What Loki Teaches Us About Identity and What It Means to Be Human
**Spoilers ahead for “Loki” seasons one and two.**
Who is Loki Laufeyson?
Over the years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has introduced us to a catalog of characters, but none stand out as complex and endearing as Loki. Throughout the course of his appearances in the MCU, he’s been a villain, a god, and a trickster. He’s assumed the guises of Captain America and Odin and exists as multiple variants of himself, including an alligator (in the series) and a serpent (in Norse mythology). His ability to shape-shift and embody various forms, genders, and personas adds another layer to the enigma that is Loki. So, it’s no wonder that Loki, the Disney+ series that successfully brings Loki’s journey full circle across 6 films and 12 episodes, fittingly bookends the first and last episodes of the show with the title “Glorious Purpose” — and asks a major question throughout the course of the series: Who is Loki Laufeyson?
The short answer is that Loki contains multitudes. By the end of Loki season 2, not only does Loki attempt heroism like he did trying to kill Thanos at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, but he chooses and attempts the most selfless path of all to save the ones he loves — and he succeeds. Loki follows Loki’s journey from villain to anti-hero to hero by beginning the series shortly after the events of Avengers: Endgame, where a 2012 version of Loki steals the Tesseract and swiftly gets arrested by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) for “crimes against the Sacred Timeline.” Against the backdrop of befriending Mobius, a TVA analyst, Loki meets a variant of himself named Sylvie, setting off on a journey through space and time as Loki searches for purpose. Much like the physical forms Loki can mold himself into, the show demonstrates he is not merely an immutable entity — but rather, an evolving figure who defies labels altogether and who aims to feel the very things that make us human: to feel like we belong, to feel understood, to feel loved, and to feel significant. The series is not only an important narrative vehicle for propelling the MCU forward into “The Multiverse Saga,” but is itself a compelling exploration of identity that showcases the complexities of the self and what it means to be human.
A Philosophical Perspective
From a philosophical standpoint, Loki’s journey calls to mind the Ship of Theseus, the thought experiment of a ship whose parts get replaced slowly. The Ship of Theseus serves as a fitting metaphor for Loki’s evolution; just as the ship’s parts are replaced over time, Loki, too, undergoes profound changes over the course of the MCU while managing to maintain a core essence of himself. At the beginning of Loki, he’s a trickster, shrouded in mystery with unclear motivations. Over the course of the first season, he’s softened and falls in love with Sylvie (and by extension himself). And by the end of season 1 and over the course of season 2, he’s deeply committed to stopping variants of He Who Remains and preventing a Multiversal War. In this way Loki, like the ship, makes us ask the question: can one retain the same identity — in Loki’s case, a misunderstood trickster god who hasn’t always acted benevolently — amid transformative experiences that soften him and even make him good?
To answer this question, we can turn to the ideas of John Locke and David Hume. Locke posited that personal identity resides in consciousness rather than in a fixed physical form, while Hume suggested that the self is a collection of perceptions and experiences that are constantly in flux. In this way, Loki is ever-changing, rather than immutable — and like the Ship of Theseus, is an exemplar of the fluid nature of identity. Said differently, thoughts and experiences shape the self, and inherent in this perspective is the constantly evolving nature of who we are as evolving creatures. Loki’s actions and shape-shifting abilities reflect this fluidity, challenging traditional notions of a fixed identity. Put together, Loki demonstrates that identity is largely dynamic. But what can cause identity to be dynamic? Enter social psychology.
A Social Psychological Perspective
Borrowing from ideas of the “father of modern social psychology” Kurt Lewin, the series illuminates Loki’s behavior as a function of both person and environment. The show not only portrays Loki’s “self,” but contextualizes his “self” within the dynamic interplay of person and context. Loki exhibits diverse behaviors across the MCU and within the series, to the point where different choices produced various branched timelines and different Loki variants. In this way, individuals, including Loki, can behave in ways that are entirely different from how they might act if their contexts were always static. Loki’s story demonstrates that identity is not fixed, but rather a dynamic journey shaped by the recursive interaction of one’s “self” and the social contexts in which it is embedded.
Further, Arie Kruglanski’s Significance-Quest Theory finds resonance in Loki’s search for (glorious) purpose. Kruglanski’s theory suggests that individuals have a fundamental motivation to seek significance and meaning in their lives. This quest for significance can, in turn, be linked to the human search for identity and purpose. Loki’s underlying desire for significance is evident in his constant pursuit of power and recognition. In Thor, Loki feels overshadowed by Thor and seeks validation from their father, Odin. In The Avengers, Loki seeks power and recognition through his involvement with the Chitauri invasion of Earth. Loki allows Loki to redefine his quest for significance in a divergent timeline where his encounter with He Who Remains raises existential questions about free will and predestination — and makes him a figure with the power to change this predetermined “Sacred Timeline.” Loki’s actions and motivations exemplify the theory’s assertion that humans seek significance and meaning in their lives in order to understand their identity and purpose within their social contexts.
Additionally, Loki demonstrates individuals’ needs to seek vital connections with others. Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary’s Social Belonging Theory proposed that humans have a fundamental need to belong. This need for social connection is essential for well-being, as well as an important influence on one’s sense of identity. This need to belong is reflected in Loki’s lack of strong relationships across the films and in his burgeoning relationships in the series, especially with Sylvie and Mobius. His quest for connection and to be understood throughout his journey underscores the fundamental human desire for social acceptance and connection. It also exemplifies that true belonging comes not from selfish pursuits — but from understanding others’ needs and concerns and actively working towards the well-being of the collective.
Ultimately, Loki serves as a mirror reflecting fundamental needs for identity, community, belonging, and purpose — in short, what it means to be human. And further, he teaches us that to be human is to be ever-evolving. To connect. To feel significant. To be capable of empathy and collaboration, and to hope for something better than what is. To be human is to confer humanity upon each other through our empathy, compassion, and trust so that we may feel less alone in our sadness and in our joy. To be human is to be something we are and something to aspire to be. In sum, to be human is to contain multitudes.
Loki Laufeyson: A Villain Turned Hero. An Ever-Evolving Seeker of Connection and Significance. And Everything in Between.
In essence, Loki’s story transcends the realms of gods and superhumans, resonating with the very essence of human existence — the ever-changing and evolving self and the quest for connection and purpose. After revealing in Loki episode 205 “Science/Fiction” that he didn’t want to lose his friends, the series finale shows Loki submitting himself to an eternity of isolation, using magic to create and protect a new timeline structure shaped like the Norse tree of life, Yggdrasil. He finally sits on a throne not only to protect his friends but the whole multiverse, for all time — always. It’s an act of pure love and selflessness, sitting on a throne not because he wants to rule as he did when he led the Chitauri army in New York, but because he wanted to pave the way for a better, more hopeful TVA that protects all people and their free will in every timeline.
In the end, Loki’s journey through time and space and his ascension to the throne at the end of time remind us of the complexity of the human experience and the multifaceted nature of identity. For a character born of Frost Giant lineage, adopted by Asgardians, and endowed with the powers of a god, Loki’s essence is encapsulated in the very contradictions that define him. In fact, they’re what makes him profoundly human.
