Tom Hiddleston's Loki has been one of the most popular and enduring characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, often straddling the line between outright villain and misunderstood antihero. However, an updated bio on Marvel Studios' website for the character suggests that his most villainous appearance, in 2012's The Avengers, may have been influenced by forces outside of his control.
The updated website has the following text describing Loki's ill-fated alliance with Thanos and his attempt to invade Earth in the 2012 MCU film:
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Offering the God of Mischief dominion over his brother’s favorite realm Earth, Thanos requested the Tesseract in return. Gifted with a Scepter that acted as a mind control device, Loki would be able to influence others. Unbeknownst to him, the Scepter was also influencing him, fueling his hatred over his brother Thor and the inhabitants of Earth.
The last two sentences of the altered bio hint that the Mind Stone housed within the Scepter also influenced Loki and amplified his villainous tendencies leading to him launching a Chitauri invasion of the planet through New York City.
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While this certainly does not absolve him of his actions in 2011's Thor or its two follow-ups, it does explain why his 2012 MCU was the darkest depiction to date. Whether Loki's mental lapse caused by the Mind Stone will be addressed in Avengers: Endgame or his planned Disney+ miniseries has yet to be seen, but it does add an extra layer of nuance and sympathy to the MCU character.
(via Screen Rant)