#Loki's goal the entire film was just to do whatever it takes to be something his maybe-parents would be proud of

[worstloki]

i am forever baffled by the way the warriors 3 and sif immediately turn on loki in thor 2011. i mean. he's the next in line for the throne. he explained his reasons for continuing thor's banishment. they had not problem with it when odin did it but they immediately reject his rationale and openly turn against him. you'd think they'd feel more chastened since they too are partly responsible for the looming war. and loki was the only one who tried to argue against going or reduce the tensions.

Loki’s the only one actually trying not to get them to go at all, or telling the guard as a preventative measure, or stalling with Heimdall, or not going under pretense of peace in ceremonial battle armour, or accepting the peaceful offer to leave jotunheim, but no one cares about Thor starting a war because Loki’s King which is Bad and Oh!! he must be Up To Something™ planning to steal Thor’s position this whole time!!

And what makes it even worse that they know their lives were saved but instead focus on how Thor was banished because Loki told the guard instead of how he wasn’t killed but only after Loki reveals his part in it!!

Loki even explains why he did it. And they all know he’s right about Thor not being ready!! But then Sif brings up that he’s jealous as an argument and no one disagrees!! 

Fandral even points out how ridiculous their accusations sound, but he still goes with them and follows along.

And then Loki tells them he’s king and they show no respect and ask for every other alternative to dob to, and he has to remind them he’s the ruler and he gives them another valid explanation along with the earlier one about why it’s better for Thor to be banished a bit!!

And now you’re thinking “hey, it’s okay, at least Asgard’s most loyal gatekeeper won’t support their idiotic accusations and help them commit treason” but then think again!: 

So we have Loki who already starts out getting no respect not even gain any support when he’s King. And he’s already been doubting his place in the world because he’s already having the Jotun/Laufeyson identity crisis! He is going around reminding people he’s King to reassure himself that not everyone is going to betray or abandon him... even as he takes note of all their behaviour indicating otherwise.

Is it any surprise Loki’s plan only required himself? Everyone else turned cloak in a time of war for the imbecile and the only one who accepted the legitimacy of his Kingship and his word... was also Thor, who he wasn’t the brother of, who was on Earth as a mortal, who Loki was being pitted against for the purpose of filling the slot of son/heir and reasonably thought would kill him on sight if he knew he was Jotun :) 

 And! As an extra bonus fun feature, it’s extra fun to remember that thanks to the deleted scene at the beginning of the film we know Loki is honest and open to the point where he speaks and admits that he gets jealous, but he doesn’t mind because he loves Thor.

He admits to his faults. Deleted opening scene of Thor 1 and he literally does what Frigga vilifies him for in Thor 2. 

Loki is literally that good a person. He means the best for Thor despite blatant favouritism and being overshadowed his whole life and the degrading comments where he’s looked down on for his skills. And along with everything else he faces in the film Loki comes to realize that it amounts to nothing because despite everything he’s ever done everyone doubts his love for Thor and loyalty to Asgard and he has no one that’s going to side with him regardless of who is right or wrong. Loki’s been on the best behaviour he could the past millennia of his life trying to be a good son a good brother and good friend and the second he inadvertently attains the throne there is not one person who will believe he intends to do well by it. 

#loki was. like. crying for over half his screen-time. having so many fears confirmed. figuring out how abusive his parents were. #here you've got a character that's never understood why things are different for him who has been told his whole life they're not #he's a prince who literally had to pull rank when king and still got no one's respect??? #everyone just decided to side with thor because they assume he's up to no good #just because they were right doesn't make what any of them did a good thing #loki really lost his family himself his friends any shred of self-esteem and his home over the course of a few days #he managed to keep his cool except at the start and end of it all at which points he just needed someone's affirmation #you know how sad it is that Thor gets told he's already made Odin proud? Right after Loki's suicide which everyone is impartial to? #because Frigga is all ''make your father proud'' and the last time Loki speaks to her he says ''i'll make you proud'' #Loki's goal the entire film was just to do whatever it takes to be something his maybe-parents would be proud of #and being noble and kind and himself a thousand years wasn't doing it #of course he went with trying the most violent course of action when trying to flip the script and make himself a hero #and then that doesn't work either and I wonder if Loki even felt any different in the following years when he went through more stuff alone? #I wonder if he just accepted it and resigned himself to never having anyone on his side regardless of what he does so he'll do what he wants #because that's what I see happening in the movies that come after #and it's definitely just another reason to laugh when the Warriors 3/4 threaten him because isn't it ironic that they fear his betrayal?

[whetstonefires]

It's been this long and I'm still mad about it; proposal for the film Disney should have made instead of Endgame.

1) Following the Snappening Thanos still has godlike power but is losing his shit without a goal to work toward, is constantly hallucinating Gamora's child ghost which may be actual Gamora from inside the Soul Gem

2) whilst the combined hero cast stage an epic heist of some kind in the effort to get the Gauntlet and Unsnap their loved ones, with numerous subplots that can be resolved positively, since the heist will ultimately be foiled and that can be frustrating.

3) The surviving Guardians get a chance to onscreen recount the story of the defense of Xandar and how they collectively survived wielding an Infinity Stone for about 18 seconds; Peter Quill has been killed per Infinity War so his special heritage can't be leaned on again of course;

meanwhile we get more information about how the planet of Titan became a dead world and how Thanos was involved.

4) The 'Tony Stark's survival will protect the universe better than refusing to give Thanos the Time Stone and is in fact necessary to the One Possible Path To Victory' assertion from Infinity War is much better justified by his ultimately talking Thanos to death

5) in a way which callbacks Tony's entire doomspiral loop of a villain-coded-hero character arc and that moment in Avengers when they figured out Loki was opening the portal on Stark Tower because Tony psychoanalyzed him flippantly and then was like, shit he's basically me he's at my building. Thereby linking what was otherwise a saga of disconnect and flubbed resolution into a thematic whole.

6) And in a way which also gives us payoff on the similar nonsense of Thanos' characterization, where everything about the way he interacted with the world told a completely different story than the way he talked about himself and his actions, demonstrating a literally world-shattering degree of self-delusion.

7) Just seriously if Tony Stark's great universe-saving act could have been a Hannibal Lecture where he's standing in front of Thanos, last Avenger on his feet, armor shattered clean off him, take away all his power and what's left, still pushing, digging into those cracks Gamora's been beating into the whole film, did it work? was it worth it? is anything better now? why did you think it would be?

8) "Of course I understand you! I am you! It hurt so fucking bad, didn't it, and you needed it to stop hurting, so you found something to drown the pain in, something so impossibly big it had to matter. Something that let you hit back at the universe. Something that put you in control of the fear and the loss and how much you messed up, and other people paid for it and left you behind to hurt."

9) Thanos, having been held together by sheer force of will for the centuries or whatever since his planet died for reasons that cannot possibly have been limited to overpopulation, presses the Gauntlet on Tony, as he collapses into dust upon acknowledging that his entire identity is a self-serving lie and he had no fucking right to do anything he's done (and especially no right to Gamora)

10) Tony is one beat-up human dude and cannot possibly Unsnap back the entire universe but as he goes to try anyway a hand closes around his ankle. I don't care which Avenger it is. Steve, Rhodey, and Rocket Raccoon are the obvious candidates.

Team forms a huge hand-holding daisy-chain of Power of Giving A Shit and collectively Fixes The Universe. Insert time-crunchy thing like the planet they're on is about to get blown up so the gauntlet can't be handed over to someone with a tougher body, like Thor, who might survive it.

11) Tony still dies, but in a satisfying and meaningful way that actually saves people instead of just...slaughtering an army of slaves as in canon. The collective make-this-not-have-happened reality warp reaches back far enough to also save the Wakandans and Xandar and the Asgardian refugees, and everyone else murdered in the tempestuous final days of Thanos' push for the Gems, because 'unrealistic solutions to unrealistic problems are childish' is a bullshit moral, especially where superheroes are concerned.

12) His funeral is the only one that matters because it's the only damn one.

#if Rocket's the one who initiated the daisy chain he can have lost the arm he grabbed Tony with #sitting beside Bucky with matching wakandan robot arms #they're cyborg bros now #mcu #tony stark #thanos #thematic resolution #it's even got a comics basis psyching thanos out is the traditional way of dealing with his getting the Gauntlet together #hoc est meum

[lokiondisneyplus]

A review of “Journey Into Mystery,” the penultimate Loki Season One episode on Disney+, coming up just as soon as I paper cut a giant cloud to death…

Journey Into Mystery was the title of the first Marvel comic to feature either Thor or Loki. It began as an anthology series featuring monsters and aliens, but Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Larry Lieber were so smitten with their adaptation of the characters of Norse myth that the Asgardians gradually took over the whole book, which was renamed after its hammer-wielding hero(*).

(*) The early Journey Into Mystery stories treated Thor’s alter ego, disabled Dr. Donald Blake, as the “real” character, while Thor was just someone Blake could magically transform into, while retaining his memories and personality. It wasn’t even clear whether Asgard itself was meant to exist at first, until Loki turned up on Earth in an early issue, caused trouble, and Blake/Thor somehow knew exactly how to get to Asgard to drop him off. Soon, the lines between Thor and Blake began to blur, and eventually Thor became the real guy, and Blake a fiction invented by Odin to humble his arrogant son. It’s a mark of just how instantly charismatic Loki was that the entire title quickly steered towards him and the other gods.

But once upon a time, anything was possible in Journey Into Mystery, which makes it an apt moniker for an absolutely wonderful episode of Loki where the same holds true. Our title characters are trapped in the Void, a place at the end of time where the TVA’s victims are banished to be devoured by a cloud monster named Alioth. And mostly they are surrounded by the wreckage of many dead timelines. Classic Loki insists that his group’s only goal is survival, and any kind of planning and scheming is doomed to kill the Loki who tries. But this ruined, hopeless world instead feels bursting with imagination and possibility.

There are the many Loki variants we see, with President Loki, among others, joining Classic, Kid, Boastful, and Alligator Loki. There are the metric ton of Easter Eggs just waiting to be screencapped by Marvel obsessives (I discuss a few of them down below), but which still suggest a much larger and weirder MCU even if you don’t immediately scream out “Is that… THROG?!?!?” at the appropriate moment. And all of that stuff is tons of fun, to be sure. But what makes this episode — and, increasingly, this series — feel so special is the way that it explores the untapped potential of Loki himself, in his many, many variations.

This is an episode that owes more than a small stylistic and thematic debt to Lost. It’s not just that Alioth looks and sounds so much like the Smoke Monster(*), that it makes a shared Wizard of Oz reference to “the man behind the curtain” (also the title of one of the very best Lost episodes), or even that the core group of Lokis are hiding in a bunker accessible via a hatch and a ladder that’s filled with recreational equipment (in this case, bowling alley lanes). It’s also that Loki, Sylvie, their counterparts, and Mobius have all been transported to a strange place that has disturbing echoes from their own lives, that operates according to strange new rules they have to learn while fleeing danger, and their presence there allows them to reflect on the many mistakes of their past and consider whether they want to, or can, transcend them.

(*) Yes, Alioth technically predates Smokey by a decade (see the notes below for more), but his look has been tweaked a bit here to seem more like smoke than a cloud, and the sounds he makes when he roars sound a lot like Smokey’s telltale taxi cab meter clicks. Given the other Lost hat tips in the episode, I have to believe Alioth was chosen specifically to evoke Smokey.

Classic Loki is aptly named. He wears the Sixties Jack Kirby costume, and he is a far more powerful magician than either Sylvie or our Loki have allowed themselves to be. He calls our Loki’s knives worthless compared to his sorcery, which feels like the show acknowledging that the movies depowered Loki a fair amount to make him seem cooler. But if Classic Loki can conjure up illusions bigger and more potent than his younger peers, he is a fundamentally weak and defeated man, convinced, like the others, that the only way to win the game into which he was born is not to play. “We cannot change,” he insists. “We’re broken. Every version of ourselves. Forever.” It is not only his sentiment — Kid Loki adds that any Loki who tries to improve inevitably winds up in the Void for their troubles — but it seems to have weighed on him longer and harder than most.

But Classic Loki takes inspiration from Loki and Sylvie to stand and fight rather than turn and run, magicking up a vision of their homeland to distract Alioth at a crucial moment in Sylvie’s plan, and getting eaten for his trouble. He was wrong: Lokis can change. (Though Kid Loki might once again argue that Classic Loki’s death is more evidence that the universe has no interest in any of them doing so.) And both Loki and Sylvie have been changing throughout their time together. Like most Lokis, they seem cursed to a life of loneliness. Sylvie learned as a child that a higher power believed she should not exist, and has spent a lifetime hiding out in places where any friends she might make will soon die in an apocalypse. Our Loki’s past isn’t quite so stark, but the knowledge that his birth father abandoned him, while his adoptive father never much liked him, have left permanent scars that govern a lot of his behavior. The defining element of Classic Loki’s backstory is that he spent a long time alone on a planet, and only got busted by the TVA when he attempted to reconnect with his brother and anyone else he once knew. This is a hard existence, for all of them. And while it does not forgive them their many sins(*), it helps contextualize them, and give them the knowledge to try to be better versions of themselves.

