Foreshadowing in Thor 1 Via Costumes

In his homily during Mass yesterday, the associate priest at my parish explained that snakes are a symbol of the Devil. Even though there is scholarly evidence that Snorri Sturluson was aware of a more nuanced conception of Loki but actively suppressed and rejected it by being selective with which pre-Christian Viking Age literary sources he cited, I thought of mythical Loki because his sigil is two snakes and he is known as the Father of Lies, according to Snorri's characterisation of him. But then I remembered that a snake also symbolized God before Pharoah in the Book of Exodus. 

This leads me to talk about MCU Loki. So some people think Loki shouldn't have gotten a redemption arc, especially keeping in mind his crimes pre-Thor: Ragnorak and how they pile up. They see Loki as this character who is selfish and power-hungry. Basically, in their eyes, Loki is not redeemable and his crimes are not forgiveable. 

Selfish? Yes. Power-hungry? Nope, his desire for a throne stemmed from his need for respect and affection. It stemmed from the fact that he loathed himself. He wanted the respect and admiration that a throne commands, not its power. 

I often remind myself that Loki's lies, backstabbing, and appearing to enjoy hurting people is a part of his villain act. Loki himself confirms this in the pilot episode of LOKI. He doesn't enjoy hurting people, he doesn't enjoy lying, and he doesn't enjoy double-crossing people. 

In fact, costume designer Charlie Wen did a bit of foreshadowing about Loki's journey in the design of his Thor 1 costumes. The high collars of Loki's Thor 1 wardrobe are inspired by calla lilies. Cala lilies, especially yellow or faux ones, symbolize sacrifice and redemption. 

So Marvel Studios gave Loki a redemption arc from the get-go, which was hinted at by the high collars of his Thor 1 wardrobe.