The Elf who hid the Villain

Well, this is a very interesting question which is led by this theory (admittedly a theory, though glaringly obvious from my point of view as the Aether being the real Deus Ex Machina of the movie).
Because it leads to the Odin's riddle as once again it is the Aether showing the way to Loki and not Malekith. Though Malekith is instrumental... yet just as instrumental as the pencil used by Einstein to write his equation (useful but not the brain behind the pencil)
In a way I should and I am at fault called this post: the elf who hid the villain, the king who was not and the Trickster who flunked the trick. Each event causing the next like a Russian doll.
The Aether pulls in front of Loki 2 new tricks:
1- how to come back from Death. because Thor's blows did indeed kill the Aether but it was able to recompose itself, to defy Death and live again.
As per Marvel's mantra: what is called science on Earth/Midgard is called magic in Asgard. In which case what we call here scientists/researchers like Tony Stark are called there wizards/sorcerers.
Who is Asgard most powerful warlock thus scientist? Loki. If there is something every scientist does in his/her life and something we know sorcerers do is observing/experimenting...
Loki watches as the Aether recomposes! Do not forget it: it was sitting front seat when the trick was pulled and he was utterly fascinated. so he watches it and being our Loki , well he has a brilliant intellect isn't it? he guesses how the trick is done and that is a new power added to his already quite full chest of magic tricks.
Better still, he watches as the Aether enters Malekith's body and takes over his mind (just like with Jane when the Aether shows her his big plan) Malekith's eyes turn red and we believe it is Malekith being the boss while he is just the medium, just the instrument. Loki once again witnesses the event and learns how to enter somebody's body and take over control. Why do I say that: when in the corridors and having fun at shape shifting Thor into Sif: we hear Thor's voice coming from the Sif Body. Maybe Loki has altered his brother's looks but the mind directing Sif's body is Thor: not Loki!
And now, Loki learns how to mentally take over a body and a mind. Relegating the body's owner spirit to sit in the shadow and wait till he can take control again...
He saves Jane, saves Thor ... in short ticking all the boxes of a brotherly approval ... but what did Thor promise? I'll grant you vengeance and then this cell. Loki may be the most heroic prince; his fate is to return into the dungeons and he does not want it!
So, he willingly let Kurse kill him... Heroic death scene... heart-broken Thor leave sthe scene with Jane because a tempest is raging. We all take it to be a physical symptom of the raging emotions and distress endured by the Thunderer . Which may well be.
It may well be that there is a physical event happening. Unrelated to Thor. When Loki projects the clones, what really happens is that Loki's body dissoves quickly, and recomposes nearby leaving just the air molecules to look like him. Dissolve/recompose.
As it is a death trick: the sequence would be : death while at the same time dissolving not his body but his astral projection! and then recomposing his body by the powers of his astral disembodied projection like the Aether is a disembodied being. Bit it does not work.
Or loki as in Loki's spirit is alive and well. Thank you but stuck in mid experiment. He is alive yes, but now even his astral projection is limited to a few pixie shining green particles dust but he is still powerful... except for having a body...
Then comes the rescue team sent by Odin? or possibly Loki able to morph into the Einherjar body because the trick says he cannot morph back into his body?? possibly because his body is too injured? Regardless either he is able to morph into the soldier or he 'invades' the soldier's body.
Why do I think he invades a body and does not invent a body? Loki shapeshifts into pre-existing body shapes: the soldier does exist. Another problem to consider is : what did Odin do after Heimdall played his own version of treason! If both my sons however disobedient one is while the other is on detention from misbehaviour were going to fight the big bad boy far away from my planet, I would be raising Hel to get them back alive. Odin sends the rescue team/paramedics or maybe only one as Heimdall does only see one alive? why one soldier to face Thor or Loki is a mystery, I grant you but we all know lately the ALLFATHER is not given to brilliant decision making.
Soldier comes, collects body but Loki invades his mind and we have now a body devoid on his spiritual component while we have a soldier with 2 masters...
Soldier comes to meet Odin who again is not feeling well: well he would not. In one day, he has lost his wife, almost lost his realm by poor decision making and lost one son while the other may die any time soon through the Aether. Odin is not a happy Asgardian bunny.
He does not notice the smirk on the soldier's face because he turns his back, lost in unplesant thoughts and Loki strikes. The soldier may die because of the experiment, may faint, may recover and wonders what happened whatis he doing in Asgard when last time he was on Svartalfheim planet... who knows but Loki knows. Loki has now taken over Odin's body and knowing Loki's grudge bearing my money is on Odin's mind stuck inside Loki's body!
Why do I think it is Odin's real body? because of the Heimdall factor. Heimdall sees everything: which means he sees a comatose Loki's body and would get suspicious at 2 Odin's bodies.
Sorry for the convolved explanation but it is like explaining a magical trick doing this and that...

Very interesting read.
Question:
In the comics, can Loki actually do what you think he did?
Can he take over people's bodies like that?
I don't know, I don't read them often.

You make it seem like the Aether is a living organism that can think and act on its own. However, we know its not because Volstagg says it's an Infinity STONE just like the Tesseract. With your logic then the Tesseract was the real villain in Captain America: The First Avenger and the Avengers.

@vandinejd

Yes, the stones are 'alive' for lack of a better word and yes the Iesseract was using everybody...The stones want to be re-united to re-start a new cycle...

@ace : if our ancestors called a thing magic and science and it is the same then sorcerers are scientists because it is the same...

By the way, I have come up with another theory... we know there was a rscue team sent for sure. Watched it again last night and the soldier says 'we found a body' so Odin had indeed sent soldiers to get his sons and JFoster back... hence Loki attacked the lone soldier who was the last to board back into their spaceviking ship in whatever above manner

He meets Odin who is sad, tired, stressed and in the perfect mood for ... convenient Odin Sleep : and Loki pulls it. Sends sleepy Odin spirit into his own weakened body and gets into daddy Odin's body.

The trick being to always keep the same number of bodies for Heimdall to check there is no trick... after that ... well Loki is clearly going to have some fun at being the King... but the Warriors 3 are going to find something is strange and Heimdall too...

Yet as long as Loki is apparently stuck into this wounded state/trance like they are unable to imagine the switch... possibly because never done before...

and when Odin awakes finally in the right place, my bet is he will look different. It would if you start messing around with molecules...plus it allows AHopkins to say elegantly good-bye.

He really was like a tired Lion in winter/Churchill-like Asgardian. Time to leave the stage...

The Aether wasn't the villain it's an Infinity Stone aka an Infinity Gem leading to the Infinity Gauntlet