Comic-Con Loki Cosplayer Gets Trapped in Panel, Becomes Emotional Support Trickster

SAN DIEGO, CA — What started as a lighthearted day of cosplay turned into an accidental group therapy session for 27-year-old Marcus Vane, who arrived at Comic-Con dressed as Loki and was mistaken by a packed panel of fans as a grief-compatible version of the real thing.

“I was just here to take selfies and maybe flirt,” said Marcus, whose costume was described as “eerily accurate” and “emotionally available.” “Now I’ve absorbed the projected trauma of 63 people and a woman named Janice who hasn’t spoken to her father since Infinity War.”

Witnesses say Marcus sat in on a Marvel fan psychology panel, where fans were discussing Loki’s redemption arc. When one speaker asked, “What would Loki say to someone with abandonment issues?” all eyes turned to him. He responded with a smirk and some vaguely mystical line about chaos being a form of healing, and the crowd broke into applause.

“Next thing I knew, I was being passed tissues and asked if I had time to hear a story about childhood neglect,” he said.

Within the hour, Marcus had been rebranded by fans as “Support Loki”, a variant whose sacred timeline involved active listening, therapeutic smirks, and affirmations in a British accent he wasn’t qualified to do.

“I think it was the horns,” said panel moderator Tasha Lin. “People just trust a man in antlers when he nods solemnly.”

Marcus ended up staying for three panels, four impromptu healing circles, and one apology letter reading. He received seven handmade charms, three phone numbers, and a journal titled Unleash Your Inner Mischief (Responsibly).

By late afternoon, he was emotionally exhausted and slightly dehydrated from being everyone’s safe-space projection. “A woman hugged me for ten minutes and said I was ‘her closure.’ I’m not even SAG-AFTRA,” he said.

Psychologists warn this is part of a growing trend where fans conflate characters with unpaid emotional labor. “Loki’s morally ambiguous, flirtatiously distant, and looks good while apologizing. That’s basically therapy with lighting,” said Dr. Rina Moore, who studies parasocial grief. “Also: Tom Hiddleston ruined dating standards.”

When asked if he’d wear the costume again, Marcus hesitated. “Only if I can redirect the emotional processing to someone dressed as Vision. He seems like he’d have boundaries.”

Marcus had left the con floor and was seen Googling “how to spiritually divorce a fandom” while being followed by a woman softly whispering, “You helped me trust again, Trickster King.”