Such bluster. How very typical. Ever the sheltered son. So many fractured delusions. You know nothing of war. For all these countless millennia -- when it comes to the two of us -- you seem to have avoided the simplest of conclusions. Instead, you feel the incessant need to avenge every wrong you perceive from your position of languid morality...as if it were some sort of game. Quite sad. But if it's a war you truly desire, Thor -- then Loki can happily provide. 
- —Loki[src]
Loki Laufeyson,[1] is the Trickster God,[1] God of Mischief,[4] Evil,[5] and Lies,[7] a member of the monstrous Frost Giants of Jotunheim that was adopted and raised among the Asgardians, a group of humanoid beings from the pocket dimension of Asgard, the Realm Eternal.[20] Born smaller than the rest of his race and rejected by his father Laufey, he was adopted by the All-Father; Odin following the war. He was taken back to Asgard to be raised alongside his adopted brother Thor.[21] He was worshiped by the humans known as Vikings and became part of Norse Mythology.[1] Loki grew jealous of his brother after learning his true origin and schemed against him and Asgard.[22] His later cosmic meddling led to the formation of the Avengers, "Earth's Mightiest Heroes".[5]
History
Early Years[]
Loki Laufeyson is the son of Queen Farbauti[citation needed] and King Laufey,[citation needed] leader of the Giants of Jotunheim. He was born small and was an embarrassment to his parents,[citation needed] and was segregated from other Giants.[citation needed]
Adopted[]
Using magics, the future Loki came to Jotunheim's past, tricked Bor, and turned him to snow. As Bor withered, he asked Odin to help him, but his son ignored him. Loki then haunted Odin in the guise of Bor's ghost.[21]
Years passed and eventually, he asked Odin to adopt the son of a fallen king he would have killed and that would pay his debt. Meanwhile, he went to the present Loki, explaining to him how to become a god by tricking Odin and Laufey.[21]
Loki went to Laufey, giving him information on where Odin would be positioned in the following battle and taunting him to attack him. As he hinted Laufey was a coward, his father struck him but decided to slay the All-Father.[21]
Odin confronted Laufey and left him for dead. Loki rushed into the battlefield, faking grief and rage, only to make Odin recognize his strength and to press him to adopt him.[21] Out of a combination of honor, pity, and obligation, Odin adopted the boy, raising him alongside his own biological son, Thor,[23][24] while future Loki came to punish Laufey for his past brutalities.[21]
God of Mischief[]
Throughout their childhood and into adolescence, Loki became resentful of how differently he and Thor were treated by the general Asgardian citizenry. Valuing great strength, tenacity, and battle-bravery above all, the Asgardians clearly favored Thor. Loki's gifts, however, lay in other areas, most notably sorcery. Possessing a natural affinity for commanding great magical forces, he schemed to use his power to destroy Thor and become the most powerful in all of Asgard.[citation needed]
As the two grew, Loki became increasingly jealous of Thor's high status, and resented the distance that grew between them as their paths in life diverged. He harbored a particularly venomous hatred towards the Lady Sif, believing her to be part of the reason he and his brother had drifted apart. He decided to take his anger out on her, and slipped into her bedroom one night, cutting off her golden locks. The next day, he was confronted by Thor, but claimed it was just a misguided prank. Loki tried to make it right and travelled to the Dwarves to craft new hair for her. He also hoped to bring gifts back to his family to win their favor. Through his usual trickery, Loki pitted the dwarves against each other, goading them into crafting increasingly valuable treasures, but with the caveat that should they fail to surpass those that had been crafted before, Loki would forfeit his own head. The dwarves agreed, and crafted for him hair of spun gold for Sif, the powerful spear Gungnir, the enchanted ship Skidbladnir, a golden boar, a golden arm-ring, and the mighty Mjolnir. Seeking to ensure his survival, Loki interfered with the crafting of the latter, in hopes that if it were flawed, Odin would deem it a disappointment, and Loki could keep his head. On returning to Asgard, he presented each gift to the gods, and used his magicks to restore Sif's golden hair. Despite coveting Mjolnir for himself, and in spite of his interference resulting in a too-short handle, Odin deemed the hammer a great treasure indeed. The dwarves were overjoyed, for they could now lay claim to Loki's head—but, ever quick on his feet, Loki deflected, informing them that the deal had been for his head alone, and so they must find a way to take it without harming his neck. Thor decided on a compromise to which the dwarves agreed; if they could not have Loki's head, they would seal his lips from any further lies, and so they held him down and sewed his mouth shut.[25]
