Loki (Marvel)
Loki is a comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Loki Laufeyson
Unlike his kin, Loki was not born a giant leading to Laufey feeling shame over this and he kept his child hidden in Jotunheim. (Journey into Mystery v1 #112)
During the battle, the warlord Laufey was slain and during this time the Asgardians found his son Loki. Rather than slay the child, Odin came to take Loki with him and adopted the child who came to be raised alongside his own on Thor. (Journey into Mystery v1 #112)
As the two grew, Loki became jealous of his older brother, Thor, especially regarding his relationship with Lady Sif, realizing that she will never be his. He decided to take his anger out on her, he slipped into a bedroom one night and cut off her golden locks. The next day, he was confronted by Thor, but claimed it was just the prank. Loki tried to make it right and travelled to the Dwarves to make her new hair. He also hoped to bring gifts back to his family to win their favor. They agreed to the trickster god's demands in exchange for his head, he agreed knowing they would never kill the son of Odin. They created the weapons, including the mighty Mjolnir. When he returned the weapons to Asgard he presented the gifts to the gods and gave Sif her new hair. Loki hoped to keep Mjolnir for himself, but due to the deal, the Dwarves wanted his head. Thor decided on the compromise, so they sowed the god's mouth shut. (Loki v2 #1) He later learned Balder was having nightmares about his oncoming death and took to meet with the other gods. Odin decreed that this would not happen, Frigga took an oath from fire and water, iron and all metals, stones and earth, from trees, sicknesses and poisons, and from all four-footed beasts, birds and creeping things. When this was done, Balder was now invulnerable; the gods amused themselves by throwing things at him. Loki however learned of the one thing that they forgot about; harmless "Mistletoe". He found the blind god Hoder standing at the outside of the circle and tricked the god into throwing a mistletoe arrow and struck Balder killing him. Before anyone could react, Loki grabbed Heimdall's sword, stabbing the god. (Loki v2 #2) Loki told his mother they would travel to Niffleheim, meet with Hela, and ask for Balder's return. They travelled to the realm and the goddess of death agreed, but with one caveat, everything in the Nine Realms would have to weep for the fallen god. They completed the task but discovered only one being who had not shed a tear, Loki. Furthermore, they begged for him to do so but he declined with glee. (Loki v2 #3) He came to Aegir's Hall uninvited and admitted to being the cause of Balder's death, but before the Asgardians could seek justice he escaped in animal form. (Loki v2 #4) For a time he hid at Franang's Falls, a region on Midgard in which the All-Father could not see him. He remained hidden until Geri and Freki, the All-Father's Wolves, found him and reported back to Asgard. (Loki v2 #1) The two battled, but Thor was able to defeat his brother, and as punishment he bound him to a rock as a venomous serpent poison dripped on his face. He remained in this place for many years. (Loki v2 #4)
In his youth, his father Odin punished him with the disgruntled Loki escaping imprisonment as he sought out the sorcerer Eldred. The powerful enchanter was both amazingly skilled and powerful in magic with a particular talent towards black magic. He came to accept Loki as his apprentice and taught him the black arts leading to him becoming as skilled as his mentor. Though Eldred taught him, he was unaware of the darkness present in the heart of the Asgardian with Loki seeking ever greater sources of power. He plotted in secret with deposing his master and claiming all his possessions where he formed an alliance with the flame demon Surtur. In exchange for power, he offered his masters soul and then began to convince Eldred to perform a summons of Surtur. He created a protection circle to save him as he performed the summons but then Loki pushed him out of its protective confines thus causing Eldred to be consumed by Surtur. Thus, Loki gained his magic and all his possessions including Eldred's castle leading to him exiling the sorcerers loyal Troll followers who vowed revenge against the Prince of Lies. (Thor v1 #400)
In 1933, he briefly became an inmate at the Ravencroft Institute though he easily managed to escaped and turned the faculty's clothes into straightjackets as a prank. (Ruins of Ravencroft: Dracula v1 #1)
God of Lies
For centuries, he was imprisoned within a tree in a remote location in Asgard and condemned to remain there until someone shed a tear for him. Loki managed to send a leaf to the passing Heimdall forcing him to shed a tear unintentionally. This allowed Loki to escape his prison whereupon he intended to get revenge on his brother and used a mental link to Mjolnir to track his location. He then snuck to Earth through the Rainbow Bridge and crafted a disguise for himself allowing him to pass for an ordinary human. (Journey into Mystery v1 #349)
Loki came to sense that Chthon had embarked on a plan to free himself with the god of chaos looking to remake the world in his image. To stop this, Loki took the guise of the Scarlet Witch and used magic to assemble a team of mighty Avengers that were led by Hank Pym that were successfully in stopping the elder god. (Mighty Avengers v1 #23)
Whilst journeying to his palace on the Isle of Silence, he was ambushed and captured by the Mighty Avengers where he was imprisoned within a device. Loki then called forth his brother Thor to save him and attempted to bring about in-fighting amongst the heroes till Pym shut down the machine. In the aftermath, Loki was taken by Thor to answer for his crimes before Lord Balder in Asgard. (Mighty Avengers v1 #34)
Kid Loki
Prior to his death though, he had made an arrangement with Hela that struck his name from the Books of Hel which meant he was no longer Hel-Bound in the event of his death. (Siege: Loki v1 #1)
