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Avengers Alliance
By Zack Zeigler
It’s a fair question for a newcomer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to ask: How is Loki--one guy--a legit cause for Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, and the rest of the Avengers to assemble?
Well, for one, Loki isn’t just some dude in a horned helmet with a predilection for green; he’s a deity whose skills and powers far surpass those of mere mortals or Super Soldiers.
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| Tom Hiddleston (Loki) on the set of Marvel's The Avengers |
“He’s a shape shifter, he is intelligent, he has strategic gifts, but he also has reservoirs of pain,” explains Tom Hiddleston, who reprises his role as Loki in “Marvel’s The Avengers.” “There’s [also] a degree of disappearing and reappearing, mind control, and self duplication, which throws a spinner in the works of people."
In 2011’s “Thor,” Hiddleston, a Cambridge graduate and well-versed theatrical actor, set out to make the character rich with conflict rather than the type of villain you’d find in some B-movie horror flick. To add even more depth this time around, he spoke at length with the film’s writer and director, Joss Whedon.
“The Loki of ‘Thor’ is a confused, damaged prince, and the Loki of Avengers is somebody who understands his own power, understands his own anger, and is able to probably suppress it,” he revealed. “Loki is the God of Mischief, and someone whose actions are very, very difficult for the Avengers to pin down."
And according to Hiddleston, each Avenger will get their chance to individually go toe-to-toe with him on screen when the movie opens on May 4.
“What Joss has given me as a gift is a bunch of two-handers with [all of the Avengers],” he said. “It’s like Loki is pitted individually against the different skills and super powers of all these characters."
If there’s one particular matchup fans have waited for, it’s Loki taking on his adoptive brother Thor. We received a taste of the showdown near the end of “Thor,” but there's more to come in “Marvel’s The Avengers."
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| Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) on the set of Marvel's The Avengers |
“What I loved about what Marvel decided to do with ‘Thor’ is they could have sent Loki to Earth instead of the Destroyer,” he said. “It could have been Loki versus Thor down there, but they actually saved it in a way…so you see how powerful Loki can be when he gets down among the humans."
Of course, without the right script, amazing displays of super powers won’t have as much impact. After a first read through of Whedon’s script, Hiddleston was convinced Marvel had hired the right man for the job.
“Somehow Joss managed to reintroduce characters that we all loved, make them seem fresh and new, and then have them together without weighting any particular character more than the other,” he said. “Just as a feat of writing, I was so impressed."
Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”--the super hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel super heroes Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.
Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon from a screenplay by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012.
In addition to "Marvel's The Avengers," Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including "Iron Man 3" on May 3, 2013; and "Thor 2" on November 15, 2013.