(*) Loki at one point even acknowledges that, for him, it’s probably only been a few days since he led an alien invasion of New York that left many dead, though due to TVA shenanigans, far more time may have passed.

For that matter, Mobius is not the stainless hero he once thought of himself as. While he and Sylvie are tooling around the Void in a pizza delivery car (because of course they are), he admits that he committed a lot of sins by believing that the ends justified the means, and was wrong. He doesn’t know who he is before the TVA stole and factory rebooted him, but he knows that he wants something better for himself and the universe, and takes the stolen TemPad to open up a portal to his own workplace in hopes of tearing down the TVA once and for all. Before he goes, though, he and Loki share a hug that feels a lot more poignant than it should, given that these characters have only spent parts of four episodes of TV together. It’s a testament to Hiddleston, Wilson, Waldron, and company (Tom Kauffman wrote this week’s script) that their friendship felt so alive and important in such a short amount of time.

The same can be said for Loki and Sylvie’s relationship, however we’re choosing to define it. Though they briefly cuddle together under a blanket that Loki conjures, they move no closer to romance than they were already. If anything, Mobius’ accusations of narcissism in last week’s episode seem to have made both of them pull back a bit from where they seemed to be heading back on Lamentis. But the connection between them is real, whatever exactly it is. And their ability to take down Alioth — to tap into the magic that Classic Loki always had, and to fulfill Loki’s belief that “I think we’re stronger than we realize” — by working together is inspiring and joyful. Without all this nuanced and engaging character work, Loki would still be an entertaining ride, but it’s the marriage of wild ideas with the human element that’s made it so great.

Of course, now comes the hard part. Endings have rarely been an MCU strength, give or take something like the climax of Endgame, and the finales of the two previous Disney+ shows were easily their weakest episodes. The strange, glorious, beautiful machine that Waldron and Herron have built doesn’t seem like it’s heading for another generic hero/villain slugfest, but then, neither did WandaVision before we got exactly that. This one feels different so far, though. The command of the story, the characters, and the tone are incredibly strong right now. There is a mystery to be solved about who is in the big castle beyond the Void (another Loki makes the most narrative and thematic sense to me, but we’ll see), and a lot to be resolved about what happens to the TVA and our heroes. And maybe there’s some heavy lifting that has to be done in service to the upcoming Dr. Strange or Ant-Man films.

It’s complicated, but on a show that has handled complexity well. Though even if the finale winds up keeping things simpler, that might work. As Loki notes while discussing his initial plan to take down Alioth, “Just because it’s not complicated doesn’t mean it’s bad.” Though as Kid Loki retorts, “It also doesn’t mean it’s good.”

Please be good, Loki finale. Everything up to this point deserves that.

Some other thoughts:

* Most of this week’s most interesting material happens in the Void. But the scenes back at the TVA clarify a few things. First, Ravonna is not the mastermind of all this, and she was very much suckered in by the Time-Keeper robots. But unlike Mobius or Hunter B-15, she’s so conditioned to the mission that even knowing it’s a lie hasn’t really swayed her from her mission. She has Miss Minutes (who herself is much craftier this week) looking into files about the creation of the TVA, but for the most part comes across as someone very happy with a status quo where she gets to be special and pass judgment on the rest of the multiverse.

* Alioth first appeared in 1993’s Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective, a miniseries (written by Mobius inspiration Mark Gruenwald, and with some extremely kewl Nineties art full of shoulder pads, studded collars, and the like) involving Ravonna, Kang, and the off-brand versions of Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor (aka U.S. Agent, War Machine, and Thunderstrike, the latter of whom has yet to appear in the MCU). It’s a sequel to a Nineties crossover event called Citizen Kang. And no, I still don’t buy that Kang will be the one pulling the strings here, if only because it’s really bad storytelling for the big bad of the season to have never appeared or even been mentioned prior to the finale.

* Rather than try to identify every Easter egg visible in the Void’s terrain, I’ll instead highlight three of the most interesting. Right before the Lokis arrive at the hatch, we see a helicopter with Thanos’ name on it. This is a hat tip to an infamous — and often memed — out-of-continuity story where Thanos flies this chopper while trying to steal the Cosmic Cube (aka the Tesseract) from Hellcat. (A little kid gets his hands on it instead and, of course, uses the Cube to conjure up free ice cream.) James Gunn has been agitating for years for the Thanos Copter to be in the MCU. He finally got his wish.

* The other funny one: When the camera pans down the tunnel into Kid Loki’s headquarters, we see Mjolnir buried in the ground, and right below it is a jar containing a very annoyed frog in a Thor costume. This is either Thor himself — whom Loki cursed into amphibianhood in a memorable Walt Simonson storyline — or another character named Simon Walterston (note the backwards tribute to Walt) who later assumed the tiny mantle.

* Also, in one scene you can spot Yellowjacket’s helmet littering the landscape. This might support the theory that the TVA, the Void, etc., all exist in the Quantum Realm, since that’s where the MCU version of Yellowjacket probably went when his suit shorted out and he was crushed to subatomic size. Or it might be more trolling of the fanbase from the company that had WandaVision fans convinced that Mephisto, the X-Men, and/or Reed Richards would be appearing by the season finale.

* Honestly, I would have watched an entire episode that was just Loki, Mobius, and the others arguing about whether Alligator Loki was actually a Loki, or just a gator who ended up with the crown, presumably after eating a real Loki. The suggestion that the gator might be lying — and that this actually supports, rather than undermines, the case for him being a Loki — was just delightful. And hey, if Throg exists in the MCU now, why not Alligator Loki?

* Finally, the MCU films in general are not exactly known for their visual flair, though a few directors like Taika Waititi and Ryan Coogler have been able to craft distinctive images within the franchise’s usual template. Loki, though, is so often wonderful to look at, and particularly when our heroes are stuck in strange environments like Lamentis or the Void. Director Kate Herron and the VFX team work very well together to create dynamic and weird imagery like Sylvie running from Alioth, or the chaotic Loki battle in the bowling alley. Between this show and WandaVision, it appears the Disney+ corner of the MCU has a bit more room to expand its palette. (Falcon and the Winter Soldier, much less so.)

#Loki #spoilers #episode 5 #review #Rolling Stone #Alan Sepinwall

[kneelbeforeclefairy]

Okay my problem with sylki isn't it's selfcest or they're the same person. It's literally fiction, loosen up Tumblr puritans if anyones gonna get down with themselves it's Loki. If it's not your thing, no shame, but there's nothing WRONG with it as, as I've mentioned , it's FICTION, has no bearing on who you ar as person what fictional ships you like, and has no real world consequences because it isn't even possible.

My problem isn't even the "he's bi why can't he be in a gay relationship" cause, yes, why CAN'T he, but he can also be in a "straight" relationship too. That's the point of being bi. Also at least Tom's Loki is gender fluid , Sylvie probably is too, so any realtionship between them is automatically queer cause they're both enby, and neither are a woman or a man .

(but YES it does feel disingenuous of marvel to take a charecter who has had no love interest for SIX MOVIES , and shown no romantic or sexual interest in anyone, reveal he's bisexual and THEN get him together with a woman in the next episode. Like, Loki's bi, and nothing marvel will do can ever take that away from me, but ....it does feel like having your cake and eating it too. We'd be very happy with no love interest too)

It isn't even that I don't like Sylvie herself. I DO. I LOVE her Loki, her version of Loki's life, the ways they're similar, the ways they're different. The way I think she kind of reminds Loki of Thor sometimes (angry blondes gonna hit something she shouldn't hit. Must stop before it gets worse!) (Cause that moment when she was about to kill he who remains , Loki's tactic to calm her down and reasons behind it were eerily similar to him stopping Thor from attacking the frost Giants in movie 1) I think that Sylvie is a rare occurance--a female charecter that is fully developed, has goals and wants of her own, and isn't just a love interest. I would very much like to see more of her.

My problem is. Loki. LOKI Loki. Tom's Loki, is our mail charecter. Main characters must go through charecter development. They must have a WANT and to contrast with it a NEED. they must pursue said WANT and at the end of the day , get not necessarily what they WANT but what they NEED.

So what does Loki WANT? Well in episode one we get a very clear want. Loki wants to destroy the TVA. He wants to figure out who's behind this and get rid of them. Right. Good. That's the plot.

Now we're looking at his internal arc. Mobius lays it out, again, in episode one. Loki is, BAD. He causes pain and suffering wherever he goes and hurts everyone he loves. He does bad things. And his role in this game of destiny is to be Bad, so other can be good. Loki realizes that about himself, and he hates it. He doesn't really want to be Bad. And he certainly doesn't want to be a pawn in others stories. So meld the internal arc, the NEED to the WANT and Loki wants to destroy the TVA so that he can get away from his destiny to hurt people and see what else he's capable of.

(this entire arc was also done a lot better in Ragnarok. )

Okay so. We jump around. Loki tricks people, Loki gains information. He meets Sylvie. Their goals align. Sylvie wants to destroy the TVA. Very well and good.

Now thematically, this is where the want and the need should start switching at the midpoint. The midpoint of the series s of course episode 3, when Loki realizes the TVA isn't all it seems to be and everyone is a varient.

And here's where it falls apart. There's that fun scene with Sif where she criticizes Loki for being a worm or whatever. I thought that was going to go somewhere but it didn't. But after that Loki's plotline fizzles out. He no longer really wants to destroy the TVA, Sylvie does. The show now becomes about HER goal to do that. And Loki's need sort of...disappears. instead of growing or learning something about himself, his need seems to be Love Sylvie. And that doesn't add up.

So either this is EXTREMELY lazy writing.

(yes. Yes it is)

Or someone thought that the way to fulfuil all of Loki's emotional needs--whicj we've seen develop over, let me state this again SIX MOVIES-- were to give him a love interest. Not to mention they thought that was the culmination of his plot NEED. Loki WANTS To destroy the TVA but NEEDS to...fall in love?

There's an argument to be made for a very literal reading of he needs to accept himself, but not only is that not what's being set up here, it's fucking stupid because loving Sylvie who--while they're the same person technically--has had a completely different life, personality, choices, has nothing to do with accepting THIS Loki.

So then we do this main charecter switch. Loki now just follows along Sylvie's goal. He has no more need, and no more real want. Sylvie has a want, but no need either. And the one moment when Loki tries to talk her down, and says he can't risk the universe in exchange for power really falls flat because Loki is not seen to WANT To rule the universe through the tva. He's way past that.

So in an attempt to just tie up loose ends what he got, instead of self actualization, instead of charecter development, instead or ANYTHING, was a kiss.

Because in Hollywoodland, kisses solve everything. And that's where my aro ass jumps off the film school horse and onto the UGKGBVSJJBE keysmash horse. Because they really do believe that it is Good Writing to do that because Love Solves Everything .

And I'm pissy.

#hey remember wjen i went to film school' #loki spoilers

[fanficshiddles]

Caught in his web, Chapter 38

Chloe bit her tongue and tried not to look at Loki on the journey to the private runway. He was looking far too handsome for her poor mind and body to cope with.

Loki always managed to look smart, even when he was dressed down. He was wearing a light blue shirt, top few buttons undone, with his sunglasses propped on top of his head all ready for when they got to Greece.

‘Did you remember your migraine tablets?’ Loki asked.

Chloe’s face dropped. ‘Shit!’ She panicked, she had forgotten to pack them.

Loki raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. ‘Good job I remembered just before we left then, isn’t it? They’re in my bag.’ He chuckled.

She relaxed and sighed. ‘Oh thank god! Thank you…’ She said sheepishly.

‘What would you do without me?’ He grinned.

‘I’d be lost without you.’ She said in a teasing tone, though she wasn’t sure what she would do without him actually…

But it still didn’t ease her slight anxiety about being completely alone on an island with him.

They arrived at the private runway and Chloe’s nerves returned when they got out of the car and started walking towards the jet.

‘Alright, doll? You look like you’re going to pass out on me.’ Loki took hold of her wrist and stopped her, he turned her towards him.

‘I’m… fine… Just haven’t flown before, a little nervous.’ She admitted.

Loki frowned and brushed her hair behind her shoulder, he placed his hand just below her collarbone. ‘You never told me. Maybe you should take one of your migraine tablets once we get on, just to be on the safe side. If you get a little stressed. Are you scared of heights?’

‘No, not really. I mean, I wouldn’t like to be on the edge of a tall building type of thing. But I don’t think I mind heights.’ She shrugged.

‘Come on then, I think you’ll enjoy it. You’re perfectly safe with me.’ Loki assured her and took her hand, giving her a squeeze, they continued on to the jet.

Chloe completely forgot all about her flying nerves when they got on the jet. She couldn’t believe how luxurious it was. Although, she really shouldn’t have been surprised. This was Loki, after all.