Thus, he was reborn as a young boy living on the streets of Paris where he came to believe he was a mortal street urchin who took the name Serrure (French: Lock). He had no memories of his past and instead believed he was a human who lived as a pickpocket. After stealing from someone, he was running when he encountered the Thunder God who revealed his past to him. At first, the boy refused to believe his words and thought Thor was a crazy man. Thor stated that despite his brothers treacheries in the past that he had sought him out as they were family and wanted to be re-united with him. Serrure then revealed that he had dreams where he had done horrible things and tearfully asked why he had sought him out. Thor though stated that he had come to offer his help with Loki being hesitated as he feared the memories to be real but ultimately accepted his offer. (Thor v1 #617)
Agent of Asgard
Loki started working for the All-Mothers of Asgardia in different missions in exchange of his Asgardian crime record to be erased, one crime for each successful mission. (Loki: Agent of Asgard v1 #1) The All-Mothers required Loki to return to Asgardia numerous Asgardians who were roaming freely on Earth, including Lorelei and Sigurd. Even though he let Lorelei go, Loki forced Sigurd back to Asgard. However, Loki later with Thor, his new ally Verity Willis and Lorelei learnt about how Sigurd didn't commit any crime and planned to break him out of Asgardia. (Loki: Agent of Asgard v1 #4) After Thor distracted Heimdall by battling the Technocracy and using Willis to see which traps were real, Sigurd and Lorelei escaped together while Loki stayed to find what the All-Mother have been keeping secret. He found an older version of himself who had been influencing events in history for his bidding. He told Loki that he wasn't his past but his future, being helped by the All-Mothers to prevent Loki and Asgardia's future from changing. Displeased by the All-Mothers' desire to be bound by destiny, Loki quit working for them. (Loki: Agent of Asgard v1 #5)
The Sanctum was later visited by Stephen Strange who battled Loki after augmenting himself with the magic from Yggdrassil the World Tree. This led to Loki and Strange battling one another across dimensions until Zelma cast the Sands of Nisanti spell stripping magic from them. Despite that, Loki's godly nature allowed him to overpower Stephen easily and he demanded that he open the locked door in the Sanctum Sanctorum. Strange reluctantly agreed and to Loki's horror he discovered that the object within was actually the Void which had been stripped from the Sentry. Upon being freed, the Void possessed Strange and knocked Loki outside with the Asgardian terrified at confronting the creature that had once killed him. (Doctor Strange v1 #384)
King of Jotunheim
After killing Laufey, he journeyed to Jotunheim where he was crowned as the new ruler of the Frost Giants. (Thor v5 #15)
His brother Thor came to seek him out as he wanted Loki's help in re-enacting the spell that allowed him to switch places with his former mortal host Donald Blake. The Odinson claimed that he wanted a period of rest to be away from the responsibility of being King of Asgard which was why he wanted a change by switching with Blake. However, Loki knew the truth which he demonstrated which was by wielding Mjolnir thus showing that the enchantment over it was weakening and that something was attacking Thor's past. To find the truth, Thor intended to enter into the elder-sleep to speak to the spirits and the old kings with Loki agreeing to help him though stated that his brother owed him a favour in the future. Enacting the spell, Thor was switched with Donald Blake but the human surgeon had drastically changed since last they had seen him. Donald Blake had seemingly been driven insane in the world he resided in and was powerful enough to battle gods where he came to attack as well as injure Loki. He then broke the staff in order to prevent him from being switched with Thor again thus trapping the Odinson in that other realm. (Thor v6 #9)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Loki was known as the God of Mischief. (Uncanny X-Men Annual v1 #1985) He was also known as the God of Evil. (Avengers v1 #1) In addition, he was known as the God of Lies. (Thor v3 #10)
As a child, his father kept him hidden as he was filled with shame that Loki was not born a giant. (Journey into Mystery v1 #112)
He was regarded as the Norse god of mischief that according to ancient legend was the most cunning and wicked of all the gods. (Journey into Mystery v1 #349)
Powers and abilities
As a god, he possessed abilities that were superhuman making him incredibly powerful to mortals. He had a range of magic at his disposal that he could use to achieve various feats. Loki was also able to craft a mental link with objects allowing him to track them or conjure images on their location. He had the power of suggestion allowing him to hypnotise others to make them fall under his control. (Journey into Mystery v1 #349) Power such as his was sai to be capable of decimating a planet. (Silver Surfer v1 #4)
When spoken, the all-tongue was heard by the other person in their native language. (Thor v1 #617)
He was able to alter his attire allowing him to better disguise himself. (Journey into Mystery v1 #349)
Through potions and magic, he could set free his mystic essence and ethereal ego thus becoming unfettered by time and space where as this spectral entity he could roam the endless cosmos. (Silver Surfer v1 #4)
Using a spell temporeal, he could witness the past of a person. (Silver Surfer v1 #4)
Loki was said to make an annual pilgrimage to his palace on the Isle of Silence. (Mighty Avengers v1 #34)
Notes
- Loki was created by Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, Dan Rico and Jack Kirby where he made his first appearance in Journey into Mystery v1 #85 (October, 1962).
