Update: Click here for a newer post about Loki with a more complete type analysis.
Over the past couple weeks, without even looking for them, I’ve stumbled upon two blogs talking about Myers-Briggs types for fictional characters. One is a Tumbler called MBTI in Fiction. The other is a blog titled A Little Bit of Personality, with a series of posts analyzing heroic archetypes.
I’ve been intrigued by the characters each of these writers choose to type as INFJs. Neither of these writer’s are INFJs themselves (the writer from “MBTI in Fiction” is an ENTJ and the writer of “A Little Bit of Personality” is an ENTP), and it’s interesting to see who non-INFJs think are INFJs. I don’t always agree with them, but it’s interesting.
Loki
This was the first post I saw from MBTI in Fiction. My initial reaction was, “There’s no way Loki and I have the same personality type.” But I agree that he’s an introvert, and I don’t think he’s logical or grounded enough to be either an S or a T type, so that leaves us with INFJ or INFP. (Some people type him as an INTJ Mastermind, but he seems to rely on Extroverted Feeling more than Extroverted Thinking as a function).
Both INFJs and INFPs feel everything very deeply and trust their intuition. However, INFPs tend to keep their emotions to themselves, though feelings will inform all their actions. Outwardly, they appear “receptive and non-judgmental.” INFJs prefer to approach the world through Introverted Intuition (Ni), followed by Extroverted Feeling (Fe). They are the rarest type, often question their sanity, rely strongly on their intuitions about people, and tend to talk about their feelings. Dr. A.J. Drenth’s profile includes this descriptions, which I think sounds a lot like Loki (as played by Tom Hiddleston in The Avengers):
INFJs are far less serious inwardly than they may appear outwardly. Their inner world is well described as playful, imaginative, colorful, mischievous, and daring. Characterized by Perceiving rather than Judging, it is far less controlled and regulated than that of INFPs. INFJs love playing with ideas, perspectives, theories, images, symbols, and metaphors.
Another reason I’ve been won-over to typing Loki as an INFJ is because of the description of INFJ villains on A Little Bit of Personality’s page. It really does sound like Loki, and the last line hits a little too close to home for me to brush this analysis off as written by someone who just doesn’t understand INFJs.
When turned to villainy, the INFJ is *creepy*! There isn’t really any other word for it. Dark Paladins are the best of manipulators because they are incredibly intuitive about people and can apply their mild-manneredness to going under the radar as long as they need to, manipulating others who would never suspect them. Because they are so good at this and *know* it, pure-hearted INFJ’s often wonder if they are secretly evil and manipulative at heart, like one day they’ll wake up and realize they were bad all along.
Future Posts?
I was planning on covering several characters, but after I started writing Loki I decided one would be enough for a single post. Maybe I’ll write more at some other time, if anyone is interested. Are there any characters you’ve been thinking are INFJs? Would you be interested in me typing non-INFJ characters?
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I am pretty sure Loki is just low-key. Those introverts… :0
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Very “punny” Corbin 😛
But yes, we introverts are not to be trusted. Especially the low-key ones.
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Loki is very much an INFJ — his extroverted feeling is directed at leading people because he feels it’s best for them to BE lead. Unfortunately, his arrogance sometimes gets in the way of his brains. (I’m an INFJ — recently discovered — and I run another tumblr typing blog! Here’s the one I did for Loki last week: http://mbtifiction.tumblr.com/post/64493603313/the-avengers-loki).
Strangely enough, while we may be the rarest of the personality types in fiction — there’s a LOT of us in nonfiction; I think writers see INFJs as the “ideal” to strive for — a smart, forward-thinking, logical but compassionate character.
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Thanks for your comment, and for sharing your post about Loki. I’m looking forward to reading some of your other posts as well, particularly about fictional INFJs.
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Where do you get your functions information from?! Fe makes him lead?! Also, istps are the overwhelming majority of protagonists in any form of literature, not infj. Once again, where do you get your information from?! How can you base what type a character is just because you “relate” to them somehow?
