Loki’s face is a mixture of fear and HOPEFULNESS. Thor has been exhibiting surly disregard ever since their return to Asgard. Now at last, he’s touching Loki, looking DIRECTLY into his FACE, and TAKING HIM SERIOUSLY. Classic “negative attention is preferable to no attention.” Since Odin conditioned Thor and Loki to be helplessly codependent, in a scenario in which Loki is fated to be thought the “bad” and “losing” half of a dichotomy, Loki has decided in THOR’S CASE ALONE, it is worth being the bad guy to not be forgotten utterly. Better to be hated than erased, even in a dysfunctional relationship.
Look how goddamn eager his face is. “Yes hit me, rage at me. Anything, I’ve finally got your attention again.”
And not an ounce of that is manipulation. it’s desperation.
Sometimes I’m just sitting at work, being an ordinary person in this world, and then I think about the fact that Thor let Loki start the apocalypse–like Thor specifically tasked Loki with this very important thing–like he trusted him to do the thing–knowing that the thing would be something Loki would relish, due to him being the God of Mischief and being so skilled at creating chaos–like Thor really honored Loki’s nature with this decision–like Thor just balls-out gave Loki permission to be himself and by successfully being himself the prophecy was fulfilled and the culture was saved–and Loki probably felt so fucking included and valued in this moment–and honestly even though I’m just a person, I swear I could power the entire planet for I dunno at least five minutes with the fucking light that courses through my entire being as I contemplate this moment in the film.
Loki is the Philosopher King 