Marvel has had a villain problem since its very inception, as despite being box-office successes, most villains from Phase 1 entries failed to leave a lasting impact. But things did shift for the brand after Tom Hiddleston’s Loki was introduced in Thor, who eventually became the primary antagonist in The Avengers, successfully pushing the MCU to new heights.
While villains like Killmonger and Thanos elevated the bar for MCU villains in the future, if it wasn’t for Loki, things might’ve been drastically different for Marvel. According to Thor screenwriter, the biggest inspiration for the trickster was the most influential Marvel villain to date.
MCU Heads Wanted Tom Hiddleston’s Loki to Be More in Line With Magneto
Although Fox’s X-Men Universe had its fair share of problems throughout its run, they did succeed in crafting one of the best Marvel villains to date, Sir Ian McKellen’s Magneto. Considering MCU was struggling to craft a memorable villain for their initial entries in the gigantic universe, the studio heads asked screenwriters to make Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki more in line with X-Men villain Magneto. Thor Writer Zack Stentz explained,
“They knew that their villains thus far in the MCU had been a bit underwhelming, and they said — one of the executives literally said, ‘Look, if you fail at everything else, give us a villain as good as Magneto in Loki.’ We need someone at that level because that’s going to be our villain for The Avengers.” Stentz said.
This resulted in the team of writers working hard to avoid making Loki yet another one-dimensional villain like the rest of MCU villains up to that point, and as the story goes. they did succeed in it.
Getting the Gig of Loki Was an Accident Said Tom Hiddleston
After writers crafted the perfect story for their ambitious villain, Tom Hiddleston brought his A-game into the mix to do the character justice, becoming an instant fan-favorite among fans. But getting the role of Loki was an accident, explained Hiddleston. After he came across Sir Kenneth Branagh, who directed 2011’s Thor, in a Shakespeare production in a theatre in London, Sir Branagh offered the actor to star in Wallander, eventually casting him in the role of Loki.
“He saw me in a Shakespeare production in a theater in London, he then asked me to perform with him in the television series Wallander for the BBC,” Hiddleston explained. “We then did a Chekhov play in the West End, and then he cast me as Loki in the first Thor film.”
Since making his debut as the god of mischief, Hiddleston has done an impeccable job playing the intelligent yet vulnerable Loki. And with season 2 of Loki around the corner, the love for this character keeps on ascending.
Thor is available to stream on Disney Plus.
Source: The Fanboy Podcast
