illusions, making himself invisible to even Heimdall. In the movie canon, the confirmed powers he has are illusions and super powers of sneaky invisibility.
Jotnar powers - He's obviously immune to extremes of cold - in the movie, a Jotun grabbing him just made him go blue and didn't burn him like it did to Volstagg. He can also use the Cask of Ancient Winters to spray things with ice. In the movie, the Jotnar can manipulate ice, forming it into weapons. I would surmise that Loki should probably be able to do this as well, and his heritage likely gives him enough strength and stamina that he can almost keep up with the Aesir.
Nerfed powers:
I think Loki probably shouldn't have access to any of his magic. He'd still *have* his magic (so he won't go crazy from its absence) but he just won't be able to use it. I think that level of nerfing is really necessary because what he can do with his magic is just a little too ridiculous. I would like for him to retain access to Jotnar abilities... primarily just the better than human strength, speed, and stamina, and the ability to manipulate ice. Mostly because while that ability can be useful, considering how much he hates the Jotnar he won't want to use it outside of an extremely dire situation. The ice ability will be limited in that he can only create enough ice to make a dagger-sized wedge, and he can only maintain it for a few minutes at a time.
Other notable abilities:
Loki is something of a red-headed step-child among the Aesir when it comes to fighting, but that still means he's extremely competent compared to normal humans. His main proficiency is with daggers (fighting with them and throwing them), though he also showed he could do a reasonable job with a spear when he fought Thor using Gungnir at the end of the movie.
Loki is also an utterly consummate liar and manipulator. Without the use of telepathy (or managing to catch him in a lie fair and square), it should really be impossible for people to tell that he's not being honest with them, because he really does lie like he breathes.
Loki's Direction
I think Loki - once he's gotten over the initial shock of being alive and not having access to his magic - will consider Landel's as an opportunity for a fresh start. No one knows him or his reputation, particularly if he tells no one his real name. He can start fresh with his plotting and set up a more favorable situation for himself. He's going to want to find out how his magic has been restrained, of course, and will want a way to reverse that.
I think ultimately he'll set up his goals as:
(1) figure out what's going on
(2) ingratiate myself with the people in charge
(3) stab them repeatedly in the back
(4) take over and get my magic back
(5) then move on to a more interesting problem, like taking over this pathetic excuse for a realm.
He's going to be quite friendly to the other patients without intending to ever make friends - it will be interesting to see if someone actually does manage to befriend him and interact with him on a genuine level - and always looking for a means to keep himself entertained and turn any situation to his advantage while keeping his overarching goals in mind. Because, that is of course the other wrinkle - Loki is still going to be trying to play tricks and set people against each other because otherwise he'll get bored.