//110% I believe this was a case of epic projection. Loki was inadvertently displaying his own feelings here. To the extent that I think the Russos used the line “your whole world in the balance and you bargain for one man?” as an ironic foil to precisely what Loki did for Thor when faced with Thanos. There’s a great photoset of it, even, if you scroll down a bit on my blog or go into my #big brother tag. ❤
Thor and Odin’s relationship is every bit as abusive as Odin and Loki’s. The thing is, Odin treated Thor and Loki differently and therefore distorted their self-image in different ways. Ultimately, he ensured that both of them were entirely emotionally dependent upon him as the “all-knowing” father figure. I’ve already extensively covered how Odin twisted Loki’s self-image, so I’ll focus, as you request, on Odin and Thor.
Odin, who is a classic Narcissist, turned Thor into a borderline Narcissist and something of a charming bully, who in turn (unwittingly, I believe) perpetuated Odin’s style of abuse on Loki (and others). Thankfully, Thor’s character development has led Thor away from these tendencies (with notable regression in Ragnarok, which I still find kind of disturbing, since the actor and director seem to have felt the portrayal held more integrity to the character ), as well as, I believe, Thor’s innate capacity for goodness, and his earnest desire to champion underdogs.
But Odin remained a Narcissist to the end, and made it as hard as possible for Thor to break that cycle.
Odin made Thor to be a complete extension of himself, to the point that film critics have called out Thor as a protagonist who is quite “reactionary” (that is, someone who doesn’t cause plot, but rather, reacts to things that happen to him, making him somewhat wooden as a character of focus in his first two films, and even offering Loki the opportunity to steal the show multiple times by being, comparatively, plot-driving). Odin repeatedly told Thor and Loki that both could contend fairly for the Throne of Asgard, while full well knowing that his eldest and legitimate heir would become the next king. In doing so he emotionally isolated the brothers from each other, making each more dependent on HIM and on HIS idea of “worthiness” (using Mjolnir greatly to this end) and with repeated microaggressions toward Loki, made it clear that he favored Thor (in large part because Thor naturally held traits that make a person a “good” Asgardian: physically active, forthright and plain-spoken, masculine, etc).
Thusly isolated, Thor became the person we see in Thor 1 and, partially, in Ragnarok: convinced that he was infallible, that with enough charm and swagger and cajoling he can get whatever he wants, that people SHOULD give him whatever he wants. He has no sense of boundaries and he takes even dear lifelong friends’ welfare for granted. What Odin did to Thor is in fact the pivotal element of Thor’s growth from a spoiled arrogant bully to an earnest, caring champion of justice. It’s the rock-bottom starting point for Thor, morally speaking.
And while I’m at it, things like this are precisely why I love Thor as much as I love Loki, and see them as a matched set. They are complementary and, at their best, symbiotic, and Thor (written correctly) is every bit as much an interesting, flawed character learning to atone as Loki is. And this is why I don’t know what to say when people accuse me of “stanning” Loki and “hating” Thor. I don’t. I just see them as having DIFFERENT KINDS of flaws, and Thor as, while not ENDING that way, STARTING OUT in a position of greater social advantage (rather like how BLM people say “we aren’t saying all lives don’t matter, we’re drawing attention to this particular case of oppression, and how white people will never have to worry about certain TYPES of hardship”: in this scenario, Thor is the white guy. That doesn’t mean Thor isn’t a wonderful person, or that Thor doesn’t also LEGIT suffer A LOT).
It’s unfortunate that the fandom likes to pit them against each other. Maybe now that Loki has literally died to save Thor’s life, and Thor has made it his remaining goal in life to avenge Loki (and his people), it will become clear what a functioning unit they are.
Addressing comments in the tag: please note that I have said ALL ALONG, SINCE EARLY 2012, that Thor is pardoned by the writers and narrative for acts that equal in moral corruption anything Loki has done, while Loki is unjustly scapegoated and condemned, and that this is A BAD THING.
That’s exactly what I was talking about in this very post when I said:
that Thor is a character with great merit IF written correctly (big condition there, big if)
that while Thor may suffer as often as Loki suffers,Thor still enjoys social advantage compared to Loki, and that people who bristle at this fact remind me of All Lives Matter people who get angry at Black Lives Matter protesters, failing to realize that saying one social group’s oppression does not negate another’s hardship, it just means that that hardship isn’t based in racial, ethnic, or other forms of oppression.
I’m tired of this, folks. I don’t mean to sound testy, but I’ve been saying these things for almost eight years, dedicated to the defense of Loki as a character and as a concept. I only want to do so accurately. I don’t need to lampoon Thor further than he deserves in order for Loki to be given his due dignity. Please read what I say more carefully before critiquing it.
Last time I’m acknowledging comments of this nature at all.
When the Asgardians came down, no one thought they would be able to stay. There aren’t enough resources, they said; they’ll hurt us, they cried.
They were wrong.
It all started with the children.
Children were spirited away, popping up in places that were much better for their health. Children from war zones, abusive homes; those that are marginalized and cast away. They found themselves in better circumstances, those that woukd abuse and belittle them falling into an odd amount of Karma. Little pranks here and there told the people who it was. The God of Mischief.
Then came the rallies.
A god appeared as the swat teams and police rose their guns and prepared to fire of the peaceful protesters, begging for a future where they’re treated like people. With lightning in his eyes and a fist of iron he ordered them to stop, to leave, to give these people what they deserve.
“A people, they are precious,” The god said. “You must cherish them, because without a people, there isn’t a home.”
Hospitals start to become gentler. It’s said that a woman with a skeleton face visits the younger ones, the ones who are terrified because they are too young to die. And she plays with them, determined to make them laugh and smile before they pass, and when they do it is always with a quiet light in their eyes.
Drownings worldwide stop almost overnight. People who love by the ocean often report a gentle giant that lives there, playing with the friendly and curious minds and keeping the aquatic ecosystem in check.
Poachers are found dead all over the world. There are giant teeth marks in their bodies, and locals tell of a wolf that stalks in the night, keeping their wildlife safe from harm. Horses, too, have a share in this magic, and mistreatment of them stops dead. If you stay in the stables late at night, you’ll catch a glimpse of a beast with eight legs.
Global temputures start to even out again, and it is only at the top of mountians that you can find two brothers, polar opposites, working magic so deep and old that the human mind cannot process it.
Education sees it’s golden age as someone takes it into their own hands. Armed with a pen and a voice, a figure named Bragi goes from school to school worldwide, teaching about the pasts and the present. There is a woman with him too, who makes sure every child is healthy before she leaves.
Tucked away safe in their beds, the people sit in awe at these newcomers. These gentle people, who have helped them so even when they tried to cast them out. The gods have come to us, and they aren’t cruel or harsh or all knowing. They are kind, and careful with us, because they understand the importance of taking care of a world that can be so easily lost.
the death toll has passed 350. this is one of the worst natural disasters we’ve faced and they’ve declared emergency in the state. tens of thousands of people are stranded and have lost their homes. please help or donate if you can
), as well as, I believe, Thor’s innate capacity for goodness, and his earnest desire to champion underdogs.
icyxmischief 