This will make me popular….
It’s taken me a while to figure out how to explain just how much the depiction of the Norse gods in the movies Thor and The Avengers bothers me. I think I’ve figured out a correlation.
Remember how you thought Johnny Depp was such a douche for his depiction of Tonto? Remember how you thought it was insulting? How you thought that you might have some modicum of respect for it if an actual Native American played the role?
Yeah, like that.
They took a myth and turned it into sugar coated shit. They took people’s beliefs and culture and smeared feces all over it. It’s just something for them to sell.
You could have taken the actual myths of Thor and Loki and made an excellent movie. You probably even could have reconciled it with the Marvel universe if you’re a decent writer, but Joss Whedon took the easy way out. Loki is NOT some Snidely-Whiplash-I-want-to-take-over-the-world villain. He is a trickster whose role in the mythology is to teach the other gods lessons of humility and to overcome obstacles with guile instead of force.
When I see Tom Hiddleston screaming for the crowds at Comic Con to call him Loki, I’m thinking that douchebag should be holding a press conference with Depp telling people they’re sorry for accepting such roles.