As for loki, he’s clearly a maniacal, self-centered egomaniac who wants it all. None Of those things point to infj. I’ll let this blogger explain it better
http://zombiesruineverything.com/2013/10/13/mbti-loki-entj/#more-3543
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I can see ENTJ for Loki… I may have to rethink him. But it seems like in the movies at least, a lot of his motivation is emotional — more emotional than I’d expect an ENTJ to be. (?) Granted, though, I thought the Thor movies were stupid, and The Avengers bored me, so I’ve only seen them once. :p
ISTPs, huh? I run into them a lot, but not as much as all the other emotionally-driven types.
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I’m certainly willing to admit I could be wrong, especially since Loki’s unstable personality makes him difficult to type. I have a hard time thinking of him as an extrovert, though, at least in the films. I haven’t read any of the comics, and I noticed the blogger who types him as an ENTJ draws on the comics quite a bit.
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I saw the second Thor movie today and there’s no way the Loki of the movies is an ENTJ. Loki has Extroverted Feeling all over the place. His mother even says he’s so tuned into other people, he often forgets to pay attention to his own emotions — that’s the staple of Fe. He intuitively discerns what other people need emotionally from him and gives it to them — an ENTJ couldn’t do that.
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I thought much the same thing while watching Dark World, especially noticing his Fe
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He’s much, much too likable and manipulative not to have Fe. His overly-dramatic and sarcastic personality scream NF. The entire faked death scene was an intuitive perception built on his understanding of what Thor wanted from him and giving him his fantasy — for Loki to be a selfless hero giving up his life for his family. That is a perfect example of manipulative Fe, combined with Introverted Intuition. (And Thor, being a total Sensor-Feeler, fell for it hook, line, and sinker.)
I could almost buy the argument that Loki is an ENTP (Fe as his third function) but… I don’t see Extroverted Thinking in him. He doesn’t seem a master organizer to me, more of a “take in information, draw conclusions from it, and act on those” character. Terrific character!
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Wow, haven’t noticed you guy’s last couple responses, too busy trying some of these recipes.
Yep, estp overwhelmingly represented in movies, istp in novels. Repressed Fe, crafty, simple, makes for easier writing as opposed to a more complex, spiritual character. Granted, that gives you the ton of Channing Tatum / Taylor kitch crap that comes out every summer.
Once again, this guy has a nice little article on the two types.
http://zombiesruineverything.com/2013/08/04/mbti-istps-and-estps-the-go-to-action-heroes/#more-2074
As for the marvel movies, I agree they’re pretty mediocre. Seeing loki in the movies as infj could be a result of the actor himself being an NF. Not wanting to beat on a dead horse, but at the end of the day, his motive is total control and to punish everyone who doesn’t bow to him. Contrast him with the latest incarnation of superman in the man of steel movie who’s an infj, nothing alike. Mind you, superman in the comics is an esfj.
Thor’s an estp btw, typical jock type.
And this is a pretty long reply.
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I’m glad you’re finding recipes you want to try 🙂
Tom Hiddleston’s type may very well be influencing those of us who type the film-version of Loki as an INFJ. I think it was on Pinterest that I saw a few people typing him as an NF, and that’s the impression I get from the interviews I’ve seen and an article he wrote. I’ll be interested to contrast Man of Steal’s Superman with Loki once I finally see it.
Yea, I was leaning toward an ESTP for Thor — he seems like a fairly straight-forward character to type.
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Loki doesn’t use Fi, which rules out ENTJ or INTJ. The only other option for him besides INFJ is ENTP — which I could accept, even though his motivations at first aren’t simply to get power but to prove how unfit Thor is for leadership. (And he gets what he wants, eventually, even if he has to disguise himself to do it.)
Tom Hiddleston… yeah, I think he is an ENFJ. Very charismatic and likable, which seeps over into Loki.
Really? The new Superman is INFJ? I didn’t notice that at the time, but then again, I was busy being distressed that Superman was oblivious to the fact that millions of people were dying all around him, as he totally demolished Metropolis in a long-drawn out brawl rather than taking it “outside.”
