At all times, most of the visual arts were built on the foundations of mythology. Take almost any big name of a genius artist from Leonardo Da Vinci to Francisco Goya - almost each of these creators will have works based on the mythology of different cultures. Our days are no exception, and today we can see how popular comics and films based on them are, where dozens of characters are either directly taken from ancient folk tales, or modified, but with allusions to certain heroes. Of particular interest is the popular hero of the Marvel comics - Loki, in whose image the directors of the film "The Avengers" have put all the qualities inherent in the ancient many-sided God of deception. It was they who made him a unique character and a favorite of the public.
Origin
The story of this character begins with quite tragic notes. The king of the ice giants Lafey, who is the father of the child, was ashamed of his own offspring for the reason that he did not have the necessary anthropometric data, that is, did not reach the required dimensions that every ordinary ice giant should have. Lafey was afraid of being ridiculed by society, so he left his hated child to die in a cave. However, by a happy coincidence, the king of Asgard, God Odin, came to the forgotten place, who wanted to deal with all the ice giants. It was he who noticed Loki, left in a gloomy cave. God One invited his wife Frigga to take pity on the boy and adopt him. Subsequently, the new parents began to raise the baby as their own son - the real prince of Asgard. In the family, he was never placed below the biological child Thor, but Loki himself secretly hated his brother and experienced complexes because of his differences with him. He could not compete with a true Asgardian in either physical strength or courage.
It is also worth noting that the development of Loki's character was influenced by the inhabitants of Asgard, who constantly cast sidelong glances at the adopted boy. With each passing year, Loki became more and more disgusted with the place in which he had to exist. It was then that the abilities for witchcraft and those very dark forces began to awaken in him. And it was then that the story of the transformation of the hero from an unwanted offspring and a weak boy into the God of Evil and Deception began.
Loki's mischief
Along with the development of new abilities, the hero grew a thirst for power, a taste for all sorts of vices and acting. Increasingly, vile and malicious thoughts about the capture of Asgard and the overthrow of Odin crept into the head of the ambitious Loki. But it was not only the lust for power that moved him. After all, the God of Deception dreamed of recognition for him, and Loki, as you know, always wanted to be the first and only son of Odin's father. Secondary roles never suited him. From the very beginning, he was an outsider for everyone, and this fact throughout childhood and adolescence did not give him rest.
For many years, Loki unsuccessfully tried to frame his half-brother Thor, to move him from the main roles, and one day he almost succeeded. Loki, with the help of his tricks, outwitted Thor and made him a coward in his father's eyes. As a result, Odin expelled his own son from Asgard, transferred him to earth and deprived him of all divine powers, including the right to wield a hammer. The name Thor in the kingdom of Odin became synonymous with the word "enemy", because the mighty head of the family could not forgive his son for betrayal.
Loki sought not only to banish his brother, but also to seize the throne. However, he did not succeed, because Thor, wishing to take revenge on the hero, returned home and defeated him in battle. Later, Loki made another attempt to seize the kingdom, turning to the brave army "Chitauri", but his brother was stronger. Thor, in turn, called for help from the "Avengers" team, which overthrew Loki. After some time, the hero had to return to Asgard, where Odin imprisoned him, accusing him of criminal acts.
Superpowers
Loki possessed an unrivaled intelligence and cunning. He knew how to make long-term plans and get out of the most difficult situations. The intricacies of his intentions are always delightful, because not every superhero can get out of the multifaceted cobwebs and labyrinths of the God of Deception. Lokion often lost in battles, as a result of which all his ingenious plans were exposed, but his rivals had to collect whole superhero teams or resort to someone else's help to defeat Loki, while the hero himself, as he always preferred to be alone, even when he worked with allies.
Also in the asset of Loki's abilities was the superhuman strength inherited from his biological father - the king of the ice giants Lafei. He possessed witchcraft and magic. No wonder there is a legend that it was he who was the progenitor of all witches. Through the mastery of the dark arts, Loki was able to transform into any character from the Marvel universe, as well as into any animal. The ability to speak to his interlocutor, to convince him to do what the God of Deception needs is an important trait and necessary uniqueness of Loki, which gives him an additional opportunity to realize his goals.
In addition to all of the above superpowers, Loki also knew how to fly, clone himself, and create the most realistic illusions. He possessed the ability to create teleportations and could climb into the heads of other people, reading their entire life story. If necessary, Loki endowed living beings with the most powerful superpowers, which forced them to go over to the side of the villain and fulfill all his requirements.
Character characteristics
According to a critical majority of Marvel comic and movie fans, Loki is one of the most charismatic heroes in this universe. The most important thing that distinguishes the God of Deception from all other heroes is the total absence of an ultimate goal. Indeed, as a result of this or that activity, all other evil characters had a direct goal - the enslavement of the universe and the complete subordination of all living beings to themselves. Loki did not fit into the canons of this ordinary motive. As the God of Deception, he quite often put up with the circumstances of his own life and effortlessly overcame difficulties.
Loki is the purest manifestation of tricksterism, a true element. It would be wrong to call Loki an absolutely evil character, because he was a kind of equalizer who kept the scales of the universe in balance for a long time. When the hero committed vicious actions and when he did good - all this was the side of the same coin, because this was all Loki. Today he intrigues his half-brother Thor and bewitches his father in order to take the throne, but tomorrow he is trying to save the universe together with the avengers, heroically giving his life into the hands of the enslaver of the titan Thanos.
Of course, initially the God of Deception was extremely vile and plotted his insidious plans on the board of madness due to his weakness. But in the course of the creation of history, he gradually became himself and, in the end, came to his true essence, providing proof in the form of a heroic death.
Critics and fans are constantly debating whether Loki can be called the last bastard. But the creators of the image admit that he is neither a hero nor an anti-hero. Loki is a distinctive and unique character who has no equal in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. From the very birth, he endured humiliation and suffered, but in the future he was still able to pull himself together and get rid of all his fears.
Loki in modern culture
Loki is constantly becoming the hero of literary fanfiction of fans of the Marvel Universe. Despite the fact that Loki died in one of the films, people around the world bring him to life in their texts. In them, they come up with a special empire for this character, and also reflect on what he could do if he defeated Thor and survived. In addition, you can often see interesting art objects and graffiti depicting Loki. And many popular brands put the hero image on their clothes, paying tribute to the Marvel Comics corporation. Often he is depicted in a majestic crown, which is a symbol of omnipotence and wisdom.