There was a couple of double beds through the back for longer flights. As well as a spacious bathroom. A bar up front and a small kitchen for cooking some basic meals. Of course, Loki had a stewardess who came along on all flights to do all that for him and his guests.

The seats were big leather chairs that reclined. And large TV’s opposite each one, with headphones. At the other side of the jet was a row of three tables with seats around them, to make it easier for eating at if decided.

‘Holy shit. This is… I don’t even know what to say!’ Chloe was in utter awe after looking around and sitting down on one of the chairs. ‘Can we just like, fly around for the entire weekend and live in here?’

Loki laughed and sat down next to her at the window side. ‘You’ll get to experience this plenty of times, on longer flights too. No worries there. Providing you enjoy it, that is. We haven’t even taken off yet.’

‘Surely it’s just like being on a bus or a train?’ She asked, getting comfortable.

‘During the flight, yes. It’s better. But take off and landing is not to everyone’s liking. Remember and take one of your pills.’ Loki reached up and pushed a button. Two seconds later, a stewardess came along.

‘What can I get for you, Sir?’ She asked politely with a smile.

‘A bottle of water, please.’

Chloe blinked in disbelief that Loki hired someone to get whatever they wanted while on the flight. When the stewardess returned with water for Chloe, Chloe looked at Loki with a smirk as she took one of her tablets.

‘What?’ He raised an eyebrow at her.

Chloe shrugged as she put the lid back on the bottle. ‘I’m just looking forward to seeing how you survive without having someone at your beck and call for longer than an hour.’ She grinned.

Loki laughed and reached out to slide his hand behind her neck, stroking over her skin softly. ‘Well, I have you to be at my beck and call.’ He winked at her and leaned in to kiss her.

‘I’m not your slave.’ Chloe said with a smile when he removed his lips from hers.

‘Oh, are you not? That’s such a shame… Here was me thinking you were my sex slave that I could pay in orgasms.’ Loki chuckled, his tongue poked out to wet his lips, highly distracting her.

Before Chloe could reply with something smart, the pilot announced they were about to start take off procedures.

‘Seatbelt on, doll.’ Loki said, doing his own.

The click of her seatbelt made her nerves flood back. This was it. She was about to experience flying for the first time ever… And she had no idea what to expect.

It was all ok as the jet made its way down the runway. Then it started to speed up… And her stomach started to feel funny. She was gripping the arm rests as if for her life and her knuckles were turning white.

Loki took her hand in his and rested it on her lap.

‘Thanks.’ She said, her voice a little shaky.

The jet finally took off, the feeling was so strange for Chloe. She squeezed Loki’s hand tightly, he thought at one point she was going to cut off his circulation.

As the jet started to level out once they were high enough, her grip started to ease. But she still didn’t want to let go quite yet. So Loki rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, making her skin tingle a little. As it always did now from his touch.

When it was safe for them to take off their seatbelts, Chloe was a bit unsure at first.

‘It’s alright, doll. I promise. If there’s any turbulence then we need to put them back on. But we can move around, do whatever you like.’ He assured her, taking his own seatbelt off.

Chloe took hers off, following his lead. Loki motioned to the window at his side, smiling when he saw her eyes widen as she leaned across him to take a look, leaning on his thigh for support.

‘Holy shit! We are so high up.’

‘Indeed.’ Loki chuckled, stroking her hair back out of her face. He enjoyed the way her face had lit up, now she was relaxing more and enjoying the view.

Chloe felt pretty comfortable being in the air. She had a feeling she could get used to it, very easily. Loki had the stewardess make them some lunch, which was delicious. There was a little turbulence at one point, but it didn’t last long and Chloe didn’t find it too bad.

Loki was just relieved it wasn’t really strong, which it could be sometimes.

They were about halfway through their flight, just watching a film together on the TV on front of them. Chloe was resting her head against his shoulder and had her arms wrapped around his arm. But then he started nuzzling into her hair, watching less and less of the film.

‘How would you like to join the mile-high club?’ Loki asked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows when Chloe looked up at him. His eyes were full of pure mischief, making her stomach flutter.

‘Uhm… I… Maybe…’ She said, flustered.

Loki chuckled and leaned over, his arm slipped around her to keep her in place. He started kissing her, his tongue slipped into her mouth. While he took her breath away, he sneaked his free hand under her dress and slowly worked up her thigh, until he found his goal.

He reached inside her knickers and growled into her mouth, finding her slightly aroused already for him. He started teasing her gently, working her up nice and slow.

Chloe sighed into him, his fingers always felt amazing. She wasn’t sure what she preferred… them, his tongue or his cock. All so skilful in their own way.

She gripped onto his arm, not sure what else to hold onto. Her head fell back in a light moan as he circled her clit, slowly getting faster. Loki used the hand that was around her middle and brought it up to the back of her head, turning her into him so he could kiss her again.

But it was Loki’s turn to get a little surprise when she reached down and started to squeeze him through his trousers. He gasped into her mouth and chuckled.

‘Very eager to join the mile-high club I see.’ He smirked against her lips.

She just whimpered in response when Loki slowly inserted two fingers into her, making sure she was prepped for him. He kissed her deeply, his cock hardening under her touch. It was starting to get uncomfortable, still trapped.

‘Come on, doll. Hop on.’ He said in a rush as he leaned away, unbuckling his belt.

While he was getting himself sorted, Chloe quickly slid her knickers down and off. Leaving them on the floor on front of her chair.

Then as soon as Loki pulled his cock out, Chloe was clambering onto his lap straight away. Loki gripped her hips and helped to guide her down onto him, both of them moaned together as he filled her up. She sank right down and he held her still, letting them both adjust. But not for long.

Loki skimmed his hands up and down her back as she started moving on him, grinding back and fore, keeping him as deep as possible to hit all the good spots inside her.

‘Ohhh yes, doll. You always feel so delightful around my cock, so tight and warm. All mine.’ He growled deep, scratching down her back that made her arch forward and moan loudly.

She leaned forward to bury her face into his neck and wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him tightly as they both rocked back and fore.

Loki prayed to the Gods that there would be no turbulence until they were finished. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to let her go back to her own chair even if there was some.

Luckily there wasn’t any interruptions. Loki completed himself into her with a groan and dug his fingers into her sides, likely to leave bruises. But he always came so hard when he was buried inside her. Chloe was quick to follow, cumming just as hard.  

She went completely limp on his lap and didn’t want to move, at all. Loki trailed his fingers up and down her spine, enjoying the lovely little shiver he got out of her. He was still nestled nicely inside of her and he was quite happy keeping her there.

‘I can’t move.’ She whispered against his neck.

Loki chuckled. ‘No need to, darling. We have plenty of time before descending.’

#Loki #Tom Hiddleston #caught in his web #fan fiction

[imagine-loki]

Caught in his web, Chapter 38

TITLE: Caught in his web CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 38 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki is a crime lord, a very dangerous man in the city. He is owed money, but the man is unable to pay Loki back, so Loki takes his daughter as payment instead.  RATING: M

Chloe bit her tongue and tried not to look at Loki on the journey to the private runway. He was looking far too handsome for her poor mind and body to cope with.

Loki always managed to look smart, even when he was dressed down. He was wearing a light blue shirt, top few buttons undone, with his sunglasses propped on top of his head all ready for when they got to Greece.

‘Did you remember your migraine tablets?’ Loki asked.

Chloe’s face dropped. ‘Shit!’ She panicked, she had forgotten to pack them.

Loki raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. ‘Good job I remembered just before we left then, isn’t it? They’re in my bag.’ He chuckled.

She relaxed and sighed. ‘Oh thank god! Thank you…’ She said sheepishly.

‘What would you do without me?’ He grinned.

‘I’d be lost without you.’ She said in a teasing tone, though she wasn’t sure what she would do without him actually…

But it still didn’t ease her slight anxiety about being completely alone on an island with him.

They arrived at the private runway and Chloe’s nerves returned when they got out of the car and started walking towards the jet.

‘Alright, doll? You look like you’re going to pass out on me.’ Loki took hold of her wrist and stopped her, he turned her towards him.

‘I’m… fine… Just haven’t flown before, a little nervous.’ She admitted.

Loki frowned and brushed her hair behind her shoulder, he placed his hand just below her collarbone. ‘You never told me. Maybe you should take one of your migraine tablets once we get on, just to be on the safe side. If you get a little stressed. Are you scared of heights?’

‘No, not really. I mean, I wouldn’t like to be on the edge of a tall building type of thing. But I don’t think I mind heights.’ She shrugged.

‘Come on then, I think you’ll enjoy it. You’re perfectly safe with me.’ Loki assured her and took her hand, giving her a squeeze, they continued on to the jet.

Chloe completely forgot all about her flying nerves when they got on the jet. She couldn’t believe how luxurious it was. Although, she really shouldn’t have been surprised. This was Loki, after all.

There was a couple of double beds through the back for longer flights. As well as a spacious bathroom. A bar up front and a small kitchen for cooking some basic meals. Of course, Loki had a stewardess who came along on all flights to do all that for him and his guests.

The seats were big leather chairs that reclined. And large TV’s opposite each one, with headphones. At the other side of the jet was a row of three tables with seats around them, to make it easier for eating at if decided.

‘Holy shit. This is… I don’t even know what to say!’ Chloe was in utter awe after looking around and sitting down on one of the chairs. ‘Can we just like, fly around for the entire weekend and live in here?’

Loki laughed and sat down next to her at the window side. ‘You’ll get to experience this plenty of times, on longer flights too. No worries there. Providing you enjoy it, that is. We haven’t even taken off yet.’

‘Surely it’s just like being on a bus or a train?’ She asked, getting comfortable.

‘During the flight, yes. It’s better. But take off and landing is not to everyone’s liking. Remember and take one of your pills.’ Loki reached up and pushed a button. Two seconds later, a stewardess came along.

‘What can I get for you, Sir?’ She asked politely with a smile.

‘A bottle of water, please.’

Chloe blinked in disbelief that Loki hired someone to get whatever they wanted while on the flight. When the stewardess returned with water for Chloe, Chloe looked at Loki with a smirk as she took one of her tablets.

‘What?’ He raised an eyebrow at her.

Chloe shrugged as she put the lid back on the bottle. ‘I’m just looking forward to seeing how you survive without having someone at your beck and call for longer than an hour.’ She grinned.

Loki laughed and reached out to slide his hand behind her neck, stroking over her skin softly. ‘Well, I have you to be at my beck and call.’ He winked at her and leaned in to kiss her.

‘I’m not your slave.’ Chloe said with a smile when he removed his lips from hers.

‘Oh, are you not? That’s such a shame… Here was me thinking you were my sex slave that I could pay in orgasms.’ Loki chuckled, his tongue poked out to wet his lips, highly distracting her.

Before Chloe could reply with something smart, the pilot announced they were about to start take off procedures.

‘Seatbelt on, doll.’ Loki said, doing his own.

The click of her seatbelt made her nerves flood back. This was it. She was about to experience flying for the first time ever… And she had no idea what to expect. 

It was all ok as the jet made its way down the runway. Then it started to speed up… And her stomach started to feel funny. She was gripping the arm rests as if for her life and her knuckles were turning white.

Loki took her hand in his and rested it on her lap.

‘Thanks.’ She said, her voice a little shaky.

The jet finally took off, the feeling was so strange for Chloe. She squeezed Loki’s hand tightly, he thought at one point she was going to cut off his circulation.

As the jet started to level out once they were high enough, her grip started to ease. But she still didn’t want to let go quite yet. So Loki rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, making her skin tingle a little. As it always did now from his touch.

When it was safe for them to take off their seatbelts, Chloe was a bit unsure at first.

‘It’s alright, doll. I promise. If there’s any turbulence then we need to put them back on. But we can move around, do whatever you like.’ He assured her, taking his own seatbelt off.

Chloe took hers off, following his lead. Loki motioned to the window at his side, smiling when he saw her eyes widen as she leaned across him to take a look, leaning on his thigh for support.

‘Holy shit! We are so high up.’

‘Indeed.’ Loki chuckled, stroking her hair back out of her face. He enjoyed the way her face had lit up, now she was relaxing more and enjoying the view.

Chloe felt pretty comfortable being in the air. She had a feeling she could get used to it, very easily. Loki had the stewardess make them some lunch, which was delicious. There was a little turbulence at one point, but it didn’t last long and Chloe didn’t find it too bad.

Loki was just relieved it wasn’t really strong, which it could be sometimes.

They were about halfway through their flight, just watching a film together on the TV on front of them. Chloe was resting her head against his shoulder and had her arms wrapped around his arm. But then he started nuzzling into her hair, watching less and less of the film.

‘How would you like to join the mile-high club?’ Loki asked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows when Chloe looked up at him. His eyes were full of pure mischief, making her stomach flutter.

‘Uhm… I… Maybe…’ She said, flustered.

Loki chuckled and leaned over, his arm slipped around her to keep her in place. He started kissing her, his tongue slipped into her mouth. While he took her breath away, he sneaked his free hand under her dress and slowly worked up her thigh, until he found his goal.

