Seeing as it's Tom Hiddleston's birthday today, I thought I'd treat you all to the character profile questionnaire of my favourite character that he's played in his career: Loki! Happy birthday, Tom!
Character Profile Questionnaire - Loki:
Character: Loki Odinson/Laufeyson, God of Mischief.
Age:17-25 (Midgardian appearance) 1000+ (Asgardian age)
D.O.B.: Most likely somewhere around 9th February 965 A.D.
Based off of: Loki, God of Mischief, Chaos and Fire in traditional Norse mythology, Loki from Marvel comics, and Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (films).
Appearance: Tom Hiddleston's Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Occupation: Prince of Asgard, God, God of Mischief, Student at Middleham High (for the time being).
Siblings: Tyr (oldest brother), Baldr, and Thor.
Wives/partners (in mythology): Angrboda, Glut and Sigyn.
Children (in mythology): Fenrir, Jorgamundr and Hel (by Angrboda the giantess), Eisa and Einmyria (by Glut the fire demon), Sleipnir (by Svadilfari), Váli and Narvi (by Sigyn) and (on his own) Troll-woman, from whom supposedly all troll giants are descended.
Wives/partners mentioned/established as cannon/appear in this story: Angrboda and Sigyn.
Children mentioned/established as cannon/appear in this story: Fenrir, Jorgamundr and Hel, Sleipnir, and Váli and Narvi.
Greatest Flaw: At this point in the story, set before the first Thor film takes place, Loki's greatest flaw is his intense jealousy of his elder brother, Thor. This makes him desperate to do anything to gain more approval from their father, Odin Allfather - King of Asgard and Ruler of the Nine Realms.
Greatest Asset: Though he is jealous of his brother, he loves him dearly and cares for him very much. He will do whatever he can to keep his brother safe, no matter how envious or jealousy he may feel towards him.
What do you know about this character that they do not yet know?: What happens in the MCU films and how this leads to him becoming the villain that we all know him as in these films.
If this character could be someone else, who would they be?: Easy answer: His brother Thor through and through!
Why?: Because Thor is everything that Loki wants to be: Respected, admired, adored, loved by all of Asgard. His brother is prized above everything and everyone and Loki doesn't understand why he must always be in his shadow. He wants his father to look at him and respect and love him in the way that he clearly does Thor. Loki isn't your typical Asgardian; he's not a warrior like the males of Asgard are prided on being, he uses sorcery and daggers to fight and not big, brash weapons. Preferring brain over brawn, he's more of a cunning diplomat than a fighter, nor is he athletic and blond-haired like Asgardians usually are. Everything that Thor has Loki wants and he knows that'll never achieve that as himself.
Who does this character trust the most?: His mother, Frigga - Queen of Asgard and the Nine Realms - and Sigyn, his only true childhood friend besides his brother.
Favourite music?: The music of his Norse homeland but I think he'd like some rock and pop music from here. Whenever I think of Loki and music, I usually think of Evanescence, because of its sorrowful and angsty lyrics that suit his struggles.
Least favourite music?: Rap, punk, any kind of music that has no sense or convincing complexity to it.
Most devastating moment so far?: Being exiled to Midgard and facing the current problem of his best friend Sigyn being married off to another man.
Favourite person/s?: Frigga, Sigyn and Thor.
Secret wish?: That he could be loved by everyone just as much as Thor is and to be appreciated more by his father.
Greatest fear?: That those he trusts the most will abandon him or leave him behind.
Secret/s?: 1. His plans on gaining more approval from his father lead to the Middleham Prison Fire in early 2013. 2. His Midgardian classmates don't know that their seven new Norwegian students are famous mythological figures. 3. He has consummated his relationship with Sigyn when she's supposed to be marrying her betrothed in a matter of months.
Regrets: 1. That he had to consummate his relationship with Sigyn the way he did; he would have wanted to do it properly as her husband. 2. That he killed his brother (momentarily) in the prison fire.
How would other people describe him?: Clever, witty, sarcastic, elusive, cunning, mischievous, trouble-maker, skilful, humorous, risk-taker, resourceful, calm, has a temper, dutiful, secretive, always has a plan, always one step ahead, trickster, prankster, meticulous, tidy, reliable (depends on how well you know him), deceitful, untrustworthy, talented, a tactician, proud, lack of self-confidence, resentful, envious, caring (to those he dearly loves), ruthless (to those he hates), vindictive, cruel, has a mean-streak.
