By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Most actors relish the challenge of playing a villain, a type that audiences love to hate. However, some actors do their job well and become something else: the kind of villain that makes the audience say, “wait, I can fix him.” A good example of this is Loki, the one-note Thor villain that Tom Hiddleston has turned into a fascinating ally of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The audience loved him so much that he kept coming back, first as the Big Bad of The Avengers and later as the mighty chaos of my brother Thor Thor: Ragnarok.
Heck, Hiddleston's Loki was so famous that he passed away: the character was killed off midway Avengers: Infinity War and he is awakened in the middle Avengers: Endgame before releasing his own TV series on Disney +. In following Loki's slow arc from supervillain to reluctant hero, many Marvel fans have compared the villain to Q, a god-like agent of chaos. Star Trek: The Next Generation. Like Loki, Q has had his own slow-burn transition from super villain to unlikely hero. Ironically, however, one of Trek's main writers resisted making Q human because he wanted him to be more like the villainous Loki of Norse mythology.
To the right of Q
Originally, Q was created as a simple object. When Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry needed to extend the first episode The Next Generation split into two parts, creating Q, a god-like alien who can easily defeat the entire crew of the Enterprise with his incredible strength. Q was very important to Roddenberry: not only did he name a character after a fan, but he ignored the objections of those before him. The Original Series the writers insisting that this “new” villain was just a remastered Trelane, the bad guy who clashed swords with Captain Kirk in “The Squire of Gothos.”
Being a cosmic trickster, fans have compared Q to Loki (a Norse legend who was later adapted into a superhero in Marvel comics) from the beginning. However, in time things would come full circle. When Loki became a major player in the MCU, fans kept comparing him to Q!
Saves Loki
Loki became a major player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was originally written as a villain for the standard stories at first Thor movie, but Loki actor Tom Hiddleston added an incredible amount of nuance and charisma to the role. Accordingly, he served as the main character in The Avengers and became a reluctant hero Thor: The Dark World again Thor: Ragnarok. Fans were sad to see him killed by Thanos Avengers: Infinity Warbut his version has escaped the circulation of time Avengers: Endgame. After that, Loki had his own TV series that chronicled his transformation from cosmic trickster to full-fledged hero.
When Hiddleston's Loki became a mainstay of the franchise, MCU fans started comparing him to Q. To be clear, no one involved at Marvel has ever confirmed that their version of Loki was inspired by this famous Star Trek villain. Why the constant comparison? Both characters are godlike tricksters whose greatest joy in life involves mortals. Each has traveled across the universe and into other realities. In the end, each had an unexpected transformation from villain to hero. Loki went from trying to rule humanity to saving humanity in every possible timeline. In “Deja Q,” Q started to soften, eventually becoming a character who will help save all of humanity (wait for it) multiple timelines!
Everything Comes Full Circle
Ironically, this roller coaster ride has one more loop, and it's a doozy. The reason why Q started to soften in “Deja Q” was because he was stripped of his power; he learned enough about humanity to try to sacrifice himself for the Enterprise, a feat so noble that the Q Continuum restored his powers. However, according to Captain's Logs: The Complete Adventure of Unauthorized AdventuresTNG staff writer Melinda Snodgrass wanted the character to always be mean because of a Norse god.
“I always think of Q as Loki. He's a mess. Maury Hurley always thought Q was here to teach us a lesson, guide us and teach us,” he said. I understand that to a certain extent, but I actually see him as the perpetrator. He really wants to mess with Picard's head.” How is it that because of chaos? One of the head writers of TNG hated characterizing Q because he wanted him to be more like the brutal Loki. However, when the MCU made Loki the main character, they made him so human that fans are constantly comparing him to Q!
Sadly, I can't give you the awesome cosmic powers wielded by Q or Loki, nor can I burden you with a glorious purpose. However, I can do the next best thing: as you are, you were we are carried away with brilliant trivia.