Loki 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, and so Frigga arranged for the gods to gather oaths from all things, promising that they would never bring harm to Balder; fire swore its oath to Frigga, the mountains to Odin, all the animals to Thor, the rivers and lakes to Heimdall, and so on and so forth, until all the gods had fulfilled their duty and all the worlds had made their oaths. With all things promising him no harm, Balder was now effectively invulnerable; the gods amused themselves by throwing things at him and watching them bounce off harmlessly. All things, except one. As with the other gods, Loki had been tasked to seek an oath, and so he spoke to the youngest of Yggdrasill's children: a mistletoe tree. In doing so, it expressed its unwillingness to harm Balder, but Loki's trickery and wordplay ensured no oath was ever sworn. With plans in motion, Loki returned to the other gods, and found the blind god Hoder standing on the outskirts of the gathering. Loki manipulated the god into throwing a spear of mistletoe towards Balder, knowing that no-one present would interfere, believing Balder to be invulnerable to it. As the mistletoe had sworn no oath as all the things before it, when it struck Balder, it was a lethal blow. Before anyone could react, Loki grabbed Heimdall's sword and fatally wounded Hoder, and ensuring that his trickery would not be revealed.[2]
Distraught by Balder's death, Frigga implored the gods to retrieve Balder from Hel, and Loki volunteered, telling her that he would go to Niffleheim, meet with Hela, and ask for Balder's return. Together with Thor, he travelled to Hel and presented their request. The goddess of death agreed, but with one caveat: every single thing in the Nine Realms would have to weep for the fallen god. Beloved as Balder was by all, the Nine Realms wept freely, mourning his loss; in doing so, Thor believed their task successful, but when Balder did not return to them, Thor sought out the one being in all the realms who had shed no tear: Loki. The gods begged for him to do so, but he declined with equal parts malice and glee.[26] In the time hence, 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.[27] For a time he hid at Franang's Falls, a region on Midgard which was hidden to the All-Father's sight. He remained here until Geri and Freki, the All-Father's Wolves, found him and reported back to Asgard. Thor came to his brother[25] and the two battled, but Thor was able to overpower Loki, and as punishment, he was bound to a rock as a venomous serpent dripped poison on his face. He remained imprisoned as such for many years.[27]
Ages of Thunder[]
Asgard was under attack by the Frost Giants. All the gods were at battle as if it were soon to be the end of Asgard. In the end, it was Thor standing strong with his lightning winning the battle for Asgard. Thor brought down a mighty giant who fell and destroyed a giant wall of Asgard which stood as long as anyone could remember. The wall was ruined but it was spring once again. Yggdrasill grew golden apples once again for the Asgardians to feast on. It was only the Enchantress who had the power to pick the apples from the great tree.[citation needed]
All of the gods gained wisdom and youth from eating the apples in all their meals. All that is, except for the mighty Thor. Heimdall then spotted a man walking towards Asgard. The man was a mason who offered Odin to fix his great wall which had been destroyed in their war against the Frost Giants. The mason said he'd be able to fix the wall in a year if he could have one thing.[citation needed]
He wanted neither riches or power, only the Enchantress herself. Loki talked to Odin, and they decided to accept his offer to rebuild their wall. However, they told him that he'd have six months and not a year to do so. They all agreed as the gods deemed it an impossible task for the man. However, the man was building at an alarming rate which would eventually make him finish the wall in less than six months.[citation needed]