Who depends on him?: 1. In times of crisis and war, the citizens rely on Loki to defend the realm from invaders in battle. 2. The people of Asgard rely on him as their prince to perform his duties and respect the safety and peace of his father's kingdom as a prince should.
Who does this character wish to please the most?: Loki definitely wishes to please his father the most, as he's always yearning from any sign of respect or pride from him. Everything Loki does is based around gaining any amount of approval or consideration from Odin to prove that he is a worthy son and equal to Thor, second-born or not.
If this character could choose the gender of the child they had first, which would they pick?: Loki already has some known/mentioned children in this story, at least three sons and one daughter. He therefore probably has no intention on having anymore but if he had anymore kids he probably wouldn't mind whatever he had.
Describe this character's father: Odin Borson, All-Father and King of Asgard and the Nine Realms. Odin has to juggle the responsibilities and duties of being both a good king and a good father at the same time. He loves all of his children, despite the fractious relationship he may have with some of them. Loki is his youngest son and child and as such Odin does not get to spend as much time or attention with him as he did with his brothers. Their relationship is respectful and cordial at the best of times, as due to lack of time available to spend with each other, the two do not know each other very well. Loki does not yet know that he isn't Odin's son by blood, so he doesn't hate him at this point in the story. Rather, though Loki resents his father for not appreciating him enough, he does love his father and wants to please him as much as he can. Odin is proud of the man Loki has grown up to be but he doesn't understand him in the way that he understands Thor. Odin finds it easier to talk with Thor, and the two have a stronger relationship due to their shared interests, meaning that he finds it harder to be amazed by Loki's prowess for sorcery and dagger-wielding. Both Loki and Odin are reserved in their emotions, so neither are likely to find it easy to express how they feel towards each other, preferring to be closer to people of like-minded minds and with whom they feel the most comfortable. For Odin, this would be with Thor and his elder sons, Tyr and Baldr and for Loki, it would be Frigga and Sigyn.
Describe this character's mother: Frigga, All-Mother and Queen of Asgard and the Nine Realms. Fridge is the opposite of her husband, being open with her emotions, her affections and her opinions and feelings. She is calm, kind, wise, loving and understanding of her role as Queen of Asgard and of being a mother. To Loki, she is the perfect mother, loving him with just as much ferocity and care as she has done with all of her children, despite not being hers by birth. Fridge is the one parent that Loki trusts completely, telling her of his worries and concerns that he cannot tell his father. The rock to his storm, she is reassuring and helps him see the rational when he is being irrational, and comforts him when he feels bad or down about himself and his place in their family and Asgard. Fridge loves all of her sons, but as Odin has that mutual bond with Thor, she has with Loki. It is from her that he learnt about his gift for sorcery and dragging-wielding and he holds an immense respect and gratitude to her, much more than he has for his father. Frigga holds a soft spot in her heart for Loki, not just because he is her youngest and therefore her baby, but also because she always wants him to know how loved and treasured he is in their family despite her knowing that he wasn't born into it. She worries that Loki will find out about his parentage in the wrong way and feel that he is inadequate because of it, so she always tries to make him feel like he matters and that he is worth something and worth fighting for. As she has the gift of visions that tel the future, Frigga has knowledge of what may or may not become his future, but cannot tell anyone of what she sees. She knows that the only other person who can achieve what she has with Loki is his best and childhood friend, Sigyn, and so she aims to keep the two of them as close together as possible for his wellbeing, as Sigyn is the only other person who Loki values and listens to besides her - even if the young female is supposed to be marrying another man in a couple of months' time.
Where would this character prefer to live?: In relative peace and security in Asgard (at this moment in time/the story), with his mother, Thor and Sigyn by his side.