- A Golden Age version of Loki made his first appearance in Venus v1 #6 (August 1949).
- The character was based on the Norse mythological deity.
Alternate Versions
- In Infinity Wars v1 #1 (2018), a version of the character appeared that was native to an alternate universe. This one operated as a hero who wielded Mjolnir and carried the Infinity Stones where he aided the Avengers in battling universal threat only for them to perish.
- In What If? Thor v1 #1 (2018), an alternate version of history was shown in a What If where Laufey had killed Odin long ago.
- In Avengers v8 #65 (2023), an alternate version of Loki appeared to inhabit a different reality in the Multiverse. On this world, Thor had died young allowing Loki to inherit the throne of Asgard. In addition, many of Earth's heroes never came to assume their respective mantles leaving the world at Loki's hands. However, he came to find that this left the planet helpless before the many threats that would beset it. This forced Loki to defend the world and though he defeated them these enemies it came at the cost of all life on Earth. Looking to end his own life, he plunged himself into the sun only to survive and end up in the Multiverse at the God Quarry. From there, he established a headquarters as he sought to stop threats to the Multiverse as he assumed the mantle of Avenger Prime and commanded Deathlok agents across different universes.
In other media
Television
- In Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Loki appeared in the animated television series in the episode "The Vengeance of Loki" where he was voiced by actor John Stephenson.
- In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Loki appeared in the animated television series where he was portrayed with actor Graham McTavish.
- In Ultimate Spider-Man, Loki appeared in the setting of the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Troy Baker.
- In Avengers Assemble, Loki appeared in the setting of the animated television series where he was voiced again by actor Troy Baker.
- In Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Loki appeared in the setting of the animated television series where once again he was voiced by actor Troy Baker.
- In Guardians of the Galaxy, Loki appeared in the setting of the animated television series where he was once again voiced by actor Troy Baker.
- In Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, Loki appeared in the setting of the anime series where he was voiced by Japanese actor Tadashi Muto and English actor Crispin Freeman in the dub.
- In Marvel Future Avengers, Loki appeared in the setting of the anime series where he was voiced by Japanese actor Tadashi Muto and English actor Trevor Devall in the dub.
- In Loki, Loki featured in the setting of the live-action television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where he was once again portrayed by actor Tom Hiddleston.
Films
- In Hulk Vs Thor, Loki appeared in the setting of the animated film where he was voiced by actor Graham McTavish.
- In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Loki made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting.
- In Thor, Loki appeared in the live-action movie where he was portrayed by actor Tom Hiddleston.
- In Avengers, Loki returned in the live-action movie where he was portrayed by actor Tom Hiddleston.
- In Thor: The Dark World, Loki appeared in the live-action movie sequel where he was portrayed by actor Tom Hiddleston.
- In Avengers: Infinity War, Loki appeared in the live-action film where he was portrayed once more by actor Tom Hiddleston. The ship he and the Asgardians were on came under attack from Thanos who was looking to claim the Infinity Stone with most of the survivors of Asgard being killed.
Video games
- In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Loki appeared in the video game where he was voiced by actor Larry Cedar.
- In Marvel Heroes, Loki appeared in the setting of the MMORPG where his original male form was voiced by actor Crispin Freeman whilst actor Amy Pemberton voiced Loki in his female form.
- In Marvel Future Fight, Loki appeared as a boss and playable character in the iOS video game.
- In Marvel Contest of Champions, Loki appeared as a playable character in the mobile video game.
- In Marvel Avengers Academy, Loki appeared in the setting of the mobile video game where he was voiced by actor Tom Cassell.
- In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Loki was a default playable character in the setting of the video game where he was voiced by actor Jason Spisak.
- In Marvel: Future Revolution, Loki appeared as a boss level antagonist in the setting of the mobile video game.
Appearances
- Journey into Mystery v1: (1962)
- Avengers v1:
- Dark Avengers v1:
- Mighty Avengers v1:
- Siege v1:
- Journey into Mystery:
- Loki: Agent of Asgard v1:
- Avengers:
- Thor:
- Infinity Wars v1:
- Asgardians of the Galaxy v1:
- Thor v6:
- Loki v3:
External Link
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