Very Good Writing – Why Loki Won in The Avengers.
This brilliant article highlights all the plot points I’ve been trying to get my friends to understand. Some do, some just look at me with vacant expressions. I guess I shouldn’t expect those who do not write for a living to understand the complexities and ambiguity of crafting a truly complex plot. Thankfully Mr. Whedon knows that there are those of us who like plot with our porn fun.
There was no better ‘villain’ than Loki to bring the Avengers together. Mr. Black makes some excellent points and dissects the plot of Avengers very nicely.
There was a lot of subtext for an action/adventure movie and I am not surprised that most people overlooked it in favor of the more explicit plot points. It was painfully obvious to me from the first viewing that Loki set things up to make sure the Xanatos Gambit happened. The reverse interrogation scene with Black Widow was a study in manipulation and misdirection and I’m sorry to say that most people just simply miss how beautifully understated and subtle Mr. Hiddleston’s acting is.
However I do not agree with the idea that Loki is working with Thanos. It just didn’t seem like a symbiotic relationship in the movie, more a parasitic one. Thus setting up Loki’s need for the Xanatos Gambit. He needs the Avengers together to either defeat him and remove the possibility of Thanos retaliating, or lose and he deliver the goods and avoid retaliation that way. He knew that either way there was significant risk to himself, but it was risk possibly being killed outright by Thanos or suffer a defeat at the hands of his brother and co.
Oh and for those saying the Loki said he never really wanted to rule Earth. Umm . . . God of Lies. He wants Earth because he knows that is where Thor’s heart is and he does love to mess with his brother. He obviously did not think that Thor would appear on Earth to challenge him. From his reaction on the quinjet he was quite surprised at Thor’s sudden appearance. Which further necessitated a change in his plans. Thor is the only person on Earth who could stop him, he knew this and changed his plans to use the Hulk to keep his brother busy.