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Okay, jumping right into this, maybe focusing on a single aspect of the painting might give it a different look than the rest? To say that you see Loki’s Fe isn’t ill-informed but looking at the bigger picture, can you see yourselves (as INFJs presumably) carrying on a constant fight with everyone around you for the majority of your existence? And all so you can continue your life as their master and ruler? Among trying to kill his own family, he was about to kill that old man in Avengers for not bowing! Not for crimes against humanity but against Loki. I can imagine relating to Loki in certain ways, but any type is relatable. The entirety of the character does nothing to promote humanistic values in any way as opposed to a true INFJ villain does (shameless plug, I can’t help myself)-
http://zombiesruineverything.com/2013/09/04/mbti-ras-al-ghul-infj/
It could just as easily be said that Loki’s Fi comes into play when he’s being reprimanded for his role in The Avengers where he really doesn’t get why anybody thinks all the destruction he caused is a big deal, it’s just earth, not Asgard. It doesn’t matter to him because it’s not apart of his internal values to care about what he doesn’t understand…jump back to INFJs who care about people they’ve never even met.
Agreements- Marvel movies suck, Man of Steel Superman is INFJ, Hiddleston is NF, probably ENFJ from what I can tell.
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You’re right about the fact that INFJs tend to want to keep the peace, but wrong in that we all care about people we don’t know — at times, I struggle to care even about the people I DO know, but in my type’s defense — I grew up modeling my behavior after my mother — a totally unemotional INTJ. So I reserve my Fe for a very small, personal, close group of people and everyone else gets the unemotional cold shoulder.
Loki is quite different from Ras. But he’s also a lot different from Magneto. Does Magneto have fun? Nope. Is Magneto theatrical? Nope. Is Magneto manipulative? Eh… to an extent, but he usually just wins people to his side with arguments and when they disagree with him, he destroys them. Whereas Loki figures out what other people want and manipulates them with it, right down to his super-theatrical death scene. Fe. ENTP.
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Compare Loki to a spoiled rich kid vs. the guy that worked his way from nothing to the executive, Magneto. Both the same type but the hard worker may never amount to daddy’s money.
Loki isn’t bound by humanity’s laws and plays with people like a twisted kid playing with wounded animals while he also wants to rule his own people because of his arrogance.
Magneto is much the same- he wants to turn the tables on those that did him wrong as a kid and now- HE wants to rule. King of his own people, lording over humans.
I was going to say Magneto and Loki have different goals but the same motivation but they actually have similar goals too.
But while Magneto is one of the most powerful figures on Earth, Loki was born into a race that prizes physical strength and “manliness” so he uses his brain to get what he wants.
And Magneto, not theatrical? Whaaa? He wears purple underwear on the outside of his pants, loves his own speeches and is hardly in a movie or panel without waving his hands as far out as he can get them. He wasn’t born into royalty like Loki but still believes himself to be a god.
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I’m one of those super-analytical people who have to consider every option, so I re-watched “Thor” (and will probably do “The Avengers” tomorrow). And here is your typical INFJ response to the topic at hand — Ni/Ti wanting to consider everything, and Fe wanting everyone to be happy.
Here’s what I’ve noticed about Loki in the movies:
Thor – INTJ (he thinks before he acts, rather than acts before he thinks, is extremely self-contained and bides his time)
Avengers – ENTJ (is much less far-sighted, otherwise he wouldn’t get clocked by the Hulk — a leading Intuitive would see that coming, but still a lot of Fe)
Thor 2 – ENFP (much more theatrical, playful, and a heavy Fe-user who knows how to manipulate people)
Loki proves the reason I’ve given up MBTI-typing fictional characters in general — you can’t type any of them without having reason for doubt, because the majority of writers don’t consult MBTI when writing, which means their characters use all the cognitive functions, in different order, at different times. Loki uses Te (launching a plan) and Ti (pointing out the flaws in the Avengers’ plans) both. He uses Fi early on (being hurt at rejection) and Fe later (turning all the Avengers against one another, successfully manipulating all of them). He also uses Ne (big picture, last movie) and Ni (knowing what’s coming). So I give up. If you want to say he’s an ENTJ, fine. 😀
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In fact, not to harp, but I just remembered I had this. Last one, I promise.
http://zombiesruineverything.com/2013/10/18/mbti-evil-deads-ash-type-changing-entp-and-estp-part-i/
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PS: I’m laughing about our conversation, because it looks like Te (you) and Ti (me) at war — you’re focusing on the logical facts in front of you, and I’m picking holes in it. Are you a Te-user? 😀
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I am convinced, that everybody acttually has all functions, it is just their hierarchy that decides type.