This greatly angered Odin and he told Loki to fix their problem or else he'd bind him to stone forever. Loki then shape-shifted into a mare in order to distract the man's steed. All night, Loki distracted the steed and, in the morning, the man wasn't able to finish the wall. Odin told the man that he couldn't complete the task, but the man knew that it was Loki who was distracting his steed and who made him fail in his task.[citation needed]
The man began to say that he'd kill them all and then the man showed his true form. He was actually a shapeshifting Frost Giant who was ready to damn the Asgardians. As he fought Loki and Odin, Thor returned from his recent journey and killed the Giant by throwing Mjolnir at him. He then ordered Loki to clean up his mess. He walked through Asgard, carrying with him the heads of several Frost Giants.[citation needed]
Loki was later banished from Asgard for yet another attempt of trickery. Loki wandered through Asgard with no food or direction. It seemed as if he'd been traveling in the snow for thousands of years. One day, an eagle came up to him and asked him questions. The eagle laughed at Loki, seeing how weak and desperate he was. The eagle offered Loki a deal. He'd give him food if he could bring him his desire, the Enchantress. Loki then talked to Enchantress and fooled her after saying he found golden apples which she could pick. They climbed to the top of the snowy mountain where a Frost Giant, who was actually the eagle, was waiting for them. The Giant then took the Enchantress with him to be her queen. The Asgardians then began to starve as there was nobody who could pick the golden apples from the tree. Odin then found out that it was all Loki's fault and he forced Loki to go and save the Enchantress from the Frost Giant. Loki then went back to the lair of the Frost Giant. He found Enchantress laying there tied up while the Frost Giant was sleeping. He sneaked her out, but the Frost Giant woke up and discovered that she was missing. The Frost Giant eventually caught up to the two Asgardians and he took hold of them. There was nobody to rescue the two from the hands of the Frost Giant. But Thor came flying from the sky and he flew straight through and killed the Frost Giant. Enchantress was then returned to Asgard, and the gods could all feast once again.[citation needed]
Loki circa 1949
20th Century[]
In 1933, Loki was briefly an inmate at the Ravencroft Institute, though he managed to easily escape and transformed the faculty's clothing into straitjackets as a prank.[28]
At some point in the 1940s, Loki had earned the wrath of Olympian ruler Zeus who then banished Loki to Hades, replacing Pluto as its ruler.[29] During this time, Loki apparently spawned a child he dubbed the Son of Satan, as during this time Loki had begun referring to himself as Satan from time to time.[17]
Loki soon became obsessed with the Olympian love goddess Aphrodite, who in 1949 was active on Earth as Venus. With Venus active on Earth, Loki used this loophole to escape his exile and spread his evil across the planet. To do this, he appeared at a Mardi Gras parade that Venus was attending as part of her job at Beauty Magazine. This was a ploy to get Venus to travel to Hades where Loki had her captured. Loki then possessed the body of Venus' employer and mortal lover Whitney Hammond to spread his evil across the globe. Venus eventually freed herself and tracked down Loki, promising to be his queen in Hades if he left the Earth. Loki agreed, but before he could bind Venus to her vow, Zeus (then calling himself Jupiter) appeared and commended Venus for her sacrifice, banishing Loki back to Hades and allowing Venus to return to Earth.[29] Soon after this defeat, Loki plotted an invasion of Olympus while the gods were busy participating in a trial against Venus. The trial was instigated by Jupiter's daughter Joya who believed that Venus was shirking her godly duties. When Loki and his invasion force arrived on Olympus, Joya realized the error of her ways and posed as Venus and promised to return to Hades with Loki if he stopped his invasion. Loki agreed and withdrew his forces.[30] Loki must have eventually seen through this plot as he returned to menace Venus in the future; what befell of Joya is unknown.[citation needed]
In 1950, Apollo made a deal with the demon Zoroba to allow the creature to possess his body while his spirit sought to win the love of Venus on Earth. Zoroba, in Apollo's body, used the opportunity to try and pressure Jupiter to allow Loki to leave his exile and reside on Olympus. Jupiter allowed Loki a brief audience while he considered it, but Venus eventually foiled the plot and Loki and Zoroba found themselves banished back to Hades.[31] Briefly calling himself Satan, Loki then allowed his now adult son, the so-called Son of Satan to go to Earth and try to force Venus to love him. Unfortunately for Loki's scion, Venus defeated him and left him in an endless orbit around the Earth.[17]
