Hey, uh, in one of your posts some time back you mentioned that the Loki fandom has this collectively-agreed upon version of Loki that isn’t really found in canon—I’m not really “in” the fandom, but I’m interested in that phenomenon as a widespread, mutually agreed-upon non-canon characterization. Care to go into more detail about who “fanon Loki” is, to satisfy my scientific curiosity?

oh lol sorry i was not clear and didn't use a sarcasm tag. I was very definitely being sarcastic.

Some other fans (a few of those who like and approve of the Loki series' depiction of the character) have been claiming that the "fanfic" version was just a headcanon invented whole cloth by fans and that those of us who think the Loki in the show is OOC are basically delusional and are mad that our headcanon version isn't in the show.

In response, i was implying that that version was indeed found in canon, and was in fact a very vivid and lasting portrayal, because otherwise there would be no reason for so many fans (who don't tend to agree on much) to have collectively "invented" such a strikingly similar headcanon version that was consistent, cohesive, and coherent in thousands of fics written from 2011 to 2016 (and thereafter, by those of us who have been here the whole time and are still sticking to the earlier version).

I mean, just on probability alone, what's more likely---that so many fans (who, again, don't tend to agree on anything!) collectively imagined the exact same headcanon that was never depicted in canon?* Or that some fans of the current show feel a need to defend their preferred version at others' expense by claiming that the character has always been like this and never changed at all and anyone who thinks otherwise is just crazy?

(It's also funny when they claim, in the same breath, that the only people complaining are the hardcore Loki fans and that the show is aimed at a wider audience so of course it's not for us and we shouldn't be mad that they made Loki "actually fun now." Which is an idea that would seem to suggest that, uh, maybe the version in the show, uh, is different? Like to appeal to a wider audience? So which is it, guys?)

*And I'm not talking about the like, oh, "Thor loves poptarts" sort of thing, which absolutely does happen in fandoms. But rather a whole coherent psychological picture of the character, and one that we can easily point to examples and details from the earlier movies to support. The issue, I guess, is that due to the sort of character Loki is, the canon support is not what's stated blatantly by the POV characters (who, given that Loki was an antagonist, have limited insight into his motivations) but rather comes from what we are shown of Loki's behavior and actions and what a thoughtful viewer with a reasonable level of media literacy can infer from those.

Basically, earlier fandom was picking up what was absolutely there in the canon depiction of the earlier movies. Those movies just used more subtlety and nuance in their depiction of the character, and (some) fans of the current show who did not notice those levels are suggesting that means it didn't exist.