I was convinced that type can not change, just get developedt (or disintegrated) and thus get more similar to other type, but psychologist told me, that trauma or very intense and prolonged psychological tinkering can actually change hierarchy of functions for real, even dramatically.
And Loki is Trickster – pretty much embodiment of change and multifacetness. If anybody can swap types like clothes, it’s him. Especially when we consider what he goes through.
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I am INTJ and i am NOT unemotive, i am NOT a manipulative chessmaster, and i am NOT a scientist … Prefers the logic is differents of be purely logic… I hate those stereotypes … (I do not think you think like that, but I’m already impatient with that)… e_e
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Nice- “There’s no right answer; screw it!! Say whatever you want!” But see what you’re doing with Loki is also done with real people all the time. “I used to like people and I was really friendly, so I was ENFP then…but now I don’t talk to people and I’m really logical so I’m INTJ!” Everybody has everything in their personality but it’s all about what’s more dominant.
Characters are like individual versions of stories- each one has a message and there’s a reason behind why we like them; because they’re a mirror image or nothing like us and we’re attracted to that, but either way, it makes no difference if the writer went by MBTI or not because if they’re a well written character because they’ll still have those basic type traits but on a grander scale.
To say that Loki is a mess of all those functions (we all are, in a sense) is like saying there’s nothing to his character because he changes every movie to the point of not even being the same character. That scenario will normally only come from bad writing. Cliche though these movies may be, their characters are retained.
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(Sorry, Marissa… we’re totally hijacking your blog. :P)
I agree that bad writing contributes to bad characterization — I’ve seen characters totally flip personality types within one or two seasons of a television show, because often bad writing means that a character’s behavior dictates the plot, rather than the plot dictating their characteristic behavior. Don’t even get me started on The Vampire Diaries characters.
Loki is a problem because a) he’s insane and b) he’s acting under stress, which means his functions are in disarray. I can see where a totally screwed up ENTJ might be as emotional and short-sighted as Loki is, yes. So — maybe, but I’m still not convinced because unlike Magneto, he seems to have an extraordinary ability to manipulate people through adapting his behavior to theirs, which still seems more Fe than FI. Either way, whatever he is, he’s flat out the best character in the Thor franchise — and the only one that keeps me semi-interested in watching more of the franchise.
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Well, people will do that with characters (“they’re insane- untypable!”) but it’ll usually just be a personality disorder or problem they have rather than actual insanity.
For example, another ENTJ on the show Death Note wants to rule the world and is incredibly narcissistic to the point of developing a God Complex. He’s therefore labeled “insane.” But what types are more driven to that kind of behavior? To control and bend others to their will?
In Loki’s case, he has no choice but to use his skills of tricks and persuasion (like ENTJs are known to use, and a big difference between them and ESTJ, ENTJs read people and know what they want to hear) because he’s physically weaker than the other Norse gods. But he was also born into that role, being the god of mischief. Magneto is, more or less, human and rarely needs to suffer a fool, so to speak. You’re with him or you’re not- no need for tricks, save for the time he pretended to be another mutant for a couple years before revealing himself and destroying the X-Men and New York.
Nope, no Te here. ENTP. If I were Te, I’d probably be a lot more insulting and straying from the point to try to make you FEEL wrong, as opposed to staying on topic like we are. Te users are mean mamajammas. You’d read something like “IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THEN DON’T TALK ABOUT IT! YOU’RE DONE.”
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Agreed. Loki isn’t all that insane, he’s just… uh… seriously angry about perceived injustices. 😉
Having given it a lot more thought, I can accept ENTJ, because all the functions seem to fit him besides Fe, and I can see where his motivation is selfish (they treated me bad, I want to rule! I’m going to make them all SUFFER!). But I can also see where INFJ comes from — even though it seems like a far-fetched idea (simply because, as you pointed out, he LOOKS like he uses Fe). I can see where Te-Ni-Se could make him incredibly effective at acting within the moment (which also looks like ENTP under the right circumstances).