Where do they fall in birth order, and how does this affect them?: Loki is the youngest of Odin and Frigga's children. This means that he is expected to carry the least amount of royal burden and responsibility - however, both Tyr and Baldr have rejected their claims to the throne in order to live their own lives, meaning that Thor and Loki, the youngest children, are now in direct line to the throne. Therefore, now the second-born prince, Loki has taken up the responsibilities that Baldr would have had. This means that there should be less of a burden on him than Thor but because he is not as important as Thor is in terms of the line of succession, and because Thor isn't as ready as Loki to take on certain duties, he is expected to eventually marry earlier than his brother in order to provide spare heirs to the throne before the Crown Prince marries. It may sound unfair but Loki's duty in this is actually fairer than it sounds because his children and himself won't be pressured in the same way to take on duties and tasks that Thor will eventually take on - he won't have to worry about pressuring and moulding his children into direct heirs to the throne; Thor will have to. As the youngest, Loki is not as noticed as much by his father as his brothers are, though as the second-born prince he is still very much important to his father as his spare heir. As the youngest, he is also the 'baby' of the family, and the one child that his mother can spend the most attention in raising as he's not as crucial in rank as his brothers were at the time of his birth. She has had more time to bond with him than with her elder children, as they were taken away sooner in order to raise as potential heirs. Loki has a stronger bond with his mother than his brothers do because of this but also because of this it means that he has the weakest bond with his father than his brothers do as well. Being the youngest has led to Loki feeling left out with his father and brothers and has led him to feeling inadequate about himself and his worth to them, which has led to his current increasing plans and attempts to gain more favour with his father as a consequence.
What is this character's birth date? How does this character manifest traits of his astrological sign?: Loki was born on 9th February, meaning that his astrological sign is Aquarius (January 20th-February 18th). This means that he is intelligent, energetic and full of brilliant ideas, eccentric and a bit strange. His company will never be boring, rich with interesting anecdotes exciting experiences, and strange events that need to be shared through incredible communication. However, his greatest weakness is that is their lack of connection with the world they live in. He will seem distant, lost, detached from everyone in their lives, and if they don't build strong respect for other people's personalities, they might end up alone, estranged and an outcast to those around them. He is unpredictable, a master of surprises, changes and thinking outside the box, he will hardly ever be reliable and easily read, even with people they have known for ages. This has nothing to do with respect or the way they value other people, but rather with their deeply seeded feeling that they don't owe their time or effort to anyone.
Loki is very much intelligent, full of brilliant ideas, and conversation with him is indeed never boring. He does seem to be quite distant, lost and detached from the people around him - especially in comparison with his more energetic and outgoing brother Thor. Loki's danger is that if he doesn't make contact with other people that he will end up estranged and alone, and very much an outcast to those around him. He already feels like an outcast in Asgardian society, so his personality makes this problem a whole lot worse. If there's one thing that Loki is as God of Chaos and Mischief, it is being completely unpredictable, a master of surprises and changes - never easily read as he is always one step ahead and thus hardly ever reliable - even with his brother and closest allies. Finally, Loki's unpredictable inclinations are definitely not due to how much he respects or values other people, it's just that he's the kind of person who's always depended on his own intelligence and cunning to get to where he wants and to get what he wants - thus to him it doesn't occur in his mind that he owes his time or effort to anyone. While this may be a sign of remarkable ability and self-indepence, this mixes with the risk that he will be strange from those around him if he doesn't take the time to get to know other people, making it even more likely that he will become the outcast and recluse that he thinks people perceive him to be. Loki has a self-fulfilling prophecy as a ticking time-bomb and as we see in the MCU films, this is unfortunately what happens to him in the end, despite the efforts of his brother, mother and Sigyn to make it otherwise...
Favourite movie: He would probably like the kind of sophisticated films that have a hero/spy go undercover and use their brains/skills in order to solve a problem, like 'The Imitation Game' and the 'Sherlock' movie franchise.
Least favourite movie/s: Being a typical bloke, I think he would dislike the 'Chick-flick' comedies, musicals and romances, since they're over the top and too mushy for his liking (and mine! ;-P)
Favourite TV show/s: These would be similar in nature to the films he likes, so he would enjoy British detective shows like: 'Sherlock - BBC version', 'Midsomer Murders', 'Lewis', 'Poirot' and 'Agatha Christie's Marple'. He doesn't mind 'Jeremy Kyle' though!
Least favourite TV show/s: Reality TV shows that make little to no sense whatsoever, like 'The Real Housewives of...' and 'Toddlers and Tiaras' as a few examples. He doesn't like American detective shows either because he would think that they've got too much action in them and are over the top in violence and guns etc., like 'CSI:...'