Loki posing as Satan circa 1950
By 1951, Loki had cast a spell over the far eastern nation of Cassarobia preventing any gods from using their powers in the region. His full motivation, other than inconveniencing the gods, are unknown. However, shortly thereafter Venus found herself a prisoner of Cassarobia's ruling sultan who sought to make her his new wife. Jupiter used Loki's lust over Venus to convince him to lower the spell when Venus' life was at risk. Loki then joined his half-brother Thor in holding back the sultan's forces until Venus and Cassarobian people successfully overthrew him.[32]
Through unexplained means, Loki was released from his exile in Hades, and he returned to Asgard.[33]
At some unknown point Odin, long tolerant of Loki's attempts, sent Thor to catch Loki and magically imprisoned him within a tree in Asgard. Odin proclaimed he could only be freed when someone shed a tear for him.[22]
Modern Age[]
In the modern era, Loki was eventually freed when he exerted his will on the tree and a leaf fell into the eye of Heimdall, causing him to cry. His first thought once freed was to find Thor and sensed his presence on Earth. Travelling down to Earth in a human disguise, Loki found his search fruitless so cast an illusion on civilians in an attempt to lure Thor out. After the illusion was broken, Loki revealed himself and challenged Thor to battle in the air. In doing so Loki was able to hypnotize Thor and attempted to obtained Mjolnir, eventually getting Thor to put the hammer down. While distracted by people trying to lift the hammer, Thor turns back into Don Blake and breaks the trance he'd been under. Regaining his hammer, Thor chases Loki through the city until he attempts to escape via a winged horse, but Thor is able to stop Loki's escape and return him to Asgard.[22]
Odin attempted to ban Loki from ever leaving Asgard again, but after Loki discovered the truth about Thor turning into Don Blake without Mjolnir and sneaked past Heimdall disguised as a snake. Back on Earth he hypnotized Jane Foster and then challenged Thor to a battle in Central Park. During the battle Jane turned up just as Loki predicted and turned a tree into a tiger and made Thor choose between his hammer and saving her. Thor chose to save her, and Loki trapped the hammer behind a magical force field, preventing Don Blake from turning back in Thor. Loki went all over America, using his magic for trickery and decent, until Thor challenged him to battle so he returned to the hammer. Finding Thor there waiting he removed the force field, allowing Don Blake to appear behind the dummy and grabbing the hammer before Loki could stop him and Loki was captured and again returned to Asgard.[34]
Unable to leave Asgard, Loki used a carnival mind reader named Sandu and boosted Sandu's natural mind reading ability, granting him additional powers of telepathy, telekinesis and teleportation. Sandu used this power to rob banks, until he made an ultimatum for world leaders to make him ruler of the Earth. When Thor confronted him, Sandu dropped the United Nations Building on Thor trapping him beneath. Odin then sent down the Valkyrie to arm Thor with Megingjord, the so-called Belt of Strength. Thor clashed with Sandu again, but when the mind reader tried to use his power to handle Mjolnir, he shorted out his powers and was quickly captured.[35]
Loki was again imprisoned by Odin and chained to a rock with unbreakable Uru chains. He eventually freed himself by enchanting the chains to attract Mjolnir to break them, since they were made out of the same material. Freed he set about destroying Thor, who at the same time was brought to Asgard by Odin to search for his missing hammer. During the search Loki kept trying to destroy Thor, but Thor kept avoiding death by making replacement hammer's out of wood and stone. One of these was accidentally made out of Uru and thus was also attracted to the chains. Finding his hammer and the broken chains, Thor realized the truth and Loki was captured by the Asgardians.[36]