He reached inside her knickers and growled into her mouth, finding her slightly aroused already for him. He started teasing her gently, working her up nice and slow.

Chloe sighed into him, his fingers always felt amazing. She wasn’t sure what she preferred… them, his tongue or his cock. All so skilful in their own way.

She gripped onto his arm, not sure what else to hold onto. Her head fell back in a light moan as he circled her clit, slowly getting faster. Loki used the hand that was around her middle and brought it up to the back of her head, turning her into him so he could kiss her again.

But it was Loki’s turn to get a little surprise when she reached down and started to squeeze him through his trousers. He gasped into her mouth and chuckled.

‘Very eager to join the mile-high club I see.’ He smirked against her lips.

She just whimpered in response when Loki slowly inserted two fingers into her, making sure she was prepped for him. He kissed her deeply, his cock hardening under her touch. It was starting to get uncomfortable, still trapped.

‘Come on, doll. Hop on.’ He said in a rush as he leaned away, unbuckling his belt.

While he was getting himself sorted, Chloe quickly slid her knickers down and off. Leaving them on the floor on front of her chair.

Then as soon as Loki pulled his cock out, Chloe was clambering onto his lap straight away. Loki gripped her hips and helped to guide her down onto him, both of them moaned together as he filled her up. She sank right down and he held her still, letting them both adjust. But not for long.

Loki skimmed his hands up and down her back as she started moving on him, grinding back and fore, keeping him as deep as possible to hit all the good spots inside her.

‘Ohhh yes, doll. You always feel so delightful around my cock, so tight and warm. All mine.’ He growled deep, scratching down her back that made her arch forward and moan loudly.

She leaned forward to bury her face into his neck and wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him tightly as they both rocked back and fore.

Loki prayed to the Gods that there would be no turbulence until they were finished. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to let her go back to her own chair even if there was some.

Luckily there wasn’t any interruptions. Loki completed himself into her with a groan and dug his fingers into her sides, likely to leave bruises. But he always came so hard when he was buried inside her. Chloe was quick to follow, cumming just as hard.  

She went completely limp on his lap and didn’t want to move, at all. Loki trailed his fingers up and down her spine, enjoying the lovely little shiver he got out of her. He was still nestled nicely inside of her and he was quite happy keeping her there.

‘I can’t move.’ She whispered against his neck.

Loki chuckled. ‘No need to, darling. We have plenty of time before descending.’

#Loki #Others #Submitted fic #submission #caught in his web #chapter 38 #fanfichiddles

[aion-rsa]

Loki: How Sylvie’s Decision Could Reshape the MCU

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This article contains Loki spoilers.

Marvel’s Loki is many things at various points over the course of its six-episode run: A Philosophy 101 debate about determinism, a rumination on the existence of free will, a Doctor Who-style meditation on the interconnected messiness of time, a buddy cop romp through all of known reality, and the most bizarre love story that Marvel has yet told on screen.

Tom Hiddleston remains as charming as ever as Loki, playing an earlier version of the God of Mischief with much of the pathos that ultimately made his original take on the character so compelling to watch. Plus, thanks to the introduction of Variants – different versions of familiar characters whose lives have diverged from their predetermined timeline in some way – he got to act opposite a CGI alligator version of himself.

But it’s the introduction of the female Loki variant Sylvie that has not only rewritten our understanding of Loki as a character but who has also essentially charted a new course for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her decision to kill He Who Remains (or Immortus or Kang the Conqueror or however you want to refer to the being who lives in the castle at the end of time) is crucial to setting up the world of the MCU post-Thanos, but it also establishes a new role for herself within it – and for Loki as well.

What Makes a Loki a Loki?

​​Much of Loki has been about our titular former villain’s transformation into something like a hero, and his final confrontation with He Who Remains underlines the multiple dramatic ways in which he has changed thanks to his relationships with both Sylvie and Mobius. In the face-off that ultimately decides the literal future of reality, Loki insists he no longer wants to rule the way he once did, that he is capable of putting his ambition and anger aside for the greater good.

Loki’s goals are much smaller and more intimate now: Not galactic conquest or domination, but stability and a life with the woman he loves (his assertion that he actually doesn’t want to rule, just make sure Sylvie’s okay is a massive perspective shift for a man who’s only ever otherwise cared about himself). ​​We’ve seen how Loki’s growing feelings for Sylvie have impacted him as a character, with his complicated appreciation for her helping him to understand and, to some extent, combat his own rampant feelings of inadequacy and insecurity. 

Gone is the rebel who wanted to overthrow the Time Variance Authority as soon as he arrived within its halls. And in its place is a man who understands that while the TVA is a despicable organization, it may very well be a necessary one – if only because the alternative is likely a great deal worse.

Instead, it is Sylvie who steps forward to fill the void Loki’s embrace of a more traditional hero’s arc has left behind, a new Queen of Chaos who ultimately chooses freedom, free will, and, yes, mischief, over the rigid rules of a world whose order is predetermined. Her betrayal of Loki stings emotionally, of course; Loki has done a remarkable job making their connection feel less bizarre and off-putting than it has any right to be. But it is also a perfectly in-character choice for her.  Sylvie is who she has always said she was, the product of a universe that craves chaos, a variant who was essentially created to do exactly as she does here. 

What makes a Loki a Loki? In short: This.

For better or worse, Sylvie remains irrevocably tied to the identity she forged before Loki ever existed, a lost girl seeking revenge for the destruction of a life she never got to live. What she’ll do now that she’s achieved her goal, how she’ll live without the animating force that’s single-mindedly driven her since she was just a child, is unclear and remains a major unknown heading into the show’s just-confirmed second season.

Obviously, Sylvie’s decision to kill He Who Remains will have far-reaching consequences for everyone else in the universe (or multiverse, as it stands now). Her actions have freed reality from the concept of a Sacred Timeline, allowing seemingly infinite numbers of Variants and alternate branches of existence to flourish in a way that they haven’t since the TVA was first created.

She has literally changed the face of reality itself, restoring free will to billions of people and finally achieving the revenge she’s spent the bulk of her life seeking. This is no small feat, but it does beg the question of what could possibly come next for her as a character.

What’s Next for Sylvie in Loki Season 2?

Perhaps Season 2 of Loki will serve as Sylvie’s emotional crucible, a story in which she’ll have to wrestle with many of the same introspective sorts of questions that Loki did in its first (for example, I’m still waiting to find out precisely what her Nexus Event was, as well as how she came to change her name so drastically). It seems likely that she’ll come to regret the decision she made beyond the Void or at least realize that the chaos she has unleashed upon reality has caused more harm than good.

This would put a new twist on Loki’s traditional failed ambition and painful comeuppance narrative cycle, in much the same way that Loki has consistently seemed to view Sylvie’s journey as a parallel to his story rather than a direct copy of it. 

Viewed in that light, what does it mean that Sylvie chose vengeance for herself and freedom for others rather than a future with Loki? And what does her decision mean for their obvious emotional connection: Is their love more or less real because Sylvie didn’t prioritize it? Was the kiss that finishes off their climactic swordfight a genuine expression of care? Pure manipulation? Somewhere in between?

Or will Sylvie simply emerge as Phase 4’s “new” Loki, a Goddess of Mischief who takes up the mantle of untrustworthy trickster and troublemaker just as Loki himself embraces his new heroic mission to try and fix the timeline his other half broke?

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Perhaps Loki Season 2 will do what its protagonists could not, and chart a new, third path through the existing binary of bad and worse options. But whatever happens next – either on this show or in the Marvel feature films that follow – it’s all only happening because of Sylvie. No matter what her future holds, at least for this moment she’s the most important person in any and every reality. 

The post Loki: How Sylvie’s Decision Could Reshape the MCU appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[fandumbstuff]

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ranked Best to Worst.

Why watch a movie when you can experience it? And that’s what the MCU demands you do. These films are less about settling in to watch a movie. It’s about getting together your family, your friends and making an entire event of them. Marvel Studios has forever changed cinema going, and boy am I eager to get back to them. So with that, let me break down the franchise and my take on the best and worst it has to offer.

1. Iron Man 3 Directed by Shane Black

Iron Man 3 still holds up as one of the MCU’s strongest screenplays. It’s their first (and one of their only) real character study of a superhero, and the psychology behind being one. Tony Stark suffers from PTSD and struggles to understand his relationship with Iron Man. He is forced to contend with human issues and find what it is that truly makes him a hero. It’s also a movie chock full of incredible action set pieces- the Air Force One scene still holding up as one of my favourites- and wickedly funny dialogue. It continues to be my most satisfying re-watch out of the MCU.

2. Black Panther Directed by Ryan Coogler

Marvel’s best villain, best score, best production design, and best picture candidate. It’s the movie that forced Hollywood to take them seriously. Ryan Coogler showed the world that he can perform even within a studio system that had largely been criticised for being too overbearing. The world may have always known that Black Panther existed, but Coogler showed us why he matters so much. The story is the MCU’s most inspiring yet. Killmonger forces not just T'Challa, but every audience member to consider his motivations seriously. It shows humanity that heroism doesn’t come from superficial acts, but from overcoming our own flaws and learning hard lessons from our history.

3. Thor: Ragnarok Directed by Taika Waititi

In letting Taika Waititi have free reign over Ragnarok, Marvel is given their most unique film yet. The movie feels very much like Waititi’s own vision, chock full of his signature wit and charm. And its within this vision that we finally see Chris Hemsworth come into his own as Thor. Finally at ease, he’s allowed to be funny, and absurd, and play the emotional scenes without any melodrama. Waititi really makes the character dynamics in this film memorable, introducing us to the Grandmaster and Valkyrie, and fleshing out Banner and Loki. It’s a cast that charms us enough to consider staying with the MCU and seeing where they go.

4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

Chris Evans finally comes into his own as Captain America, as Winter Soldier gives him a captivating character arc to work through. Steve Rogers is placed in a conflict that makes him question his own motivations. The morality that he stands for is in direct opposition to the authority he serves, leaving him to question what it means to be Captain America. We also see him learn from his relationships with the supporting cast- with a franchise best portrayal of Nick Fury and Black Widow and a particularly strong introduction of Falcon. The Russos create something truly remarkable by taking a character that has been criticized for being too traditional and show him learn and change significantly. But in addition to all this they direct what is easily the MCU’s best pure action movie yet, showcasing the franchise’s best car chase (Fury vs Cops) and its best fight scene (THAT knife scene).

5. Avengers: Endgame Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

Stunning, momentous and joyous, Endgame is the theatrical experience that Marvel has spent over 10 years honing to perfection. Just one year after Infinity War, the MCU brings together their iconic, colossal cast for their grandest, most ambitious adventure yet. And while Endgame is chock-full of some stunning action sequences and gleeful references, it carries a genuine heart to it. These heroes struggle with PTSD from the events of Infinity War. We see them at their very lowest, and watch their desperation mount and grow to determination. This epic struggle is what has made superheroes so compelling for so many years. By breaking these characters down, the Russos show us just what makes them great. We’ve witnessed writers, directors and certainly the actors take these characters on journeys that have seemed at times thrilling, at time out of touch, but in Endgame, they’re at their very best. The moments of reprieve in the action where we simply sit with them to listen in on their banter are the best. Building to it’s inevitably emotional ending, Endgame winds up being one of the most wholly cathartic experience I have had with a film.

6. Guardians of the Galaxy Directed by James Gunn

At the time of it’s release, Guardians was the franchise’s best-looking movie yet, and it still holds up. The slick space opera designs set to the now iconic soundtrack made the first Guardians an aesthetic marvel. It’s the substance that comes with this that makes the movie one of the MCU’s best. The ragtag group are misfits who find their purpose by banding together, and while the sequel may have drawn this out to nauseating lengths, the first movie made it succinctly effective. It found the right balance of humour and sentiment, endearing us to a cast of characters that seemed too obscure to be popular- and guaran-damn-teeing that Marvel can do whatever the hell it pleases moving forward.

7. Avengers: Infinity War Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

To handle ten years of storytelling and world building and bring it to such a satisfying crescendo is commendable. The Russo brothers handle each character well- each new introduction is a pleasing moment of familiarity and excitement to the fans that have stuck with this franchise. It’s a perfect match to the comic book format. And ultimately Infinity War is as good as any major comic book event. A chance to see our favourite characters interact with each other with conceivable motivations, and face a threat that is alarmingly critical. Its in this respect that Infinity War outshines its predecessors. For the first time, the Avengers face real emotional consequences if they fail. The Russo’s pull no punches to make this clear and despite a fair amount of signature MCU levity, Infinity War winds up being their darkest film yet.

8. The Avengers Directed by Joss Whedon

There’s no questioning the milestone achievement that The Avengers accomplished. As a superhero ensemble, it never once feels congested or jarring-something that most blockbusters consistently suffer from. Instead the protagonists are given clear goals, and their obstacles make real sense. Their hostility towards each other stems from their innate character flaws that they need to address to face the true antagonist in Loki. It highlights what Marvel does so well- offer us adventures that don’t tie up all their loose ends but rather leave them dangling to set up more ambitious stories.

