Why is Everyone Loco for Loki?

Thor: The Dark World opens this weekend, so it seemed like a good opportunity to discuss disgruntled demigod Loki, one of the most fascinating characters in the Marvel Universe. What makes him so compelling? Why does he have a bigger following than Thor? Why was there a grassroots Internet campaign to convince Marvel to give him his own movie? Why is he so much more charismatic than the Marvel heroes? How does that headpiece not give him migraine scale headaches? Maybe that's why he's always in a bad mood.

I think one of the biggest things Loki has going for him is he is more antihero than villain and antiheroes are a huge commodity right now. From Breaking Bad and Mad Men on AMC to The Blacklist on NBC, they are everywhere. We aren't supposed to root for these people, but we can't help it. We want to see these broken individuals redeemed. It's why Breaking Bad achieved huge ratings in its final season and it's probably what will drive people to see Thor: The Dark World this weekend.

As far as Loki goes, I can't help but feel sorry for him. Daddy issues? Check. Off the charts sibling rivalry? Check. When Thor is your brother, what are you supposed to do to distinguish yourself? You become the god of mischief and you go (Spoiler Alert for a movie that's been out for going on two years now) Vlad the Impaler on Agent Coulson. That act seems like a moot point now if you watch Marvel's Agents of Shield. If the studio is wise, they'll find a way to incorporate Loki into the show's storyline and give Coulson some seriously epic panic attacks.

Loki was one of the best things about The Avengers and all of the credit should go to Tom Hiddleston. How many actors can hijack scenes from Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo, two of cinema's greatest scene stealers? The bit when Loki gets smashed into the floor by the Hulk is more memorable because of his reaction. It's clear that Hiddleston has great fun with the character and that is what makes him so entertaining. Seriously, can Tom Hiddleston get any more awesome than he already is? If you haven't already, watch last summer's Comic-Con footage of him as Loki. If it doesn't convince you of Hiddleston's awesomeness, nothing will.