“You know, it all makes sense now, why you favored Thor all these years, because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!”
Despite all the superhero veneer, this is basically a retelling of an ancient mythic trope: sibling rivalry. Thor is the natural son of Odin. Loki is Odin’s adopted son. Odin has raised both to believe they are equally suited to inherit the mantle of king upon his own demise. This quote pits Loki against his father after finding out that his biological birth actually traces back to Asgard’s nemesis, the Frost Giants. With this knowledge Loki comes to understand that he has been psychologically abused by Odin. Loki was never his adopted brother Thor’s equal. He knows now that he never had any genuine chance to best Thor and succeed Odin. This realization becomes the key to Loki’s subversion of Thor’s path to the throne because it is steeped in the belief that he is intellectually superior in every way and that Thor will only succeed Odin because of the luck of hereditary genetics.
“For the first time in my life, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do.”
Thor is superior to Loki in just one way: he is physically stronger. Loki recognizes this superiority and makes adjustments to subvert strength through sheer physical ability by outsmarting Thor. In Asgard, Thor is treated by everybody as the unquestioned successor to the throne because of his great strength. The difference between him and Loki is that while Loki recognizes he is not as strong as Thor, Thor equate strength with overall superiority. What is presented in the opening section of the movie is that Thor’s greatest weakness is overconfidence in all aspects of himself. He is suffering the tragic flaw that inevitably causes all mythic heroes to fall, if only temporarily: hubris. This quote portrays Thor’s mindset after he has been sent to earth where he has lost all his powers and is simply a very strong man. The narrative arc of heroes who suffer from hubris is that they fall in order to attain humility so that they can reclaim power but with a better understanding of how to use it. This is the point at which Thor is making that transformation.
“Through your arrogance and stupidity, you've opened these peaceful realms and innocent lives to the horror and desolation of war! You are unworthy of these realms…I now take from you your power! In the name of my father and his father before, I, Odin Allfather, cast you out!”
Sibling rivalry has resulted in Loki using his intellectual superiority to outwit Thor. Loki has taken advantage of Thor’s hubris to undermine his advantages of physical strength and blood relation so that he can assume to the throne of Asgard. In order for this plan to succeed, however, he must also manipulate their father, Odin, into being so disappointed in his biological son that he banishes Thor to earth where his powers will be stripped and he can present no challenge to Loki. This is the moment that Loki has been working toward as he succeeds in getting Odin to recognize that Thor is not quite as naturally suitable to become his heir as he has always thought. With this casting Thor out of Asgard to earth, Odin is unwittingly playing right into the hands of Loki. At the same time, however, this moment becomes the first step in actually making Thor a more suitable king since it is only his experiences on earth that redeem his hubris and introduces him to humility.