Imprisoned again by Odin, Loki was chained again with Uru chains to a cliff and was this time was freed by Thor who he tricked into turning against humanity, an event that also has two different accounts. In the original account, Loki used magic to distract Thor upon Mjolnir's return to him, striking himself in the head, which somehow caused him to turn evil. Thor then teamed up with Loki and attacked various landmarks across the world. Odin and a number of Asgardian gods then posed as members of the United Nations and tricked Thor and Loki into going to the UN Building in New York to accept the world's surrender. There Odin had Thor struck in the head again, restoring his personality. Thor then defeated Loki and turned him over to his father. In this account, Odin used his magic to restore all the damage done by Thor and erase everyone's memories of his rampage.[37] In the other account, Loki confronted Donald Blake in his office and used his magic to suppress Blake's mind when he transformed into Thor. Loki then appealed to the arrogant and unhindered Thor, convincing him that the planet Earth needed to face the wrath of the gods. Thor then declared war against the entire planet, this diverged the reality to Earth-11035.[38]
Loki's schemes eventually drew together some of Earth's superhuman heroes. Manipulating the Hulk into wreaking havoc as his latest mortal catspaw against Thor, Loki's plot accidentally led to the formation of the Avengers.[5]
While being trapped on Asgard, Loki, drew the Lava Man to the surface and tricked him into attacking Thor and the surface world, but the Lava Man was defeated and returned to Subterranea.[39]
Odin halved Thor's powers and barred him from entering Asgard when he insisted on marrying Jane Foster. Seeking to take advantage of this opportunity, Loki restored the memory of Zarrko the Tomorrow Man, who promptly traveled back in time to battle Thor, who was defeated and surrendered and agreed to return with him to the 23rd Century as his slave.[40] Thor assisted Zarrko in conquering the 23rd Century, but eventually freed himself and returned to his own century.[41]
Seeking to leverage Odin's disapproval of Thor's romance with human Jane Foster, Loki used her in several plots[42][43][44] and willingly assisted in attempts to break their relationship. One instance saw Loki persuading the Enchantress to travel to Earth to seduce Thor.[45] As Odin followed to end the contrived romance personally, Loki used the opportunity to seize the throne, setting the giant Skagg and the demon Surtur loose on Earth, hoping they would defeat the Asgardians. Failing, Loki was sent to serve the Trolls as punishment.[46]
Among the "fruits" of Loki's other Earthbound-schemes against Thor was the human criminal Carl "Crusher" Creel, transformed by sorcery into the superhuman Absorbing Man,[47][48] one of the Thunder God's most-enduring mortal adversaries. Around this time, Loki also became responsible for the reawakening of the Destroyer.[49] He even went so far as to turn Odin against Thor in an attempt to steal the enchanted hammer, Mjolnir.[citation needed]
Returning to Asgard, Loki again faced exile and punishment. However, despite his loathing of Thor and Odin, he helped defend Asgard from Surtur and his Fire Demons - for selfish ends, as he wished to rule what Surtur would destroy.[citation needed]
In disguise, Loki manipulated a group of master villains into engineering the "Acts of Vengeance". With these prime movers, he set in motion a plot against the Avengers and other heroes. He sent the Juggernaut against Thor and cast a spell that caused temporary bouts of weakness in Thor. He battled the combined forces of the West Coast and East Coast Avengers. His identity was ultimately revealed, and he was defeated by the Avengers.[50][51][52] Loki was killed by Thor,[18] however, manipulation of the timestream brought him back.[19]
Morwen, a powerful agent of chaos, was released and took Tessa Black, a child of Loki, as a host. With Doctor Strange unavailable, Loki and Spider-Man worked together to free her. Loki proclaimed he owes an as yet unpaid debt to his temporary ally.[53]
Ragnarok[]
It was prophesied that Loki would lead Asgard's enemies into the "Eternal Realm" and aid them in destroying it in a final conflict known as Ragnarok, or sometimes referred to as "The Twilight of Gods". Loki fulfilled the prophecy of leading the enemies of Asgard against the Asgardians. This battle consumed all who participated in it, and it was revealed that the cycle of the birth, lives, and death of the Asgardians was a continuing cycle presided over by beings known only as "Those Who Sit Above in Shadow". Thor was able to put an end to this continuing cycle. All Asgardians perished in this last Ragnarok except for Thor who disappeared into a deep sleep. But this time "Those Who Sit Above in Shadow" followed them in death and were unable to revive them.[54]
As a Woman[]
Loki as a woman
