How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Thor.
Quote #7
JANE: Years of research… gone.
DARCY: They even took my iPod.
ERIK: What about the back-ups?
JANE: They took our back-ups. They took the back-ups of our back-ups. They were extremely thorough.
SHIELD represents power of an entirely different sort here: government power, and the ability to exert control over individuals in the name of safety. They're very Big Brother here (though they are ultimately the good guys…sort of), which eventually comes up against the cosmic power of Thor.
Quote #8
SIF: My king, we would ask that you end Thor's banishment.
LOKI: My first command cannot be to unto the Allfather's last. We're on the brink of war with Jotunheim. Our people need a sense of continuity in order to feel safe in these difficult times.
This is a politician's lie and it speaks to both the nature and the constraints of power. Ostensibly, he's right, which suggest that his new power as King of Asgard has limits. But in reality, he's doing exactly, precisely what he wants. He's just got some slick political lies to make it all go down smooth.