Huh. I’m learning a lot. I’ve started paying attention to cognitive functions, which really shifts one’s perceptions. I’m finding out one type can masquerade as another very easily! No wonder so many people mistype themselves, much less fictional characters! But hey, the INFJs still have Ra’s, and that’s cool. 😉
ENTP, huh? Cool. I’ve never met one IRL until now (although IS this real life? can it be real life through a computer screen?). And yeah, I can see how mean a Te-led Fi-user could be. Remind me to stay away from them. 😀
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Oh yeah the functions flips everything on it’s head when you first get into them. “Introverted…Thinking? But I’m an Extravert!” It’s confusing but then it all falls into place. And yeah, I think that the ORIGINAL mythological figure was probably ENTP. He wasn’t out to rule but to just mess things up for fun.
Yeah if people didn’t focus on each letter individually so much I can’t help but think they’d grasp the types much better. Instead, people pay attention to the letters and percentages and think that they switch types whenever they get angry, lonely, happy, what have you.
I know a single INFJ and you could say that she’s pretty misunderstood. Her quietness is often mistaken for snobbery by others but when you talk to her, you can tell there’s a lot going on in her head. My only problems are that I feel like I’m stepping on her toes or that I come off like a clown.
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I’ve actually started using the terms “Internal” and “External” instead of “Introverted” and “Extroverted,” since it confuses people less. I couldn’t figure out my dad at first, because he needs time alone — but his functions didn’t fit INFP; they fit ENFP. So I had to throw out the concept of introvert/extrovert entirely in order to “find him.”
I agree, people need to forget the letter combos and just learn about the functions. Unfortunately, they can be really confusing and overwhelming at first if you DID start out with the letter combos — like I did. But once you do find your own type, everything clicks and you start understanding yourself a lot better. For me, it was “Ooooh! THAT’S WHY I DO THAT!” LOL
Of course, fiction writers can really mess with your head, when they establish a character as THIS, but then later in the season they turn into THAT. (I’m so confused with The Vampire Diaries. I just… can’t even… *head explodes*)
Misunderstood… yes. Been called a cold-hearted bitch, yes. Take all the blame for arguments, yes. Unapproachable unless you know me, yes. Totally intimidating at times, even to friends. Yup.
ENTPs are a lot of fun… or so I’m told. If she’s still hanging around you, you probably haven’t stepped on her toes too much. 😉
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Yeah you can tell when she’s had enough of “whatever” anyway because she can’t hide it if she tried. The joke around work is “She’s up to her 12 words a day limit.”
She’d mentioned that often times in a conversation that she takes so long to decide on what she wants to say that by the time she’s decided, everybody’s moved on.
Yeah, like your Vampire Diaries, I had to give up on Dexter. It just got so…sloppy.
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I’ve really enjoyed reading this conversation, and only sorry I didn’t find it sooner. If it is possible for an INFJ to be a covert narcissist with a strong sense of entitlement and pride, would that fit Hiddleston’s Loki? Under serious distress, the dark side of INFJ might explain him, but I don’t know how long it could be sustained. I’d be inclined to feel it all deeply but stuff it down and disconnect (INFJ)
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I was wondering the same thing about a stress response when re-watching The Avengers. To me, that’s the film where he seems least like an INFJ, but it’s also after “Loki disappears through that wormhole of space and time, when the Bifrost is destroyed, and he kind of goes through the Seventh Circle of Hell. And he’s on his own. He’s on his own in the dark corners of the universe, and the journey he goes on is pretty horrible. It’s like getting lost in the rainforest or something. You’re going to come out the other side a bit mangled on the outside, and on the inside.” (quote from an interview with Tom Hiddleston: http://www.craveonline.com/film/articles/187769-the-seventh-circle-of-hell-an-interview-with-tom-hiddleston).
There’s a book by Naomi Quenk called “Was That Really Me?” that talks about each type’s inferior function (here’s her chapter on INFJs and INTJs: http://personalitycafe.com/infj-forum-protectors/76894-recognizing-inferior-function-infj.html) She said that stressed INFJs demonstrate Obsessive Focus on External Data (compulsively trying to control things, worrying over things people said or didn’t say), Overindulgence in Sensual Pleasures (becoming “self-centered” and “self-indulgent”), and an Adversarial Attitude Toward the Outer World (hypersensitivity, suspicion, anger that is “focused, intense, and extreme”). That does sound a like Loki, but then I can also see elements of his personality in the description of a stressed ENTJ (hypersensitivity, negativity, frequent outbursts of anger and emotion): http://personalitycafe.com/entj-articles/95932-form-inferior-function-fi.html
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People, the Marvel universe is vast… The characters move from world to world, from author to author and from year to year, especially if the character in question is ambiguous and liar like Loki is!!!