After Thor returned, he started a quest to find the other Asgardians. After finding Heimdall and the Warriors Three he stepped up the search. Heimdall guided him to the southwest where dozens of humans were being jailed by the Destroyer. Loki had collected all of his former Asgardian allies, and Thor fell for the trap, restoring them all to their full power. Loki himself had been reborn as a female. She claimed to have no more plans now that Ragnarok was over. Time would tell if her schemes to rule had been truly set aside.[10]
Having told Balder that she would never lie again, Loki proceeded to win the Asgardians' trust by revealing that he, like Thor, was a son of Odin. Balder didn't believe, but once he was told it was true by Thor himself, he had come to think of Loki as a trustworthy confidant.[7] During the Skrulls invasion, she managed to goad a mob of Asgardians into thinking that Beta Ray Bill was a Skrull impostor.[55]
Dark Reign[]
Loki joined Norman Osborn's Cabal.[56][57]
He traveled to the past to ensure Bor, father of Odin and first king of Asgard, "perished" in battle against the Frost Giants, and to ensure his own destiny.[21]
In the present-day Loki revived Bor in New York City but placed a spell on him to mistake everyone around him as an enemy, therefore attacking everyone in sight. Further aggrieved by the belief his son's failure to resurrect him could only mean he was killed in battle. When Thor arrived on the scene, Loki's enchantment caused Bor to see Thor as a monster. Sensing Odin's power inside what he saw as a demon, Bor attacked Thor, attempting to avenge his son. While Thor and Bor fought, Loki made Balder aware of Bor's identity and the two rushed to New York to stop Thor from killing him (Thor never met Bor until now and is unaware of his identity). They arrived too late, as Thor was forced to kill Bor for fear of the entire planet being destroyed in the wake of their battle. In the aftermath of the battle, Loki reminded Balder that the resurrected Bor was technically the king of Asgard when Thor killed him, and the punishment for killing the king was banishment from Asgard. Balder was forced to agree. After Thor's banishment, Loki spoke to some disgruntled Asgardians and made arrangements to have all Asgardians, but not Asgard itself, moved to Latveria at the invitation of Doctor Doom.[58]
Loki attended a dinner hosted by Doctor Doom along with Balder to secure a new home for the Asgardians in Latveria. She was caught off guard by Balder's insistence that since they were leaving Asgard, Thor should have been allowed to rejoin them. Loki was able to calm Balder before he offended Doom too much. She later appeared before Blake to tell him that she would be returning to her true form shortly and that she had "just now" come to the realization that her body was meant for Sif. Loki explained that, after Ragnarok, when the Asgardians were being placed into human hosts, Sif's soul was placed into a dying human. When Thor sent out the call for the Asgardians to return, Sif's host was too weak to hear the call. To fill the gap where no soul existed inside, Sif's original intended body went looking for a soul and found Loki. Loki claimed the transfer from his female form to his male form would probably kill Sif's host and she urged Thor to find Sif and say goodbye.[59]
Following the Hood's depowering at the hands of Doctor Strange, Brother Voodoo, and the Son of Satan, Loki offered the Hood a second chance.[60] She presented to him the Norn Stones, Asgardian artifacts she had previously used, to grant him back his powers.[citation needed]
Loki as the Scarlet Witch
Mighty Avengers[]
Loki took on the form of the Scarlet Witch in her astral form and recruited a team of Avengers to face the Elder God Chthon.[3] The Avengers, unaware of Loki's trick, followed this "false Wanda's" instructions.[61] Her goal in using these Avengers was to throw Norman Osborn off balance. Loki intended to put "cracks in Osborn's armor" and gradually "widen" these cracks through the Mighty Avengers. Pietro Maximoff, desiring to see and converse with his sister, joined the Mighty Avengers after he raced around the world searching for her.[62]
However, Loki began to see that Pietro and Cassie were becoming a problem in her plans, as they genuinely believed her to be Wanda; for the latter, was after revenge for the death of her father. She dealt with the former by cutting off communications while Pietro and U.S. Agent were in Tibet, hoping that he would die due to the main emergency he was calling about. Cassie caught her in the act and attempted to warn the others, but Loki cast a spell that prevented her from saying bad things about "Wanda". Then, she appeared before Henry Pym, calling himself the Wasp, to convince him to expel Cassie from the team; but Pym was about giving second chances ever since their escape with the Fantastic Four.[citation needed]