9. Spiderman: Homecoming Directed by Jon Watts

I’ve long considered Spider-Man an uninteresting superhero, so it is highly commendable that Homecoming manages to change that. We skip the origin story and meet a Peter Parker that is inexperienced and has a lot of growing up to do. He contends with Michael Keaton’s Vulture- a villain that is simultaneously charismatic, intimidating, and relatable. Supported by what is probably the best supporting cast in any MCU film. Martin Starr, Hannibal Burress, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau and Marisa Tomei flesh out Spidey’s own universe of Queens- wholly believable and charming.

10. Captain America: Civil War Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

In all respects, this should have been the second Avengers film. The Russo brothers do what Joss Whedon couldn’t. They show these characters change and clarify their motivations based on the 8 years that we’ve been watching them. They introduce new characters like Spider-Man and Black Panther in seamless fashion. They provide exciting action set pieces and compelling moments of drama. The payoff at the end truly shows us how much of a battering these heroes take- emotionally and physically. We see their vulnerability more clearly than any other MCU film, forcing us to address the question that they can’t keep doing this forever.

11. Captain Marvel Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

The biggest issue that this movie suffers from is that it seems very episodic to a larger MCU. Its hard to get around this though, with it’s release date being less than 2 months away from Endgame. It feels like there are some key world building details that had to be gotten across. Had this not been the case, perhaps they could have explored Carol’s character a bit more. She does seem interesting, and Brie Larson does an expectedly great job, but it seems like we’re only getting a taste of a much larger character study. From what we see though, it is refreshing to see a female character who simply goes out and kicks ass without ever being sexualised, even in terms of costume design. The highlight of the film though, is undoubtedly Samuel L. Jackson’s incredible portrayal of a young Nick Fury, through the most magical of magic tricks in VFX.

12. Iron Man Directed by Jon Favreau

While I do feel like the movie has lost some of it’s lustre since it’s release, there’s no denying that Jon Favreau achieved something remarkable with Iron Man. Forever considered one of Marvel’s B-characters, Favreau brings Tony Stark into a modern era and instantly relevant setting. This is obviously due in large part to his gamble of casting the debilitated Robert Downey Jr. in the lead. Downey Jr. pays off in spades, revitalising his career and sadly typecasting himself forever with a roguishly charming performance.

13. Doctor Strange Directed Scott Derrickson

Doctor Strange is proof of the amazing world-building prowess the MCU has. They introduce key elements to the universe that seem incredibly important, without ever overwhelming the story. Benedict Cumberbatch puts on his best American accent yet and capably sells Stephen Strange as one of the MCU’s more level-headed heroes. The rich mythos of Doctor Strange fits immediately into the greater MCU framework while telling it’s own compelling narrative culminating in my favourite climax to any MCU film- “Dormammu, I’ve come to bargain.”

14. Spider-Man: Far From Home Directed by Jon Watts

The real standout from this film is Jake Gyllenhaal with his pitch-perfect performance as Quentin Beck/Mysterio. He threads that line of MCU humour extremely well, but also manages to come off as wholly and realistically threatening when he needs to. Far From Home had the tough task of following the monumental Endgame,  but it fulfills its purpose of truly setting the tone for the future. A lot rests on Peter Parker’s shoulders and Far From Home shows him having to deal with it responsibly, maturing and growing to fill a greater role in the MCU. 

15. Ant-Man Directed by Peyton Reed

If you ignore the fact that this movie was almost directed by Edgar Wright and how amazing that could have been, Ant-Man still delivers as a very entertaining movie and one of the franchises strongest origin stories. Scott Lang is instantly the MCU’s most relatable character- not a god, not a spy, just a thief with no powers and no resources (initially). And there is no one who could have played this character better than Paul Rudd. Bringing his signature charm and impeccable comedic timing to the franchise is a breath of fresh air and a brand-new dynamic. 

16. Captain America: The First Avenger Directed by Joe Johnston

Ultimately my biggest problem with Captain America has always been his origin story, so I have some natural issues with this film. It is also bogged down with some cliched romantic drama between Steve and Peggy which takes away from its otherwise engrossing plot. Hugo Weaving proves to be an effective Red Skull, showing us a deeply disturbing quest for power. The movie excels in its WW2 setting, laying down real consequences and motives behind Captain America’s heroism. It takes a few movies for Chris Evans to settle into the role, but this is a strong start.

17. Iron Man 2. Directed by Jon Favreau

Iron Man 2 consistently threads the line of poignant storytelling. Ivan Vanko’s vengeful motives, Tony Stark’s descent into alcoholism and the nature of war profiteering. It’s especially unfortunate then that the movie gets bogged down with a persistent need for levity. More than any other film in MCU, the humour in Iron Man 2 seems particularly cumbersome- taking away from what would surely be strong performances from Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell. As a result, we’re left with villains who don’t seem to be a threat at all- mere caricatures for Iron Man to dispatch without ever really pondering their motivations.

18. Ant-Man and the Wasp Directed by Peyton Reed

My initial reaction to this movie was pretty positive, but given time I realise it’s totally forgettable. While it does feature some integral world building to the larger MCU, there’s very little done to explore some of their characters, particularly the Pym/van Dynes. There are still a lot of great aspects, including some clever action set pieces that explore Ant-Man’s powers more. Scott’s relationship with Cassie is expanded on and Paul Rudd and Abby Ryder Fortson do a great job selling this, making it seem truly endearing without ever being corny. Also Randall Park is in it and he might be the greatest actor of his generation.

19. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Directed by James Gunn

More of the same, but not nearly as fresh is what Guardians 2 serves up. It rehashes a lot of its predecessors joke formulas, action montages and even the basic emotional tone. It’s hard for any of this to seem anything other than repetitive and I’m left wanting these characters to go on real adventures rather than wallow in their own angst. Without offering any new developments to these characters and a rather uninteresting plot, the movie is another totally dismissible filler episode in the MCU.

20. Thor Directed by Kenneth Branagh

It’s really baffling that with as big of a name as Kenneth Branagh attached to it, Thor winds up being one of the MCU’s most poorly directed films. Poorly constructed shots framed on a dutch tilt and coloured with a gaudy high contrast palette make this movie a downright eyesore. It’s especially unfortunate because it’s got some great moments of storytelling in it. While the first three quarters of the movie seem tedious, it pays off in the last 30 minutes- exposing a complex family drama that drives most of the film. While Chris Hemsworth took a few films to polish his acting chops, Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins provide strong performances to really sell their characters and make us care.

21. The Incredible Hulk Directed by Louis Leterrier

This movie has easily become the sore thumb in Marvel’s formula. It seems entirely different from the rest of the movies. This is due in large part I believe to make it similar to the original TV series. None of this is a good thing. The movie has a largely meandering plotline, with no sensible character development. Bruce Banner goes back and forth between being tortured by the Hulk and accepting him. In a world populated by poor villains, Tim Roth’s Abomination might be the worst one. At no point do his motivations make sense or seem clear at all.

22. Avengers: Age of Ultron Directed by Joss Whedon

It seems like Joss Whedon decided to make a sequel to The Avengers without taking into consideration the four other movies that came out after it. Ignoring most of the character development and brushing aside key plot points, Whedon instead tries to explore their team dynamic by sewing seeds of hostility and testing them against a new villain. However, as good as James Spader is, Ultron never feels like a real threat. The real antagonist for the Avengers winds up being themselves, constantly bickering over right and wrong- and while this isn’t necessarily bad, Civil War would do a much better job of this just a year later. This makes Age of Ultron a dispensable entry in the MCU, and Whedon’s extremely poor handling of Natasha and Bruce’s relationship make it an arduous rewatch.

23. Thor: The Dark World Directed by Alan Taylor

The Dark World suffers from some bizarre shifts in tone and horribly forced humour. They reduce Jane Foster and Thor’s relationship to a cliched romantic comedy and then use it to add unnecessary comedy to the family dynamic established in the first Thor. Even the performances seem poor here- as if the actors never truly felt comfortable in their role. They posture and exaggerate to sell a script that offers them very little to work with. With a caricature of an evil villain and a generic McGuffin to chase, The Dark World is everything you could criticize the MCU of, rolled into one movie.

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[bisexual-magneto]

Villains do bad things purposely for an evil goal. All tony literally ever tried to do was protect people. It blew up in his face sometimes but he did more for people than most of the other avengers. He didn’t create ultron with an evil intent. That whole move is fucked anyways. Like the whole point of his character is that he makes up for his past mistakes and tries to do good even when things don’t work out (cuz marvel has to use tony to create their boring ass villains cuz he brings in the $)

"Villains do bad things purposely for an evil goal." This is simply not true. Even without getting into the nuances of villains, antagonists, anti-heroes, anti-villains - it's simply not true.

I know that our generation grew up with a lot of famous "for the lulz" plot twist villains like the Joker or Sherlock's Moriarty or GoT-Jeoffrey and it left its mark on how we perceive antagonists, but those are plot device villains - they basically have no personality of its own and no interesting motivation beyond being scary or getting rich or taking over the world or whatever.

But many villains are actually convinced they are doing the right thing -  or might even have the right goal but just horrible means to do it. Even in the MCU you have a fantastic example of such a character with Erik Killmonger who actually has an agenda that I find far more relatable than anything Tony has ever did in his life. 

The thing is, I love villains or antagonists like that (there is a reason why I have Magneto in my URL) and I could start an entire essay about why such characters are important and great and interesting and I even wrote a small essay about the conditions under which I might actually like Tony that touches upon that subject - for example if he did learn from his mistakes or did change his behaviour or did learn to respect his team mates etc. Which he doesn't.

And of course, there are villains who don't necessarily have good ideas or some respectable goal - but even they don't have to be card-carrying villains. They might do horrible things but still think it's the right thing to do. You know, like many people who do wrong things do. Mysterio in FFH is an example. Even Loki thought he was doing the right thing in Thor 1. Honestly, I'm not sure how you enjoy literally any kind of media if you don't know something as fundamental as: Not all villains consider themselves evil or have evil goals. Some have the wrong means. Some are misguided. Some are manipulated, groomed or forced. Some may have made experiences the hero didn’t and might actually change their outlook on things. Or they might have done something they thought was right but it turned out it wasn’t - and they make up for these past mistakes and get a redemption arc and eventually do it right. That could be Tony, if they played him as a villain.

And the thing about Tony "making up for past mistakes" is... he doesn't. In Iron Man 1 he learns not to build weapons. The he built Ultron. Then he build the technology Hydra would use for Project Insight - a technology that can take out anyone on Earth. In Civil War he calls Wanda (an actual person) a weapon while he goes to war against Cap with the robot He. Fucking. Created. and that He. Fucking. Raised., turning him into a weapon indirectly. And then, in Endgame, long after the fucking Nazis were discovered to be behind Project Insight, he returns from space and yells at Steve that they need technology like that. And what does he do after half the world population is killed, the planet is thrown into chaos, people fight to survive? Instead of helping? He builds more technology to kill random people with, points it at Earth, and signs the remote over to a teenager without any instructions or safety measures in case he dies. Which almost ends up with him killing a class mate accidentally. This is not a learning process or a redemption arc. This is a pretty consistent behaviour pattern and I know plenty of villains who did better than that. He still needs a redemption arc that might make him likable or interesting but instead he's dead and, according to Marvel, we have to pretend that he never did any of these things and has a spotless record of always doing the right thing.

"All tony literally ever tried to do was protect people" - Here's the problem. Sometimes people don't want to be protected. And it's their right to reject that. Putting a giant death laser asteroid into the sky "to protect people" is bad. I know that culture changed a lot regarding this question in the last 20 years, but individual freedom is an important value. No billionaire has the right to point a fucking missile at my head to 'protect me'. No thank you. Go fight poverty and end disease with your money. 

Also interesting: He could easily use his money to bring vaccinations and clean water into areas that don't have any and help people. You know like Bruce did. Steve literally fought the Nazis in WW2. Natascha stopped Project Insight. Thor saved an entire population in Thor 1, more than that in Thor 2 and again an entire population in Thor Ragnarök. so "he did more for people than most of the other Avengers" doesn't really hold up, despite him being in more films than any of them.

#anti tony stark #anti tony stans #Anonymous

[crowkingwrites]

I Don’t Need Your Protection

Pairing: Loki x Reader // Words: 1673 // Ao3 Link

Author’s Notes: Sorry for not posting on time. :( This story also contains spoilers for Avengers Endgame. This is also a EVERYBODY LIVES AU.

“Will you stop biting your nails? That’s not good for you,” Dr. Stephen Strange said to you. You took your nails out of your mouth and buried your hands in your sleeves.

“Sorry, Dad,” you sheepishly said as both of you exited out of the elevator on the Avengers Compound. You had just been accepted officially as an Avenger and were now meeting your father’s new apprentice. After everything the Avengers had been through, the new goal was only to protect the planet from global attacks.

You were incredibly talented at your own magic because of your father, but you also show something your father doesn’t have—psychic sight. Of course, your father had it too, but he conjured it. Your came naturally to you. You could hear many thoughts all at once or one at a time.

Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were more than happy to let you in on the team.

“I let the sixteen-year old kid join,” Tony laughed, shaking your hand. “What’s another kid?”

“Actually, I’m not a kid, I’m—

You were interrupted by your father who tapped your shoulder. Once you turned, you were faced with your father’s new apprentice. He was very tall. Very tall. His hair was long and dark. He had nice eyes. And oh my god? Was this man so handsome that you couldn’t form more eloquent thoughts? He had nice eyes? Are you fucking kidding?

You bit your lip. If your thoughts were this dumb, there’s no way you would be talking.

“Y/N, this is Loki,” your father said. “He’s my new apprentice. He will be living with us as well.” You held your breath. No. No, no, no, no, no. Your father never mentioned that. He didn’t say those words in that order. No, you must have misheard him.

Loki smiled down at you, taking your hand and putting his hand over yours. “I’ve heard incredible things about you. I hear you’re very talented at reading minds.”

You nodded, still keeping your mouth shut.

“May I test it? To see for myself?” Loki let go of you. He straightened his back and kept his eyes locked on yours. “Go ahead. Read my mind.”

You looked to your father who nodded back at Loki. “Go on. Show him.”

You closed your eyes and focused your energy on Loki. You would think the God of Mischief would have a mental block of sorts, but you reached his mind in seconds. His thoughts spoke only to you.

“Well, well, well, aren’t you a clever, sweet thing? Color me impressed, darling. Can your father hear us?” Loki thought. You shook your head. Loki laughed out loud and continued. “Well, then. Consider this our little secret, hm? I wouldn’t want your father knowing how pretty I think you are.”

You felt your stomach dropping and forced a smile.

“I believe, I’ve proved it,” you said to your father.

“She did!” Loki clapped his hands and laughed. “Your daughter is incredibly talented. Perhaps I’ll have two teachers in magic.”

“Soon,” Stephen said guiding the group of you towards a car waiting outside. “She’s not ready to teach just yet.”

Once Loki had the ropes of being Doctor Strange’s apprentice, his attention moved back to you. He often let you wander his mind openly to make his intentions clear.

“You look so lovely this morning.”

“Does your father lecture you this much?”

“If you can hear me, tap your fingers.”

“I read something that reminded me of you. I left it under your door.”

“If you’re wondering, yes I was looking at you like that.”

“Why does your father have horrible taste in movies?”

“As terrible as this film is, it lets my mind wander to more important things. Like the way you laugh at the terrible humor. I love your laugh.”

“Can you hum your favorite song? It’s very calming when you do that.”

“Are you alright? You haven’t said a word all day.”

“I know your father is yelling at me right now, but I don’t care. Let me take the blame.”

“After your father lectures me for the billionth time, could you take me to get this ice cream you keep telling me about?”

“I told you to bring a jacket with you, but you refused. Is that because you wanted my jacket? You clever girl.”

It wasn’t until you and Loki were sent out on an overnight mission that something happened. Of course, your father trusted both of you to gather information in New Asgard about new magic. It was much colder there than it was back in New York. You felt yourself freezing as soon as you stepped foot inside New Asgard.

“Come here,” Loki chuckled to himself. He lounged on the bed inside the guest home of one of Loki’s friends. You stood over the modest stove and tried to warm up.

“I’m fine,” you knew what he was suggesting. You suspected your rising embarrassment would warm you up soon.

“Come here,” he repeated. “I don’t bite unless you like it.”’

“Loki! Someone could hear us!”

“Your father’s not around, so who cares?” Loki smirked and closed in the space between you. “As far as I’m concerned we’re alone.” Safe to say, that night was filled with more body heat than you could ever imagine.

Loki and you tried to keep your relationship a secret, but you were quickly discovered when your father caught you both kissing in secret. He was less than enthused. You had always been his little girl, and to see you with a god made his skin crawl.

“He’s a God, not a man,” he complained to Thor. “I want him gone.”

“He’s harmless,” Thor assured him. “He has nothing but the best intentions for Y/N. Tis, I swear to—

“He uses magic to transport them to exotic places to do whatever couples—I don’t wanna think about it.”

“Loki cares for her. And she is old enough, maybe it’s time to let ‘your little girl’ go?” Thor suggested. Stephen Strange sent Thor into a void for a half hour to think about what he just said. Loki had spoiled you rotten by using magic for everything. Taking you to beautiful places around the world, making clothes that match his, sneaking into your room regardless what cock-blocking spell Stephen put on your door.

Tensions were higher than ever when Stephen found you sleeping in Loki’s arms. You woke up with a grip on your arm.

“Get off of her,” your father growled.

“I’m not doing anything to her. I was only stroking her hair. She needs to sleep,” Loki argued, keeping a hold on you. You opened your mouth to defend yourself until all three of you heard an urgent call from Jarvis.

There was a mission.

All three of you had been quiet the entire time. Every time Loki tried to hold your hand, Stephen would push him away with his magic. You only sat there, trying to deal with the mission at hand. Everyone had been called in because of a breach with SHIELD. Hydra agents were scattered in Russia trying to take the Tony’s new technology.

You dropped in first, letting your anger out by using magic to throw their bodies around. You hated all of this. You didn’t become an Avenger to be daddy’s little girl, and you certainly didn’t become an Avenger to meet boys either. You were gearing up for another hit until you felt a warm bubble form around you.

The bubble carried you behind your father who was attacking the men you planned to hurt. You started to yell at your father until the bubble moved again. This time it moved behind Loki who put a chain around the bubble to keep you near him. You watched your father retaliate by breaking the chain and having the bubble float near to him. Your body kept falling inside the bubble because both alpha males couldn’t focus on the fight in front of them.

You cursed to yourself and felt the angry energy surge inside of you. When the bubble burst, your body floated in the air. A singular, high-pitched noise rang throughout the Russian forest. All Hydra agents fell to their knees, weakened by the noise. Their ears started to bleed and most of them fell into the snow, unconscious.

When you descended to the ground, both Stephen and Loki immediately ran up to you only to be met with your wrath. You pushed their bodies away with an invisible force sending their bodies into deep snow.

The flight back on the jet was very peaceful and quiet for you. You had isolated yourself in a private room the entire time.

A week later after a peaceful solitude in the Sanctum, both men came to you slowly.

“After discussing somethings, we have realized a few things and we want to apologize,” Stephen said. Loki approached you with his hands up.

“I’m listening,” you said with venom in your mouth as you used a spoon to stir your tea.

“You’re grown up now. You’re mature enough to be with who you want to be with,” Stephen said, side-eying Loki. “And as long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

“Good. You?”

“You do not need my protection,” Loki admitted. “I am not your knight in shining armor. I apologize for forcing my help onto you.”

“And?” you narrowed your eyes.

“We will get along from now on,” Stephen said for both of them. Loki nodded, slowly lowering his hands. You jumped off your seat with your tea and opened a portal filled with fire, pain, and a darkness that Stephen couldn’t identify.

“The next time any of you get the idea that I’m your princess who needs your help, remember I can throw you in here anytime for as long as I want. Understand?”

That was the moment Doctor Strange realized how powerful his daughter truly was.

That was also the moment Loki fell in love with you. How deliciously dangerous you were indeed.

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[icyxmischief]

What are your thoughts on Thor/Odin relationship?

AHHH another question that got lost, forgive me!

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. 

#meta #Anonymous #Thor meta #Loki meta #Narcissism #i can't tell you how many followers i've lost #and how much hate i've gotten #from people in both the 'thor is perfect' camp #and the 'thor is an irredeemable asshole' camp #like no guys #it's more nuanced than any of you are recognizing and it's 2018 and i'm tired #we've been at this since 2011 guys #anyway thanks for the question anon lol <3

[baehkhun]

Cosplay Models

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Best Walking Dead Collectible Action Figures and Graphic Novels The Amazing Spider-Man hasn't been considered one of the most popular super heroes. I tend to be of your Batman and Wolverine sort of guy myself. However, I can't sell Spidey short when talking about his history successful summer blockbusters. He's been in some hits which are considered to be thousands of comic movies ever. The next work for balance box office glory from Spider-Man is reboot and yes it stars a new cast which has a somewhat familiar story. Only time will tell how whether or not this can live up to past glory of their predecessors.

First some definitions, specifically just what comic, a graphic novel, along with a Manga. A comic can be a format to provide a medium, within our case a tale. A graphic novel is only a longer comic. However, parents often get concerned once they hear graphic novel, mistakenly thinking it's got something to do with graphic such as inappropriate adult material. Graphic in our case merely means art. Graphic novels are certainly not a genre boost the local tissue. There are graphic fiction, graphic nonfiction, graphic mysteries, you get the idea. Finally, Manga is a Japanese term for their comic medium which enable it to be quite fun for kids since it reads from right to left. Kids often love this given that they can easily conform to the format but their parents generally battle to read them. Loki, he in the golden horns who had earlier made life difficult for Thor inside movie Thor, runs a pact having an unknown race, an alien race, may help him extract his revenge, if he opens a portal for them to attack Earth. Loki does what he could be told, and steals the Tessaracat (a McGruber if there ever was one), and opens a portal for your other world to fight Earth. Loki steals the Tessaract, requires a band of scientists and Hawkeye under his command, and opens a portal that literally brings the aliens onto Earth.

But as companies use digital comics to reach new potential markets, will the entire process of comic writing and drawing should evolve at the same time? Until now, the phrase "digital comic" has often been employed to describe a print product scanned right into a computer. Even webcomics, which are released digitally, in many cases are designed specifically to be gathered into print editions; in fact, this is often the goal of webcomic creators, since the digital versions are free. But a lot more creators are coming up with truly digital comics, involving screen technology to see stories in a manner that print cannot. Will this customize the convention of writing monthly comic scripts with twenty-two pages of content? Or will storytelling chapters be broken into shorter or longer sections, with corresponding changes in release schedules? And will these creators still try to collect their stories into print versions, knowing some of the storytelling itself is going to be lost from the conversion to print? Stay tuned, the subsequent couple years should provide some interesting new answers.

Owning and paying attention to a radio or perhaps a radiogram would be a wonderful experience, particularly when it turned out capable to grab stations from around the globe. The fact that they crackled and were packed with a number of interfering noises simply didn't matter at all. Of course, there were no such thing as television with an alternative source of information.

[demigodofhoolemere]

*casually scrolling down Facebook, enjoying myself*— oh boy, what baloney is it bound to be this time

*sees that it’s from an official Marvel page* ohhh boy... what official baloney is it bound to be this time...

*sighs, cracks knuckles*

1)

Given that the context of “trick” in this article is clearly meant to be “deception”, I’m a little lost with this one because it’s not like the people wouldn’t realize that the copies are fake, so it’s not exactly deceptive and definitely more of a trick in the magic sense, but whatever, at least this is something you can call a trick.

2)

*deep breath*

Lol there are few things that make me lose my crap like people insisting that Loki faked his death, at any point in time. As outrageous as it is when people act like his legit suicide attempt was just a fakeout for the lolz (and oh my word is it outrageous), this instance is another brand of frustrating because Marvel themselves have contradicted their own canon and now act like the Svartalfheim death was an intentional fake, having Ragnarok!Thor accuse Loki of it without any chance for a defense, leaving the audience to take his word for it. I just — *explodes*

NOT A TRICK. NOT PART OF SOME GRAND PLAN. Even if you don’t pay attention to behind the scenes material to know that both Tom and Feige have spoken about how this death was a real sacrifice and that he didn’t even expect to come back from it, how do so many people manage to collectively ignore the actual events of the movie?! Loki attached the detonator to Kurse while he was also attached to him, he had no way of knowing he’d get tossed off of the blade. There is literally nothing in the entire scene to suggest that he had any intention of faking anything — very much the opposite, considering he put himself in front of Jane multiple times, did not hesitate to run to Thor’s aid, and would have willingly been sucked away right along with Kurse. Loki displays constant self-sacrifice here. This scene is actually a showcase of the goodness and bravery of his true character, not of any deceptive nature. And, y’know, that’s the way it was filmed. (Also is it so hard to believe he would genuinely sacrifice himself for Thor? Why is that so unbelievable?)

And I’ve said this before but seriously, Loki must be horrible at planning if replacing Odin to be on the throne was somehow a goal of his, considering the first thing he does is try to pass the rule over to Thor. It’s not stated explicitly but judging by his character and the circumstances surrounding it, you can read between the lines and figure that Loki, upon realizing he was still alive, went back to Asgard simply to remove Odin because he was becoming unhinged and a threat to the people’s safety (we know from Thor 1 that Loki cares a great deal about what makes a good king of Asgard, since the sabotaging of Thor’s coronation was because he wasn’t ready to be that yet), not to mention Odin made it clear that he was willing to kill Thor and the Warriors for treason. Quietly removing him was a good thing for a whole lot of people. I don’t doubt that he was going to step down and let Thor take the reins now that he’d proven himself so well, only that didn’t go quite as expected. Is it technically speculation? Yes. Does it fit into canon and make a boatload more sense than any nonsense claims about being powerhungry and wanting Asgard under his thumb? Yes times infinity. Look no further than his legitimately good and peaceful rule for proof of that.

