Muppets’ creator Jim Henson passed away on May 15, 1990 but his legacy lives on. I think a lot of people were initially skeptical when The Muppets trailer debuted, uncertain if the franchise could – or should – be refreshed for a new generation. Thankfully, the efforts of actor and Muppet aficionado Jason Segel (and many others) the film succeeded narratively and financially. Segel is quoted as saying the Muppets meant more to him than laughs, that in his youth they “shaped who he wanted to be”.

The same is true of me: I gleaned a lot of childhood wisdom from Kermit the Frog, a dash of adventurous spirit from Gonzo the Great, and ALL of my humor from Fozzie the Bear (seriously, pray for my wife). I bet Segel and I aren’t the only ones, either.

“I’ve got red in my ledger; I’d like to wipe it out.”

 We can’t call our musing about The Avengers‘ narrative themes “fully assembled” without addressing the most obvious line stated by Natasha Romanoff, admitting that she’s done some bad things in her past and wants to “settle her accounts”. We’ve dealt primarily with Loki–how he’s right, how he’s wrong, and how we’re a lot like him– but Natasha has a standout moment in the film as well.

While most of us probably don’t have her super-spy past– using her skills for the highest bidder without regard for right or wrong–and our deeds might not be considered by most to be as heinous, her conundrum is a common thread in our existence: we know we’ve done wrong, and we have some vague hope that we can add weight to some kind of cosmic scale and tip it once more on the favorable side. Call it balance, call it karma, but as Loki points out: call it elusive:

“Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? Drakoff’s daughter? Sao Paulo? The hospital fire? Barton told me everything. Your ledger is DRIPPING– it’s gushing red…

A friend of mine challenged my assertion that Loki was the best of the Marvel movie villains. As we debated (imagine the verbal equivalent of hammers, shields, and repulsor rays) it became clear he thought my comment of “best” meant I regarded Loki as the most formidable. Therein resided the misunderstanding. I enjoyed Loki as the villain for two reasons:

1. Tom Hiddleston’s nuanced acting provides one of the best performances in all the films, period.
2. The character of Loki, albeit flawed and perhaps not as formidable, is simply the most interesting.

One of the reasons I believe it’s most interesting is because it most closely resembles each of us at one time or another…