How many times is Loki told to shut up in his own show? As soon as Mobius meets him, he taunts Loki for being “talky-talky.” And despite Mobius’ stated interest in learning what makes Loki tick, he impatiently cuts him off when Loki geeks out about the difference between illusion projection and duplication casting (which made my nerdy ass love him even more), or chatters about strategies for dealing with a trickster. And of course there’s the scene in the time-loop torture chamber where Mobius asks Loki whether he cares for Sylvie, then deadass tells him to shut up when he tries to answer. Mobius pretends to be a sympathetic ear, but his actions suggest otherwise. He’s not interested in Loki for Loki’s sake; Mobius uses him as a tool first to catch Sylvie, and then to discover the truth about the TVA. Otherwise, shut up Loki.
Sylvie’s even worse. Her enchantees in Roxxcart mock Loki (”you sure do love to hear yourself talk”), and she tells him to pipe down idk how many times on Lamentis. Even when they reach the Citadel – despite all they’ve been through together – she tells him to shut up when he gently asks if she’s ok. Loki’s variants shush him in the Void (although to be fair they’re worried about attracting Alioth), and even He Who Remains chides him for “all that t-t-t-talking” (which is especially ironic given that HWR is in the middle of an extremely long-winded monologue about the multiverse). It’s a constant theme: shut up, Loki. You’re not important. This isn’t your story. It’s not about you.
And in the finale when Loki’s trying to get through to Sylvie, begging her to listen, she deflects and accuses and taunts. His sincerity is heartbreaking, his vulnerability endearing, and she’s having none of it. He’s desperately trying to be heard but it means fuck-all to her. Shut up, Loki. Nobody’s listening. Nobody cares.
Funny thing is, Loki never struck me as the garrulous type. In early scenes of Thor1, he’s quiet and observant. He offers no resistance when shushed by Thor or Odin. His outburst in the vault scene is so uncharacteristic and shocking that Odin has to take a nap. (That’s some weaksauce parenting right there, dude.) One gets the impression that speaking his mind is a new thing for Loki, post-Jotunheim. Even after ascending the throne, he’s not particularly loquacious – his words seem carefully chosen and on point. Ok, he’s admittedly a bit mouthy in Avengers – as articulate villains are wont to be – but even there he isn’t exactly a chatterbox. His verbosity in the Loki show seems to have been constructed just to give the other characters an excuse to dismiss and belittle him. Shut up, Loki. Your ideas are useless. Your words have no value.
And you know what’s sad? I suspect Loki is used to being ignored. Ever wonder why he brought Frost Giants into Asgard on Thor’s coronation day, instead of just going to Odin and Frigga and saying “Hey I love Thor but he’s a numbskull and I don’t think he’s ready to rule”? Or why he made no attempt to explain himself when he faced Odin at the beginning of TDW? Like, “I did some shitty things but to be fair I was tortured and mind-controlled by this scary grapeface dude.” Why not say something?
Loki knew that no one would listen to him, because no one ever did. One thing about being the family scapegoat: people assume the worst about you, and nothing you say will dissuade them. And somewhere along the way, Loki gave up. He may have had a bit of fun calling out Odin’s hypocrisy and Thor’s bad judgement, but he knew that his words – however perceptive they may be – would be disregarded. It didn’t matter what he said; nothing was ever going to change. As he tells Thor in Ragnarok, “Open communication was never our family’s forte.”
Loki doesn’t fare much better in the show. He’s traded his dysfunctional, indifferent family for dysfunctional “friendships” (using that term very loosely here) with people who have no interest in hearing him. He’s bullied, belittled, and literally beaten down – and yet he somehow finds the strength to get up and keep going in the end. Some might call this character growth, but Loki has always been resilient. This isn’t a new thing. Despite all his losses and his trauma, Loki manages to forge a path for himself. No one is going to lift him up or comfort him. He remains alone and unheard.
Loki resonates with those of us who are different, marginalized, devalued – whether it’s because we’re neurodivergent, or queer, or simply prefer to do our own thing. He’s the patron saint of outcasts: we who feel ostracized and othered simply for being our authentic selves. We know how it feels to be silenced.
Loki, find people who appreciate you, who want to hear what you have to say. You are worthy of respect and love. Your trauma is valid. How are you feeling? Are you ok? Come sit down, tell us everything. We’re listening.
tangentwithtanner
theartofmadeline
dailybridgerton
andulkaphoto
germansingergirl
dededos
snowghoul
