Loki’s Absence In Thor: Love and Thunder Hurts The Movie
The Thor universe doesn’t feel the same without the staple brotherly relationship storyline it’s always been built on.
The newest entry in the Thor franchise has recently been released, and it’s a hot topic of discussion for Marvel fans. Thor: Love and Thunder continues the story of the god of thunder as he goes on new adventures and rekindles old loves. Love and Thunder acts as a sort of follow-up to Thor: Ragnarok, as both are directed by Taika Waititi and have similar tones and styles, though the events of Love and Thunder really follow the events of Avengers: Endgame and where Thor’s story was left after that film.
Love and Thunder continues Thor’s story and sees the return of many of the characters that have become staples in his tale. However, there is one character whose absence is glaringly obvious. Loki has been one of the central players in Thor’s story since the beginning, and most of the Thor movies center on their relationship and how they slowly rebuild it throughout each entry. However, Loki’s death in the main timeline in Avengers: Infinity War complicated this dynamic. Though the character still exists in a way as a variant (with his own show), he’s no longer a part of the main MCU story, at least not yet. It would have been difficult logistically to include Loki in Love and Thunder, but the movie feels lacking for not including him in any way.
Loki is a main character in the Thor series, in the same way that Bucky is central to the Captain America movies and Rhodey is a necessary part of the Iron Man stories. These MCU movies typically have a central cast of characters that differs for each hero, and the tone and general feeling of the movies can change depending on who the characters are. For example, an MCU Spider-Man movie without Ned and MJ simply wouldn’t feel like an MCU Spider-Man movie. Likewise, a Thor movie without Loki really doesn’t feel like the Thor movies that audiences have come to know and love.
The brotherly dynamic between Thor and Loki is the standout of the first two movies, both of which are seen as kind of underwhelming in their own ways. Their conflict is central to both of those stories and is most interesting dynamic in the movies, especially in contrast to Thor and Jane, which is a relationship that never quite works. Even in Love and Thunder, which manages to improve their chemistry a little bit, their love story still feels rushed and not completely genuine. The absence of Thor having any other meaningful relationships to deal with in the story becomes much more obvious because of this.
Loki is a fan-favorite MCU character, and for a good reason. He always steals the scene and manages to make whatever he’s in more interesting. It would have been nice to somehow have him back in Love and Thunder, and not just for fan-service reasons. The movie’s story could have only been improved if he had been around. Unfortunately, logistically it wouldn’t work with where the MCU is right now story-wise. The only way to do so would be to bring the main character variant Loki from the TV show over into the main timeline, but him having to explain his journey to the audience and to Thor would take up too much time.
This all isn’t to find some way that he could be slotted back in; rather, it’s to point out that the Thor franchise works best when it’s about family. Though Love and Thunder also touches on those themes, it’s missing the family dynamic that has always worked the best in these films.
The Thor Franchise Cannot Survive Without Loki (& Love and Thunder Proved It)
Thor: Love and Thunder is the hero’s first solo outing not to feature the God of Mischief. And Loki is sorely missed from the franchise.
Thor: Love and Thunder is unique among the Thor films because it is the only one not to feature the God of Mischief in any capacity. Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, has been a staple of these films since the beginning. However, since the original version of the character died in Avengers: Infinity War, and an alternate version wanders the multiverse in Loki, it’s understandable that the character doesn’t return for the franchise’s fourth installment.
But one can’t help but feel something is missing without Thor and Loki’s brotherly dynamic. The evolution of their relationship is one of the strongest story threads throughout the first three Phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, without it, Love and Thunder feels a bit empty.
The backbone of the first Thor was built on Thor and Loki. Their relationship formed from the 1000+ years they have spent growing up together. But the revelation that Loki is a frost giant breaks the God of Mischief, as he thinks he could never live up to Odin’s “real” son, Thor. And that sets Loki on a dark path, ostracizing him from his brother and the rest of his family.
However, Thor never gives up on him. Sure, the pair have frequently fought in the MCU, but even after Loki begins his conquest of Earth in The Avengers, Thor’s first action is to implore him to return home as his brother. Even in Thor: The Dark World, the brothers’ complicated relationship is a dramatic driving force throughout that film.
But the moment their relationship crescendos is in Thor: Ragnarok. Loki is no longer obsessed with a desire to rule – he got that wish pretending to be Odin on the throne of Asgard. Instead, he is simply trying to survive. However, the most interesting part of Ragnarok is that after centuries of fighting, Thor and Loki finally start to understand each other.
And just when they finally reach this point, Thanos’ ship attacks, and the Mad Titan kills Loki. It’s a wonderfully tragic end to their relationship. But that’s the problem – the rest of the story keeps going. Thor could have used his brother’s help to fight Gorr or even as a shoulder to cry on about his issues with Jane. Instead, the God of Thunder is without his best friend, and his movie suffers because of it.