Most embarrassing moment so far?: Collapsing in hospital when everyone had gathered there to find out the results of baby Neddie's paternity test.
Proudest moment so far?: Going on the France Music Tour with his friends and beginning to feel accepted among his Midgardian classmates (though he hasn't shown it yet so far.)
Greatest hope/s?: 1. That his father will favour him and listen to him as much as he does Thor. 2. That he can prove his worth to Asgard and be loved and respected by them as Thor is. 3. To be Thor's equal. 4. That he can be happy and content with himself. 5. That Sigyn can be his wife.
Greatest ally/allies?: Thor, Frigga and Sigyn (at this moment in time).
What would they do if they had one month left to live?: Loki would probably pull all of his best tricks and pranks that he had been practising on unsuspecting victims, say thank you to his mother for all she has done for him, say goodbye to Thor and spend time reminiscing happy memories with him, serve his duties to Asgard to the best of his ability for one last time, have a cordial yet meaningful goodbye with his father, say goodbye to all of those who have faithfully served him over the years, write a will saying who gets what of his property, write several letters to his closest friends and relatives individually expressing his thoughts to each of them personally and privately, visit his children each and make sure that they will all be well-looked after by his brother and mother, and, finally, go away on a personal vacation to a peaceful place by the sea in a cottage/shack somewhere with Sigyn and die peacefully under her care - having chosen to spend his last days with her and making sure that she will get the most precious of his belongings when he's gone.
Counterpart/s: 1. Hal: Both are the same in looks and appearance (both are played by Tom Hiddleston in TV and film) and both characters aspire to please their fathers, loved ones, and people/citizens as much as possible. 2. Geoffrey: Both are similar in how they resent their fathers for paying little attention to them over the years and how they are both the smartest, cunning, manipulative and intelligent of their brothers and are constantly planning on ways to get into their respective fathers' favour.
Greatest regret?: That he has planned or contemplated killing his brother just to become Odin's sole heir and gain his attention.
What would they change if they could?: 1. His appearance and interests, so that he could be appreciated more in Asgard by being a 'typical-Asgardian' like his brother. 2. His birth-rank, so that he would be the first-born instead of Thor so that his father would put more attention and praise onto him. 3. He would want to make himself worthy enough so that he can convince Sigyn's mother and grandfather and Odin that see he is a worthy candidate for her hand in order for them to annul her betrothal and let him marry her instead.
Ideal job: Secret Service Spy for MI5.
What would they never do?: Abandon his children and loved ones - Loki cares about his children and his family too much to abandon them in their time of need. He might not be able to see his children often but he visits them as often as he can, hoping that one day they can all be together again.
What angers them the most?: When he feels like he is being cast aside, patronised or being treated like he doesn't matter. He also hates it when he hurts his brother, mother and Sigyn in his anger and treats them badly or cruelly.
Favourite clothes: his Asgardian under attire, which he wears underneath his Asgardian armour attire. It consists of a dark green, loose pyjama-like top, and dark loose-fitting pyjama-like black trousers.
What else do they not know?: Odin's purpose for bringing Loki home to Asgard from Jotunheim and what his intentions for him are. Nor does he know what his mother's visions for his future entail for him, Thor and Sigyn and their role in Asgard's history.
Greatest guilt: Causing himself and his brother to be banished - it was not his intention at all - and nearly killing him in the prison fire. (At this moment in time)
Favourite quote: "I am a love-crazed fool because of you and that, my dear, is why you, out of everyone I hold dear, have hurt me the most."
Future quote: "I promise I will do all that I can for Asgard... and for Loki."
Favourite food: Traditional Norse food.
Least favourite food: Midgardian fast food.
Favourite drink: Mulled wine from Vanahiem's freshest grapes and, lately, Midgardian red wine.
Least favourite drink: Midgardian sugary drinks, like Irn-Bru - though he does like Diet Coke.
Favourite sport: Practicing his battle techniques in the sparring arena. Since his arrival on Midgard, he taken a shine to games like dodgeball - since he can use his sorcery to dodge the ball!
Least favourite sport: Anything too rough and physical, like Rugby, and using heavy weapons in the sparring arena - like Thor uses.