10 Comic Villains With The Best Motivations

5. Loki

There are few characters in Marvel's library that are as Shakespearean as Loki Laufeyson, and though he was treated somewhat one-dimensionally before Tom Hiddleston burst onto the scene in 2011's Thor, there's no denying his motivations have always been compelling.

Since the beginning, Loki has struggled with the nature of being the God of Mischief, versus the nurture of being raised on Asgard. He is the son of both Laufey, the King of the Frost Giants, and of Odin, his adoptive father. He's being pulled towards one destiny whilst wrestling with his own identity, and for someone who believes he's the rightful heir to Asgard, that's a lot to deal with.

It is this conflicting personality that has more recently seen Loki act as an anti-villain of sorts, operating on both the side of good evil, but no matter how hard he tries he always seems to get pulled towards the wrong side of the divide, whether out of jealousy for Thor, his ties to Laufey, or even his very title.

Yes he holds a soft spot for his mother, and even his brother on occasion, but there's a tragic sense of inevitability surrounding the character, one that's been explored to immense success in Kieron Gillen's Journey into Mystery, as well as Jason Aaron's stint on The Mighty Thor.