miskiett: lelliefant:delyth88: That first one - how he goes from a look of disdain to ‘we bo
miskiett: lelliefant: delyth88: That first one - how he goes from a look of disdain to ‘we both know what’s going on here but I guess I have to play my part. Now how can I be as insulting as possible without crossing the line’. This ^^^ This scene is a perfect example of how brilliant and sly Loki was and should be. He’s just returned from speaking with Laufey on Jotunheim. The movie audience thinks he’s evil at this point, and that he means to double-cross and kill Odin. But (spoiler) it’s a triple-cross: Loki is actually luring Laufey to Asgard with the promise of letting him kill Odin. This would stop the pending war with Jotunheim before a single Asgardian loses their life. And it worked, actually. It’s easy to miss the importance of this, because two seconds after Loki kills Laufey, Thor comes barging in, acting like he’s going to save Asgard from Loki. Thor couldn’t have returned, if not for Heimdall. Heimdall didn’t like that Loki could cloak himself from his all-seeing eyes. Ostensibly, he suspects Loki of treachery, but he has absolutely no proof, even though he’s supposedly all-seeing. In this scene (giffed above), Loki senses Heimdall’s distrust, and he knows what that could mean: if Heimdall were to betray Loki he could ruin the entire plan, throwing Asgard, and potentially the 9 realms, into chaos and war. So, Loki makes the best possible move to keep Heimdall in line: he reminds Heimdall of his duty. He doesn’t waste time trying to buddy up to Heimdall, or reassure him of his good intentions (as if he owes Heimdall an explanation). He knows Heimdall. He knows Heimdall wouldn’t respond to flattery, reassurance, or false promises. Loki doesn’t even lie to Heimdall here. He goes straight for the thing that is most important to the man who has stood guard to protect Asgard for thousands of years: his duty. ——- Loki: You have great power, Heimdall. Did Odin ever fear you? Heimdall: No. Loki: And why is that? Heimdall: Because he is my king and I am sworn to obey him. Loki: He was your king. And you are sworn to obey me now. Yes? Heimdall: (pause) Yes. Loki: Then you will open the Bifrost to no one until I have repaired the damage that my brother has done. ——- Because the audience has been “tricked” into thinking Loki is evil at this point, they sympathize with Heimdall. They don’t realize that Loki has actually just revealed what has been his true motive all along: to prevent a war with Jotunheim and keep his dumbassed, volatile brother out of the way until things are under control. And it would have all worked out if Heimdall hadn’t done the unthinkable and betrayed his duty. Sif and the Warriors Three might have still made trouble for Loki, but they couldn’t have retrieved Thor without Heimdall’s collusion. They all betrayed their duty to Asgard and their lawful king, out of favoritism for their buddy, Thor. Essentially, it was s military coup. In the Avengers, Loki says, “I was a king! Betrayed.” And in the same conversation Thor calls Loki’s complaints “imagined slights.” Were they? In any case, this scene—in very few words—captures the multilayered complexity of Loki’s character and his motives, which you can only fully grasp upon a second viewing, after learning Loki meant to stop Laufey all along. Loki is cool and calculating in this scene. He’s confident. He’s several steps ahead of everyone else, including the audience. He’s perceptive enough to see Heimdall’s silent resistance. He immediately strikes at the heart of Heimdall’s values to shore up his position, simultaneously throwing in a reminder that he is king. He follows up with a reminder that bonehead Thor got them into this mess. (No actual hate for Thor here—we all know he was supposed to be an asshat at the beginning.) “I could have done it, father. For you! For all of us!” “No, Loki.” Loki Odinson: silvertongue, liesmith, manipulator, genius, scapegoat, betrayed. @lelliefant awesome analysis. Love to see it put into words why Loki is so multilayered and compelling. The audience member who bothers to look deeper and to think through the character’s perspective is able to understand their motivation better. It makes the story so much more interesting. -- source link