Tom Hiddleston lucky to play Loki

Tom Hiddleston has a lot to thank Thor for.

The British star helms the role of baddie Loki in the Marvel flicks, which catapulted both him and Thor actor Chris Hemsworth to global success.

In Empire magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters, Loki comes in at number 19.

"Within the film industry, the success of the Marvel films has given me incredible opportunities to do other work that I'm very proud of," Tom smiled to the publication.

"Besides that, I'm just grateful to have been given the chance to play a remarkable character: larger-than-life, deep, complex and relentlessly good fun. He’s the god of mischief - in a cinematic universe of superheroes, there’s no-one else I’d rather be."

As well as starring in the two Thor movies, and forthcoming third instalment, Loki has also appeared in 2012's The Avengers.

Tom first became aware of the character as a youngster, while playing card game Top Trumps. To really nail Loki, the actor set about finding what really made him tick.

"I had to find his smile, his innate love of anarchy and chaos. I had to make his pain real. Great villains are born from tragic circumstances. They become dangerous when their vulnerability hardens into vengeance," he explained.

"The cornerstone of his psychology for me was the scene between Loki and Odin in the vault in Kenneth Branagh’s Thor, when Loki discovers his true lineage for the first time. It was one of the very first scenes to be shot, and what happened in that scene became an anchor of the whole character. I understood all his motivations after that."