*breathes*

Anyway. Not fake. Not powerhungry. Next.

3)

“Remember everything that happened during The Avengers?” I absolutely do but the tone of the way that’s worded like he was nothing but an evil criminal doing all of it for his own enjoyment kind of tells me that you might not.

“It only gets worse after his mother, Frigga, dies.” We only even see it after she’s dead? Kind of the reason he looked like that to begin with.

Fact-checking nitpicking aside, it’s at least a genuine deception he tried to pull, and props for acknowledging that he has a habit of hiding his feelings.

4)

Not sure why they felt the need to address his replacing Odin twice, but this one is in the context of his appearance being a trick rather than the ever-frustrating claim that he orchestrated some cunning plan, so I’ll take it.

(As an aside, I don’t know where they’re getting the idea that the Asgardians were upset as if this was established, since we’re literally never shown a single real reaction to it. It stands to reason that some of them might have been less than pleased, but clearly not enough to make a stink about it, or even enough to be distrustful of him, considering they seem pretty chill with his presence and totally rolled with it like he was still their trusted prince when he came to rescue them. I think they connected the dots that things have been much safer since he’d been in charge.)

5)

The most legitimate one on the list, I feel. And honestly refreshing to see anyone acknowledge that his behavior on Sakaar was a ruse to get himself in a good position rather than him just genuinely enjoying himself on Planet Garbage.

6)

I’m not going to take Thor’s word for it, actually. His version of child Loki is wildly incongruous with the anxious, introverted child we have literally seen with our own eyes.

