I too thought that Frigga was Team Loki until I reassessed things more recently.
TDW is definitely what cements the enabling role from Frigga, Thor 1 still had enough nebulous room for interpretation before that.
Like, when Loki points out that Odin and Thor are not even asking after him while he is locked up in the prison cell!
It seemed like Loki was fishing for a “they are just upset right now, honey, give them time, they still love you” reassurance from Frigga, but instead she avoids addressing that at all and goes all “it’s your fault for being stubborn, admit you are wrong and stop trying to get Odin to admit the same, you know that’s not how it works in this house”.
Loki tries to get Frigga to acknowledge that he was misled his whole life, not just about being Jotun, but about how Odin all but promised him that he had a shot at the throne, and that when Thor was going to be coronated Loki thought it was because Thor had earned it for beating Loki at their competition, not because it was always going to be him from the very beginning.
It’s a shame that we don’t know what Frigga was about to say after “your father” because I really want to know if she was going to say anything about Odin’s hypocrisy or if she was just going to deflect again.
“You know full well it was your actions that brought you here.” “My actions. I was merely giving truth to the lie that I had been fed my entire life, that I was born to be a king.” “A king? A true king admits his faults. What of the lives you took on Earth?” “A mere handful compared to the number that Odin has taken himself.” “Your father…” “He’s not my father!” “Then am I not your mother?” “You’re not.” “Always so perceptive about everyone but yourself.”
I think Frigga was far too used to Loki being the “reasonable” one who always made the first step and said sorry whenever there was an argument because she knew Odin never ever would, so she treated this whole situation as another family disagreement instead of the far more serious “this is the last straw, do y’all realize that if he wasn’t locked up Loki could just run and go no contact with Odin, low contact with Frigga and who knows what with Thor?”
And they definitely did not realize how awful it was in this context, but TDW!Frigga’s words to future!Thor in Endgame about just being who he was really cement that the two brothers were treated differently.
She was telling Thor the words that Loki had been dying to hear.
To me, the shit she says to Loki in TDW is far more unforgivable than her going along with Odin’s deception. (Along with the fact that when Loki does find out about his heritage, her method of comforting him isn’t, “there’s nothing wrong with being Jötun;” it’s essentially “it’s okay because we raised you.” Nor is there ever an acknowledgement that he absolutely was treated differently, if not by her then at least by Odin). An argument can be made that she was too afraid to defy Odin openly—we’ve seen how he handles disobedience, after all. But there’s no excuse for her chronic gaslighting and emotional blackmail.
A lot of the fandom, I think, has trouble recognising that Frigga failed Loki too, because Loki himself fails to realise it. Or if he does realise it, he fails to acknowledge it because then he truly would have been alone. So he settles for the meagre scraps of attention she gives him, even though he deserves far better. It doesn’t help that even Tom doesn’t seem to realise how complicit Frigga was in Loki’s trauma.
@dianamolloy i dont hate frigga but i was always bitter for her sayin to Loki she told Odin to tell Loki truth from the beginning. What was stopping her from doing so?
Also,in TDW,in deleted scene with Loki’s coronation. She says he casts enough illusions and forgets whats real,after seeing his illusion of holding Mjolnir. I hate that she, instaed,didnt say “you dont need Mjolnir, Loki,you are worthy and equal to Thor anyway” but no. Not a word.
I used to hate Odin and think Frigga was great. I have completely 180• my opinion of her too. They both extremely can go to hell for keeping him in the dark, plus all the One Rule for You, One Rule for Thor shenanigans. She shows in T:TDW that she will disobey Odin “I am the king my word is law” Dickhead and yet says nothing. Now sadly that is to do with bad writing on Marvel’s part bc the Frigga we see would have told Loki bc you can’t have “Jötunn are bad” narrative exist in Asgard and think Loki would just think it’s great and fine to suddenly be effectively banished to “rule” - aka do Odin’s bidding - Jötenhein having no experience with being there . However, using canon as law (in this instance I’d rarely ever) she is equally guilty and complicit for both the preferential treatment Thor got (if Odin refused to change she picked staying Queen over leaving him bc the narrative never implies she’s forced to do anything) and not telling Loki.
