The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been ongoing for the last ten years. During this time, we have seen a lot of stories start and end. We have characters go from being rather weak and lonely to being all-powerful Gods surrounded by family and friends. One of the most conniving and interesting story arcs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been of Thor, Loki and the other denizens of this realm known as Asgard.
We have seen Thor lose everything in the first movie and then redeem himself so that he was able to take his rightful place as the next king of Asgard by the third movie. The journey of this God of Thunder has been anything but easy. There have been so many enemies to defeat, so many powerful creatures standing in his way that the God has forgotten what a life without battle is like.
Not that that is a bad thing. After all, the Viking Norse Gods live only for battle and much like their followers (The Vikings) they only wish to battle up until their bitter. But there was something that only the fandom knew when the first movie was announced. It is the story arc of the first movie which showcases Loki disguising himself as a good guy. But any comic fan worth his salt knows that the God of Mischief only wants one thing, power. His lust for power and greed is legendary throughout the comic verse.
It is this conniving attitude combined with the sex appeal of Tom Hiddleston that has made Loki a lasting presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe even if the character has never actually won and died a pathetic death at the start of Infinity War.
“No coming back this time around” –Thanos
Although we bash Loki, we love the character and we love Tom Hiddleston in the Loki getup. His entire persona and character look have become synonymous with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They have become iconic ever since the first Avengers movie and people have equated Tom Hiddleston’s Loki with the kind of villain they would want to see in a superhero team-up movie but what if I told you that the classic Loki look that we are so fond of is just one of many that the concept artists planned out.
I know, not that surprising considering the budget of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the scale on which Marvel studios operates. But what if one of those designs had a very sci-fi feel to it? Would that make a difference to the story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in any way?
Well, Charlie Wen (The concept artist at Marvel studios) shared this image on his Facebook.
He also has this to say about his post,
“Wacky Loki! My first sketch of him as someone a bit off for the first #Thor There was other options but this is the looniest one so I wanted to share. As I think of his backstory and focused on the manipulative bent than his relationship with his bro Thor which develops later, I put more character depth in his final version. At this time I also wanted to play with the idea that Asgard had magic based on science beyond human tech understanding. I’ll post the final Thor I Lokis next!”
So clearly the concept artist wanted to focus on the techie side of things in Asgard during the pre-production stage of the Thor movie. That is understandable considering that that is the explanation we get in the first Thor movie.
“Your Ancestors Called it Magic, but You Call it Science. I Come From a Land Where They Are One and the Same.” –Chris Hemsworth in Thor
It seems that the initial designs for Loki were meant to showcase exactly this connection between Asgardian ‘technology’ and earth’s understanding of magic. Maybe we could have received a very steampunk version of Asgard. That could not be that hard to imagine. Tom Hiddleston in a steampunk getup would get all the girls excited.
Whatever the case be, this is the Loki we are stuck with or perhaps not considering the characters untimely death in Infinity War. Will Loki be back in Avengers 4? If yes, do you think the writers will choose to alter his looks in any way? Tell us in the comments below.
