15 Best Performances In MCU Movies (So Far)
3. Tom Hiddleston - Loki
Has anyone had as much fun playing a role as Tom Hiddleston? Loki started off as Thor’s villainous brother, but off the back of strong writing and Hiddleston’s irresistible performance, he’s something more complicated, a perennial mischief maker, a reluctant sometime member of the team, and one of the best characters in the MCU.
Hiddleston’s thespian background is serious and theatrical, and he approaches the character of Loki with similar methodology. He has likened Loki to the antagonist in King Lear; when first directed by Kenneth Branagh (himself a notable disciple of the Bard), he was modelled on Cassius from Julius Caesar.
It’s a show role, and one Hiddleston gleefully sinks his teeth into, milking every acidic quip for all it’s worth and routinely stealing scenes. While Hiddleston is not required to bulk up like some of his co-stars, his physicality is no less transformative. He plays Loki as nimble and catlike or palid and frail, depending on whether he’s on the up or down.
His formidable chemistry with onscreen brother Chris Hemsworth serves to make the Thor films the MCU’s most fun, and his TV spinoff should be something to behold.