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Marvel Movie Minute season 4: Thor minute 39 • Thor 039: Why so suspicious, Hogun?

Thor 039: Why So Suspicious, Hogun?


Minute Thirty-Nine: From Loki’s Reveal to Hogun’s Suspicion

Jessica Plummer, Book RiotJoining us in the Healing Room all week is Jessica Plummer, author and contributing editor at Book Riot. We talk about Hogun the Suspicious and his suspicions.

In the thirty-ninth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor

  • It turns out Loki was paying attention to the conversation after all, not just staring at his hand with thoughts of his heritage.
  • We debate Loki’s reveal to the group here in the Healing Room. So he told the guard but it was to keep them safe.
  • And like Thor, Loki reveals his royal heritage with the comment about flogging the guard.
  • Hogun’s healing massage of Volstagg’s arm stops, which may be the sign that he’s shocked. It’s hard to tell with Hogun.
  • We agree completely with Loki’s comments on Thor as a terrible option for king. Why do Thor’s friends seem to disagree? Are they just too close?
  • This conversation makes us realize that without all of the happenings in this film, Thor really would’ve become the party Thor from What If…? show.
  • We debate what Loki’s full intentions were.
  • Where is Loki’s head in this moment? We truly see the origin story for Loki in moments like this.
  • Loki isn’t a full-on evil villain yet but we can see elements of that here now.
  • How much is this frost giant blue element he’s seeing in himself that’s throwing him off in this conversation?
  • The conversation about flogging the guard also speaks to distract his friends’ attention from everything else he’s saying.

Loki storms out of the Healing Room and Sif, Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg debate his intentions.

  • Each of the friends has their own reaction to Loki’s reveal. Who is right?
  • Their immediate suspicions of Loki make us wonder if Loki has ever been good at manipulating them or is only good at manipulating Thor.
  • Or perhaps their jealousy of their friends with the royal blood shines through here?
  • The Warriors Three and Sif seem as hot-headed as Thor, so perhaps they value this trait whereas Loki sees it as poor for leadership.
  • Hogun’s comment speaks to his supposed wisdom and plays with the concept that he doesn’t speak much, but it also comes across as a huge leap in conclusions to say Loki or a master of magic could have brought the Jotuns to Asgard.
  • The logic becomes Watsonian vs. Doylist – this suspicion of Hogun’s feels like it has to be there simply so these characters are suspicious in the story.
  • Would this scene have played still if they weren’t suspicious at this moment?
  • And to that end, how many masters of magic are there on Asgard? Is it just Loki and Frigga?
  • But Odin uses magic too… So where is the line?
  • Regardless, we struggle quite a bit with this leap – even if they’re right – because it just seems too much a device by the writers.

All in all, though, it’s a debate with Loki while in the Healing Room. So much to discuss. Tune in!

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