It is impossible to find a single definition to the character of Loki, as he has several (“Real” and others that he pretends to have) … It makes no sense to analyze Loki of the 60’s comics, Kid Loki, Loki of the movies, among others, as the same individual, they are very different…
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Maybe you could try to find out Steve Roger’s and Thor’s mbti? I’m pretty sure that Thor is a ESTJ, but I have no idea about Cap.
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ESTJ sounds like a good guess for Thor, though I’ve also thought he could be ESTP. I’ve been thinking ISFJ for Steve (especially since seeing Winter Soldier earlier today). Maybe I will write a post about Steve’s type 🙂
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Alrighty thanks.
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Reblogged this on dakotaisacritic.
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When I, as an INFP, read that Tom Hiddleston himself is said to be an INFP, I was curious to find out what type Loki was. This sounds really accurate from what I know of my INFJ friends. Sometimes, your quotes and descriptions sounded a lot like me, too, especially about the “wondering if someday they’ll wake up evil”. Of course, Loki’s J trait might not be very strong, thus giving him some P traits as well. Who knows. 🙂
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I can see Tom as potentially being an INFP — I recently read a Personality Hacker article that described INFPs and ISFPs as “easily the greatest actors and performers of all the types.”
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I apologize if someone mentioned this and I missed it, but I feel there is a huge missing piece in analyzing Loki’s character and his development in the MCU. I personally view Loki as an INFJ (I am one myself and to paraphrase what I heard someone once say concerning INFJ’s recognizing one another “they smell the darkness”) but I feel a huge part of his descent into seeming madness has to do with more subtle plot elements:
1) He was raised by the harsh Odin, implied to be second in line to the throne (that’s what he’s told) in the MCU as the other sons of Odin are mysteriously absent. Loki was raised with all intents and purposes to be a King, but not just any king, but the All Father of Asgard.
This position calls for a stark departure from who Loki is at his heart, and INFJ’s don’t deal well with being forced into alternative moulds for extended periods of time. It leaves a deep, overwhelming emptiness that in and of itself can cause an INFJ to retaliate. This is seen in a scene when Thor and Loki go to approach Odin (before the general Loki plot line has exploded) and they are supposedly the picture of loving brothers. Thor is ready for his father to crown him successor to take the throne that day, and he is still painfully oblivious of everyone but himself. Loki makes a small scene after a servant offering Thor wine agrees with Thor’s snarky comment that Loki is inferior. Loki turns the wine in the cup into a snake, shocking the servant. Thor complains of the waste of good wine and remains oblivious both to the hurt his comment made to Loki, and the INFJ-snapping point that Loki was drawing ever closer to. I see this as the dark INFJ side starting to seep out after being held back for so long that it could no longer resist its own darkness.
During Loki’s “madness,” we see that he employs many of the same tactic that Odin taught him and that Thor uses. The only difference is we don’t like who Loki is conquering, because he’s hurting us (Midgard) instead of taking it out on a bunch of wicked Frost Giants who really had it coming anyhow (Thor and Odin did this.) Loki seems to snap and his actions become an impassioned caricature of what Odin said he should have been, but never could be because he would never truly be Odin’s son. This deep, burdened mourning of sorts seems to erupt into the vicious, highly emotional torrent of destruction and malicious actions. Loki pre-snap seems quiet and very introverted, but afterwards seems to become a twisted version of Thor: self-centered, narcissistic, showy, entitled to power at the expense of others, and merciless in conquest. This truly is Thor before he grows throughout the process of the MCU. The only difference is he likes Midgard and he’s wrapped up in a golden retriever puppy facade so we sympathize with Thor and condemn Loki.