Improv lines need to be vetted to make sure they actually fit the continuity. Cartoony villain Loki who has loved stabbing people his whole life and fakes his death for fun is what you get when you give the green light for ridiculous things to make it through the edit. It may technically be canon now (not that I care to give Ragnarok canon the time of day) that he did indeed play those tricks (*grumble*), so as far as accuracy of the article goes, I can’t be frustrated with the writer because it unfortunately passes, but oh how I wish I lived in the timeline where it doesn’t. Because let’s be real, it’s bogus. @ Marvel,

~~~

Aaaaanyway. Some legit examples (for once) mingled with the usual irritations. Far better than other articles but given that it’s on an official Marvel site I wish it were better. Not that I expect anything from them at this point. Honestly they’re at fault for nearly all of the problems on this list to begin with, so the writer gets a pass because for the most part they did list legitimate instances of what they were going for and my beefs aren’t really about those themselves save a few, definitely much more about factual errors and Marvel being a bunch of dummies.

Also I clearly have no life if this is what I do with my time. But Marvel needs to stop spending their time being so wrong about their own content, dang it.

#not the worst article i've ever criticized but apparently i needed to let some steam out #marvel critical #with a dash of #ragnarok critical #marvel #loki #interesting that they didn’t bring up some of his actual biggest deceptions #the first movie has the most of them and it’s not here at all for some reason

[pridesofblack]

Sorry Marvel, I'm Not Watching Two Entire TV Shows To Understand Doctor Strange 2

I'm sick of making sense of how to adjust my checkbook to make sure I can keep or potentially procure Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, CBS All Access, Apple TV, and, most as of late, Disney+. At the point when it was declared that WandaVision, Loki, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and a few other new Marvel shows are headed soon, it's hard not to let out an exasperated murmur. Particularly when it was declared that we have to watch them to comprehend up and coming blockbusters like Doctor Strange 2. As everybody and their corporate-accommodating sibling is hoping to get into the spilling game, we're veering perilously close into content over-burden. The quantity of spilling administrations giving unique substance at the present time — or promising to discharge unique substance on their imminent gushing administrations — is astoundingly high. There is no real way to stay aware of everything out there, and I'm drained. As Marvel Studios Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige noted in a meeting not long ago, individuals should stay aware of in any event two or three the Marvel appears on Disney+ so as to pursue the course of events set out in MCU Phase 4. In particular, Feige noticed that the occasions in WandaVision and Loki, for example, will play a submit forthcoming blockbusters, incorporating Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. For certain fans, there will be no complaints. It's more Marvel content, they'll state, and more is always better, in their view. More capacity to them. On the off chance that they need to stay aware of everything and anything that is set to be discharged by this media aggregate, that is thoroughly fine. I'm not here to offend anyone or let them know not to watch these pristine shows. I'm not against the new Disney+ Marvel appears. I'm eager to see She-Hulk, for example, and I'm fiercely inquisitive to discover how they'll make an interpretation of Moon Knight to the screen. Yet, in my view, by making watchers see these shows are pre-essentials for what will occur in the realistic universe, Marvel is fundamentally anticipating that watchers should do schoolwork to make sure they can go out to see the films without feeling lost. Notwithstanding staying aware of the 20 or more films in their all-encompassing true to life universe, the makers additionally need watchers to observe considerably more long stretches of substance just to remain conscious of the world inside the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Its unimportant idea is debilitating. Now and then, you want to put down your foot and essentially state, "No." Throughout everyday life, you need to pick your fights. This is one fight I should battle. Perhaps I'll alter my perspective sometime in the not too distant future. Perhaps the trailers for Loki and WandaVision will persuade me to look at them. However, for the time being, I should state, I would prefer not to watch a lot of shows to make sure I can comprehend the plot for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. I have an actual existence to live, in all honesty. I don't need it to be filled solely with Marvel content.

The Desire To Make Marvel's Disney+ Shows A Necessity Is Taxing

At last, it's conceivable that Kevin Feige's words were misinterpreted. It's conceivable that the head maker of Marvel implied that, with the end goal for fans to have a full comprehension of the films ahead, they'll have to comprehend what's going on with Loki or Scarlet Witch in the spilling appears. That would propose that, for example, there may be a couple of scenes where you go to your pal and ask them what the heck that implied, yet else, you can pursue the plot alright. That is what I'm seeking after, in any event. In any case, in the event that it truly expects everybody to get a Disney+ membership and watch a long time of gushing TV to make sure they can know the complexities of Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness … I'm heartbroken, yet that is a difficult task. Films aren't intended to be conditions. You shouldn't require many separate factors so as to pursue the plot. The delight of going out to see the films is that you can place the world in your rearview reflect for a couple of hours and become involved with an intense, unique vision or cleared into our very own world outside. All things considered, except if you're viewing a narrative, obviously. By and by, in the event that you make it a command for watchers to stay aware of each new Marvel shows that is accessible on Disney+, the makers will definitely confine whatever steady commitment watchers can have with their most up to date blockbusters. As I said previously, there will clearly be people who'll eat up anything Marvel puts out decisively. In any case, that ought to be the special case, not the standard. I never watched a solitary scene of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or then again Agent Carter, and that didn't keep me from understanding the plot of Avengers: Infinity War or Avengers: Endgame. Because the artistic universe is presently making a jump into the universe of gushing substance doesn't implied that watchers should naturally be stuck into all the guaranteed demonstrates just to remain over everything that is going on the big screen. It feels exceptionally burdening to me.

This Decision Feels Like A Ploy To Get People To Buy Disney+

Tune in, Disney is a monster enterprise. This is anything but a mystery and it shouldn't be a disclosure. Making cash is the main concern for this combination, plain and straightforward. They will take the necessary steps to get individuals' cash streamlined into the pockets. Regardless of whether it's interminable product, an all-encompassing history of discharging direct-to-DVD spin-offs, endless special endeavors for their items, also indecent endeavors to play into individuals' sentimentality, or what-have-you, Disney needs to have your cash in their grasp. That is the manner in which it has consistently been; Disney+ is essentially another layer of paint in this progressing procedure. Recall the Disney Vault? Disney+ is the following development of the Disney Vault, in numerous regards. This should go to nothing unexpected. All things considered, Kevin Feige telling individuals that watching the Marvel appears on Disney+ is for all intents and purposes a necessity for their forthcoming motion pictures feels like a grimy ploy to get individuals to become tied up with their spilling administration. Why settle for your exhausting ole' Netflix membership when you can get Disney+ and stay aware of Marvel's most recent stream of new shows. It contains every one of the subtleties you NEED to know for the following Marvel motion picture. Assume out your praise card or sign on the primary concern. It feels in an exposed fashion straightforward. What's more, once more, that is the same old thing for Disney. However, it doesn't try feel any less pessimistic either. Saying this doesn't imply that that the gushing shows were structured exclusively to sell stock or get individuals to purchase a goliath company's spilling administration. However, it's hard not to feel like these tycoons need individuals to toss as a lot of their well deserved money their way as they're willing to give so as to keep their cash shower streaming. This statement from Kevin Feige propose that the rewarding organization needs Marvel to stay productive through additional costs. Possibly my promise to the brand isn't sufficient? Perhaps I'm not a large enough Marvel head to welcome the plentiful blessing given to us? However, it is difficult for me to see Kevin Feige's words as something besides a ploy to get individuals to buy in to one more spilling administration to keep benefits up.

It Feels Like Marvel Is Trying To Dictate My Viewing Habits

In our period of steady substance, it's difficult to look over the weeds and make sense of what to watch. However, an excellent aspect concerning our advanced day-and-age is that you have a plentiful stream of films and demonstrates accessible to you at the pinch of a catch. You ought to be excused on the off chance that you haven't had the opportunity to watch The Americans, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, or Fleabag since there is so a lot of good stuff out there, in what manner can you single out what you watch? (Be that as it may, genuinely, you should watch Fleabag. It's extraordinary. Just sayin'.) Everyone has their very own selection of shows to watch. No one ought to be compelled to observe any one show in light of the fact that, truly, how might you be relied upon to stay aware of everything accessible out there? It's unthinkable. By and by, Marvel is attempting its damnedest to make its substance the terminology of the 21st century. Maybe it as of now is? Be that as it may, regardless, the craving to constrain watchers to watch its gushing shows in the event that they need to have a legitimate comprehension of the up and coming MCU motion pictures makes it feel like Marvel is allotting the world schoolwork. Turn in your TV report before the week's over. Saying this doesn't imply that that the new shows won't engage or charming in their own right. In any case, it's difficult to marshal up certified eagerness for new shows that feels like a necessity instead of good, restful excitement. Once more, I'm truly anticipating watching She-Hulk, Moon Knight, and What If? at whatever point I get an opportunity to look at them. I'm not out and out restricted to WandaVision, Loki, or The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on head either. In any case, when you have a maker telling individuals that they should watch something to comprehend something different, that strikes me as a business endeavor to sell their spilling administration as opposed to a persuading want to get individuals to look at their gushing shows. I lean toward the choice of deciding to watch these TV arrangement without making them feel like prerequisites. These are only a couple of the reasons why I'm not especially energized about Marvel's prospective run of gushing shows on Disney+. By and by, I don't have anything against the shows themselves. I need to watch a couple of them, and I'm willing to be convinced to look at different ones. In any case, if Disney is going to cause it to appear as though it is coercively feeding its substance down our throats, I have the tendency to spit it pull out. So no, I want to watch these new gushing shows out of corporate interest. On the off chance that that implies I'm going to be lost when it comes time to watch Doctor Strange 2, so be it. Read the full article

#DoctorStrange2 #doctorstrange2cast #doctorstrange2horror #doctorstrange2nightmare #doctorstrange2rating #doctorstrange2trailer #doctorstrange2wiki #doctorstrange2007 #doctorstrange2016

[foruneyti]

Okay, here we go! Disclaimer: Managing a proclivity for feeling intensely is going to differ from person to person. Feeling intensely is an incredibly personal, and for me at least private, experience. I cannot possibly presume to entirely understand your particular situation, and what I say here is tailored to my own lifestyle, personality, and emotional triggers. So please feel free to dissect what I say here to hell and back, and if along the way any of it helps you then I will be glad of it.

There is a list, then a caveat, and finally a conclusion. One thing that incites high emotions in me is my “intake” levels: how much reading, watching of films/shows, enjoying of food, etcetera. I have found it is important to balance my “intake” with my “output”: writing, talking to others, exercise, chores, helping other people. If my day is full of “output” I find that sometimes intense emotional periods will neither last as long nor be so debilitating.

This relationship is so predictable I treat it much the same way I do my vitamin intake: “I have been experiencing problem X [unfocused and cranky/particularly uncontrollable emotion] lately; hmm, have I been [forgetting to take my vitamins/isolating myself]? Yes? Ah, there is the problem.”

Point 2: If I have some short-term thing I MUST do, I know that at least at this point in my life I must avoid emotional triggers that set me off. This is not a suppression tactic, just the acknowledgement that if I encounter a triggering story I will be nonfunctional for hours afterwards. “I can be nonfunctional later; RIGHT NOW, I have a research paper to write.” Global politics and climate change are two topics I can think of that should not be ignored but perhaps, at times, avoided.

Point 3: Sometimes I just have to accept that extreme emotions are worth it—honestly, not just “worth it” but INVALUABLE, for I would not be the person I am without them. Intense emotions go hand-in-hand with a vivid imagination (my hypothesis is imagination develops early on as a first-line-of-defense coping method), and nothing in this world could compel me to give up my imagination.

Point 4: Surround yourself with people who will help you when you cannot help yourself. This is NOT to say you should abandon your own responsibility to yourself. What I mean is you can take advantage of the fact that people often fail to notice when emotionally intense people are distressed. Friends and family will show up on your doorstep unawares, wanting to do things, and they will probably not realise (and thus not respect the fact) that you are in an emotional turmoil.

In this case that is actually a GOOD thing, because social pressure/presence of others will trigger all kinds of instinctive responses that force you to get outside your own head. It is different from just hiding the emotions from strangers: it is DIVERTING what is at this point a neurological habit (trigger >> high emotional response). For all the power my feelings seem to have, they tend to scoot aside when someone asks for my help, or reminds me that chores need doing, or my friend shows up at my door wanting to see if she can climb to the top of some roof somewhere and she needs a “partner in crime.” Afterwards, it is hard to get “back in the zone” of whatever emotion I was feeling.

Point 5: Have you ever read Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther? I hated it. I cannot help but resonate a bit with the poor fellow’s overwhelmingly introspective and emotional response to life as a whole, but he is practically drowning in emotional constipation and that really does not work out for him in the end. I highly recommend it to any emotionally intense person as a cautionary tale.

So there you go, five big things that have helped me a great deal. I should probably also mention that I am JUST talking about intense emotion here. I am not adding in depression or any of the other things that commonly go along with people who experience intense feelings. If those things are involved, medicine, therapy, or even little things like diet changes can be very helpful.

Also, and I touched on this a bit in point three: whatever we do to manage our emotions, it CANNOT be something that just shuts them down completely. If you and I just “stopped” feeling intensely we would no longer be ourselves, and our personalities would probably grind to a halt. Furthermore, because emotionally intense people HAVE to develop their emotional intelligence to such a high level, I think feeling intensely gives people like you and I a powerful ability to mend others’ emotional pain and when needed speak to others’ innermost thoughts. For example, while your character in Foruneyti is not perfect, her sympathy for others plays a major role in her initial friendship with Loki. I think that is why many readers call her Healer; it is not just after her trade, but because of her genuine compassion and ability to heal others from the inside out. I only wish I could be so good a person.

I loved your story Foruneyti because the main character is keenly aware of how emotionally complicated life can get (e.g. her musings over Audun’s friendship) and instead of getting cynical, she just becomes more generous. Nowhere is an emotionally intense person’s power for good more evident than when she has every reason to wallow in self-absorption and self-pity, and instead she consciously decides to be more selfless and kind.

That is the takeaway message here: that we actually have so much power when it comes to feeling intensely. In the moment of an episode, yes, definitely, we are out-of-control. But we are beings capable of rational thinking as well as high feeling, and it is possible to regularly experience things intensely in a way that compels us rather than cripples us. Getting there requires clever thinking, a boatload of self-awareness, and some clear goals, and probably neither you nor I will ever master it perfectly, but that the relationship between EVERY human being and his/her particular quirks! And I know, I really do know, how awful a struggle it can be. But how awful and wrong would it be to shut ourselves away from life just because we do not like how it makes us feel? Much better to get out there, and make mistakes, and maybe do some good, than to do nothing at all.

And if Foruneyti gets finished along the way, I will be thrilled (and probably emotionally overwhelmed for a while, too…). If it does not, I will be equally happy if my words here were helpful to you in anyway. Thank you for letting me share; I wish you the very best of luck!

Here is a real-life example: when I was in university, my “intake” was very, very high. I sat in classes all week, taking in lectures on everything from the Uncertainty Principle to alliteration in Beowulf. I had loads of reading on the weekends. It was fantastic and sad and beautiful and incredible. By evening I could be so wired that doing homework was impossible. I would just pace and pace, or walk out to the nearby park and scream lines of Shakespeare at the sky, or at worst lay paralysed on my bed. I lost hours of sleep. As school went on, I learned to offset this issue by exercising (running and strength training) in the morning or afternoon, and taking time throughout the day to “output” something: have a good long conversation with someone, do something I had never done before (often exploring around the grounds), or spend some time writing. I would still feel the intense emotions, but they would not last so long.

As a bonus, I would probably have created some good memories or learned something interesting! For me, personally, it also helped to find a specific focus for the day: if I had a goal to accomplish, it was sometimes easier to set aside my feelings to get it done. So sometimes my “intake” can be so emotionally overwhelming that the only cure is to increase my “output”; sometimes, the only “output” that works is to do something that specifically addresses the thing I am feeling; sometimes I feel emotionally stuck because someone I know is in trouble and I feel like I cannot do anything: in that case, I had better well get CREATIVE or else I will be indefinitely nonfunctional.

-------------------------------------

Thank you so, so much for putting so much time and effort into writing all of this!! I am beyond grateful. I will reply to all of it in a reblog so others can read this original post without my particular experience and opinion. 

#me #intense feelings #anon #replies #responses #emotions #Anonymous

[theemichelleb]

Avengers: Endgame - Movie Review

I actually saw this movie opening weekend and decided to give everyone a chance to watch before publishing because I know just how important this film was for my generation and those Marvel fans before us. I definitely do not want to ruin anything for anyone so if you have not seen the movie yet DO NOT READ THIS and don’t watch the trailer for the new Spiderman Movie. It will truly ruin your day, LOL.

That was your warning….

Now, for those of you that are not HUGE Marvel fans, if you’re wondering… Yes, I did sit through the 3 hours and 2 minutes of awesomeness known as Avengers: Endgame. Would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY! The movie was awesome and everything I imagined it would be. It didn’t even feel like I was sitting there for 3 hours.

I think it was only right for the writers to end the story line with Tony Stark the same way they started this decade of awesomeness with him, and he deserved that spotlight. We have waited 10 years for the powerhouse that was Thanos to come and conquer or be conquered, I had no idea Infinity War and Endgame would play out they way they did, but I think it was genius. I love movies that don’t have the fairy tale happy ending and leave us with scars because that’s how real life is; it hurts, makes us cry, and makes us question how we’re going to move forward after this. I mean, I didn’t cry or anything, and I definitely can’t wait for whatever Marvel has next in our heroes respective story lines, but life isn’t perfect and I admire movies that show these worlds in a more realistic light.

Leaving out of Infinity War, I knew Gamora was gone… although they’ve found a way to bring her back to close out the Guardians franchise without a missing piece. I also knew Thanos had to die and our beloved heroes would need to be brought back to life… there was too much money and too many franchises riding on their main characters being brought back from the dead; especially T-Challa because the black community was going to have a riot if our beloved Black Panther was knocked out of the MCU after ONE self titled film of cinematic genius.

But here is where I have to acknowledge Stan Lee’s amazingness and how I almost dropped a tear to see he actually got to end the game with Endgame… truly iconic and he will be missed.

So! Avenger’s: Endgame… where to start? It’s definitely clear to say if you did not follow the entire franchise with all of the individual story lines that tie into the Avenger’s, you’re going to be lost at some parts during the movie. We took trips back to the first Guardians of the Galaxy, the first Avenger’s movie, Doctor Strange, Thor: The Dark World, Avenger’s: Infinity War, and I know I’m missing a few others but those were the big ones for me that were traveled back to. But honestly, just watch all of the movies to get the entire experience and learn who each character is, there are 22 movies included in the Avenger’s MCU, although I don’t really count the Incredible Hulk (2008)… Bruce Banner/The Hulk isn’t even portrayed by Mark Ruffalo in that movie and I personally don’t think it has anything to do with the series other than it’s an origin story for The Hulk; but, watch at your own discretion and choose if you agree on your own.

Now, don’t be confused. I completely 100% believe that the movies are corny and cheesy, some more than others, but that’s the beauty of taking your childhood comic book characters and making them real; just take a look at the Transformer’s dynasty… Optimus Prime is about as corny as it gets but we still love him on film! Let me not get off topic, though. My least favorite films from the Avenger’s universe are the first two Thor movies (although Ragnorak was absolutely amazing and saved Thor’s story line in my eyes), Iron Man 3 was okay I could have done without it, Spiderman: Homecoming, and Ant-Man… I know those last two may make some people unhappy, but you can definitely share your views in the comments below! I’d love a good conversation on this. My faves, however, consisted of Black Panther, all 3 of the Captain America Movies, Guardians of the Galaxy 1, Thor: Ragnorak, and all of the Avenger’s movies. All the rest were good for what was needed to move the story along, including those that I didn’t care for much.

Only thing I don’t care for are how the movies end with plot holes that are later “filled” in future movies, I think that’s Marvel’s attempt to cover their tracks, but those holes could be left purposely to leave space for flexibility in upcoming movies. There were a couple holes in the plot for Endgame that I’m just not convinced of, however.

If Thanos’ past self is killed, shouldn’t the affects of Infinity War be erased? If he’s dead before he can snap his fingers the first time, technically he never erased half of the universe’s population, which then means Endgame didn’t occur and we should be sent back 5 years prior as though nothing ever happened. I could believe that only those heroes that participated in fixing the timeline would remember what actually happened.

If Gamora died in Infinity War, but her past self was brought forward when Thanos came to the future in Endgame, technically Thanos could not have killed her to get the Death Stone in Infinity War, which also means he never erased half of the universe’s population. I guess they could spin this as since she’s still alive it doesn’t make a difference… still a plot hole to me.

Where did Loki go? He got hold of the tesseract when the team went back to 2012 to get it and the staff, but of course things did not go as planned and he disappeared. I just want to know when we are going to discuss how that throws off the time line, because if he disappears he technically never winds up in jail in Asgard.

I’m sure there’s some round about way to explain all of these, but I’m just letting it be known that it doesn’t completely make sense. Time travel is a complicated nonexistent thing to understand as is, so I won’t sit too much on what was off about it because there was so much more that was right about it.

I was talking to somebody about the movie and appreciated just how amazing the women were in this film, yet again, displaying just how D.O.P.E. we are in real life and the way we always come through in the clutch. Okoye, Shuri, Valkyrie, Wanda/Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, Pepper Potts, and our beloved Black Widow, may she rest in peace, kill the game in the movie and aren’t just side kicks. This goes back to my excitement about Black Panther… I don’t care what anybody says or who chooses to believe that movie wasn’t a big deal, it was a HUGE deal to me and the emphasis of D.O.P.E. black women was truly out of this world. They seriously carried that trend through the end of the Avenger’s story.

In particular, let’s highlight Black Widow and her sacrifice to save the world. There truly was no question about who would have to die between her and Hawkeye, unfortunately. They were quite the pair but he had something tangible to gain from saving the world, his family; she, on the other hand, was able to save all of her friends and give his family back to him by sacrificing herself. She had waited and obsessed over how to save the world for FIVE years and this was it; Hawkeye went through the world killing bad guys to remedy the curse that was Thanos. I think it was a beautiful second chance for him. He not only got his family back but his best friend gave her life so he could find his way again and become the hero she knew he was.

This is why I’m so hooked on how D.O.P.E. we are as women!

Captain America also got a loving ending to his story and I appreciate how the baton was passed to Sam Wilson, a glorious black man. Could this be foreshadowing to a branch off for Captain America movies?? I tell you one thing, these crazies in the world today better not start ANY NONSENSE about there being a black Captain America the way they did about Idris Elba being the black James Bond…. and that’s that on that.

For my dear Iron Man… Tony Stark you have truly achieved the level of acknowledgment and heroism that you chased after with your escape from captivity in 2009 and we appreciate you for your sacrifice and getting that 1 in 14,000,605 chance to beat Thanos right! Tony Stark’s path has taken many turns that I didn’t expect it to take following him through the years, but I’m glad he reached the goal he was fighting for in the movie primarily; to save his family. The procession shown at his funeral to close out the movie was so beautifully laid out the only thing that could have made it better was if Stan Lee had made a cameo. I think it was genius how the pan through all of the characters at the funeral was a parallel of the comic book opening for all of the Marvel movies. I think the best part about how Tony is honored is that Pepper was by his side in the fight against Thanos and he had daughter that I’m most certain is going to follow in his footsteps in both brains and courage. His legacy will definitely live on into new movies and through the characters that we got back.

There are truly so many other things that can be said about the movie. Overall, it was the best ending for this struggle to survive than I could have imagined. It truly made the last 10 years worth while, and I appreciate the growth of Marvel over the years in their execution of all of these movies. They sought out to tell an amazing story and ended up with an epic playing field that has provided a ridiculous amount of growth and development for the company. The casting has definitely been A-1, the plots are intriguing, the scripts have gotten more believable, and execution was always pretty on point but have gotten even more intense and engaging for the audience.

The movie is a must see. If you haven’t gotten into Superhero movies, it’s okay but if you want to give something new a chance now’s the time. You can watch the entire story be told from beginning to end and there are so many ways to find the order to watch all 22 movies so the story flows and you’re not lost.

Happy Binge Watching!