>> I meant more for being a follower instead of a leader. People tend to assume you're weak when that happens. <<
That's true too. People routinely underestimate Hawkeye and Black Widow for that reason. But neither of them will tolerate a handler they dislike. Barton bucks them off with balls and sass, Romanova with creepy threats or sexual wiles, but it works. They're a good fit with Coulson precisely because he knows manipulation himself, and because he respects his assets.
And that's how Loki slipped through Hawkeye's inner armor. The staff was only about power. Hawkeye's been rolled before, in various ways; he could've dealt with that. What knocked him so totally off-balance was that Loki treated him as a valued ally instead of like livestock. Think about their dialog:
Loki: "What did it show you?" Hawkeye: "My next target." Loki: "What do you need?" Hawkeye: "A distraction and an eyeball."
Loki asked what he saw, what he needed, and then just did that.
Which puts him in a subset of exactly two, Coulson being the other person who values Hawkeye that much. Loki has an edge in that he picked Hawkeye out of a roomful of people. Coulson has an edge in that Hawkeye serves him willingly. It's a hell of a tangle in there, and it hurts, and that's why Clint couldn't sleep properly for several months after the Battle of Manhattan.
>> I love the article! <<
Thank you!
>> And I can't wait to see Clint and Loki interacting again. <<
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancing_serpent
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-09-02 03:39 am (UTC)That's true too. People routinely underestimate Hawkeye and Black Widow for that reason. But neither of them will tolerate a handler they dislike. Barton bucks them off with balls and sass, Romanova with creepy threats or sexual wiles, but it works. They're a good fit with Coulson precisely because he knows manipulation himself, and because he respects his assets.
And that's how Loki slipped through Hawkeye's inner armor. The staff was only about power. Hawkeye's been rolled before, in various ways; he could've dealt with that. What knocked him so totally off-balance was that Loki treated him as a valued ally instead of like livestock. Think about their dialog:
Loki: "What did it show you?"
Hawkeye: "My next target."
Loki: "What do you need?"
Hawkeye: "A distraction and an eyeball."
Loki asked what he saw, what he needed, and then just did that.
Which puts him in a subset of exactly two, Coulson being the other person who values Hawkeye that much. Loki has an edge in that he picked Hawkeye out of a roomful of people. Coulson has an edge in that Hawkeye serves him willingly. It's a hell of a tangle in there, and it hurts, and that's why Clint couldn't sleep properly for several months after the Battle of Manhattan.
>> I love the article! <<
Thank you!
>> And I can't wait to see Clint and Loki interacting again. <<
Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.