When comparing Loki and Hans Gruber, it’s easy to see where Tom Hiddleston was inspired by Alan Rickman’s performance. Both actors play their characters as tricksters whose emotions can be hard to pin down, making them intimidating to those unfamiliar with them. They’re also quick thinkers and determined to meet their respective goals. Despite these similarities, though, Hiddleston didn’t just watch “Die Hard” before portraying the God of Mischief in the movies. He also did plenty of research on other versions of Loki, ones rooted in mythology and pop culture.
“I was cast in April 2009, and I had about eight months to build the character from the ground up,” Hiddleston explained during an appearance on Vanity Fair’s “Little Gold Men” podcast. To do so, he immediately got to work researching all kinds of Lokis, from those on the pages of Marvel Comics to the one of Scandinavian legend. He even dove a bit into Loki’s presence in Jim Carey’s 1994 movie, “The Mask.” Pulling back the curtain on the process, he added, “What’s Loki’s impact on human imagination and culture? And then synthesizing all of that into the story we’re telling. That was such a delightful period of discovery and curiosity.”
Tom Hiddleston has teased his Loki future, expressing uncertainty over what lies ahead for him in the MCU. No matter what happens, though, it’s fair to say that Hiddleston was the prime choice for Loki and that he put his research and inspiration to good use.