Later, however, after Loki is imprisoned in Asgard, he sees Frigga and shares an undeniably vulnerable, tender moment where the INFJ comes out. The last time he sees her alive, she basically asks him “are you not our son?” His response is a hasty attempt to guard his emotions and he denies her appealing to him. When he later hears of her death, you can see the INFJ breaking out in his rage. There is a very subtle echo of their last conversation clinging to him. The only one in the 9 realms who seemed to truly love him and care was gone, and his last conversation with her was to deny her as his mother. It is one of the only times we see Loki reveal himself disheveled and lacking in his primary defenses, other than playing mildly with Thor’s emotions when he shows up asking for help.
2) Loki seems to have moment of not simply switching between INFJ and shadow characteristics but seems to be infused by something else entirely. We must look closer at the story itself for clues. It is strongly implied that prior to Avengers, Loki is tortured by the absolutely depraved, despicable Thanos but also The Other. At the beginning of Avengers, he appears looking very pale, eyes sunken in, and as if he has been through worse than what any of the Avengers do to him throughout the course of the movie. In fact, despite the Hulk’s smashing, his surrender at the end of Avengers seems more strategic than as if he actually was defeated. He’s in much better shape than at the start of the movie. Curious.
This appears that Loki may not actually be an evil mastermind so much as one being controlled by Thanos and The Other. In Gaurdians of the Galaxy, we are intorduced to Gamora and Nebula, both “daughters” of Thanos who were adopted/stolen, tortured, physically altered to be better assassins, and held within Thanos’ control. Gamora takes the chance of tagging along with Peter Quill to find freedom (after all, she fails her mission in recovering one of the infinity stones in his possession, which leaves her in a bad spot with Thanos.) Nebula, on the other hand, appears as a spirited, begrudging enemy loyal to Thanos to the death, until Ronan proves he has a shot at destroying Thanos and she pledges her loyalty to him if he would only free her from Thanos.
All this boils down to… Thanos is one really bad dude, who has a way of imprisoning folks and being a mastermind at getting his way. The fact the he give Loki the Mind Infinity Stone to use (in the scepter) shows that he’s using Loki AND likely is simultaneously controlling Loki to some extent with the stone, just as Loki captures Professor Selvig. The professor at the end of the movie tells Black Widow that while he did build the machine so the Tesseract could be used to open a portal for the Chitari invasion, he wasn’t “totally” unaware of his actions as he still managed to incorporate an emergency “off” to the system.
This implies that the control of the Mind stone may have only been partial (reading the history in the comics vs the MCU, the stones seem to maybe be not quite as powerful in the MCU as in the comics.) This means that Loki may have been under control, but still able to use his strong INFJ mind to work his way into his own loophole in getting caught by the Avengers and taken back to be imprisoned in Asgard. At one point while battling Thor, Thor tells him to “stop this madness” and Loki says “it’s too late” and there is a break in character briefly where the madman disappears and the INFJ Loki appears, almost implying that he’s not the one pulling the strings, or able to stop the madness. Loki’s later death may be both to satisfy Thor as well as Thanos, knowing he’s as good as dead for going against Thanos. Him disguising himself as Odin on the throne may actually be another attempt at escaping Thanos, along with fulfilling his own personal goal of being valued and achieving what makes him feel complete.
Thor leaves the disguised Loki on the throne, and Loli himself seems happy, but alone. Loki spent so much time wanting to be loved and equal, it seems the curse of the INFJ that in the end he finds peace in the solitude of isolation.
So that’s my input. We cannot call Loki erratic without understanding the influences on him:
1) Odin’s personality and expectations and the caricature of “what Loki should have been”
2) Loki was most likely tortured and under supernatural control of Thanos and was a victim in a much larger scheme of Thanos to recover all the Infinity Stones for himself (bigger plot line there)
I believe every counter to “Loki isn’t an INFJ” can be resolved to some extent with the above points. Anyhow, that’s my $0.02 🙂
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Wonderful analysis. I think it’s interesting that you describe Loki as acting like a twisted version of Thor in The Avengers, since I’d type Thor as an ESTP which would mean he and an INFJ Loki use the exact same functions, but in the opposite order.
I was reading over this post again today after reading your comment, and I realized it’s not nearly as complete as my later Fictional MBTI posts, and that I wrote it before seeing Dark World. Maybe it’s time for an up-date 🙂 Thanks so much for commenting and bringing me back here!
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