Loki soon had enough of Cassie when she tricked the Young Avengers into summoning the "Scarlet Witch" to the Infinite Avengers Mansion, using Wiccan's magic, which caused Loki's disguise to emerge. However, Clint Barton also did a sneak attack, and by kissing Loki, he could tell that she was not Wanda. Wiccan then chanted a spell to reveal Loki's deception, forcing her to erect wards to prevent them from summoning her again, thus canceling out the spell on Cassie.[citation needed]
Death[]
Loki is killed by the Void
Loki manipulated Norman Osborn into leading his Avengers and H.A.M.M.E.R. into attacking Asgard, intent on having it returned to its proper place in the Nine Realms.[63] However, he underestimated the destructive power of the Sentry, who had given into the whispers of his Void persona. When Steve Rogers led the true Avengers in defense of Asgard, Osborn had the Void unleash his power in full and Asgard was destroyed.[64] Seeing that his plans had gone farther than he had intended, Loki prayed to Odin for help and used the Norn Stones to help the Avengers against the Void and was killed by it in front of a shocked Thor. "I'm sorry, brother" were his last words.[65]
Before dying, Loki laid schemes to break free from the chains of destiny, and be reborn as a completely new Kid Loki.[13] However, when he met his end at the hands of the Void, he died forever, and any new Loki would never be the original Loki.[66] However, Loki still managed to return after a fashion, with an echo of his spirit hijacking his reincarnation's body.[67]Attributes
Powers
- Frost Giant/Asgardian Physiology: Loki is a Frost Giant with Asgardian attributes. As such, he possesses the conventional attributes of an Asgardian God, albeit at a higher level.
- Superhuman Strength: Loki, without the aid of anything, through his own biology, possesses superhuman strength that is substantially superior to that of an average Asgardian male. He possesses sufficient physical strength to lift up to 50 tons.[1] It is possible, however, that he can further increase his strength through mystical enchantment on a temporary basis. Similarly to Thor, it has recently been listed at a higher level than originally,[68] without aid. He once even managed to destroy a large building with a single punch.[69]
- Superhumanly Dense Tissue: Like Asgardians, Loki's bodily tissues have roughly 3 times the density of the same tissues in a human being. While he has the looks and physical proportions of a much smaller person, the increased density of his body actually makes him several hundred pounds heavier than he appears. This increased density also contributes to his superhuman strength to a limited degree.
- Superhuman Durability: The tissues of Loki's body are superhumanly durable and are roughly equal to those possessed by the average Asgardian male. However, at times, Loki had imbued himself with magical abilities that enable him to withstand injuries that would prove fatal to another Asgardian if hit. He is able to withstand high caliber bullets, falls from great heights, powerful impact forces, exposure to temperature extremes and powerful energy blasts without being injured. He has proved in past to be durable enough to withstand energy blast's from Mandarin's Rings and several blows from Spider-Man without so much as a blink.[70][71]
- Regenerative Healing Factor: Like all Asgardians, Loki, although he is inhumanly durable, at least by human standards, can still obtain injury, also like all Asgardians, his metabolism enables him to rapidly regenerate damaged tissue much faster and more extensively than a human being. However, through the use of his sorcery, Loki's ability to heal himself is far above that of other Asgardians. His magical energies are so imbued into his body that he can reattach severed limbs and, while still a male, even reattached his own head at least once.
- Superhuman Stamina: Loki's Frost Giant metabolism grants him superhuman levels of physical stamina in practically all activities. He can exert himself at peak capacity for about 24 hours before fatigue begins to impair him. However, much like his physical strength and durability, Loki can temporarily augment his stamina through magical means.
- Near-Immortality: Like all Asgardians, Loki ages at a far slower rate than humans. However, unlike some other God pantheons like the Olympians, who stop ageing completely at a certain point, Loki isn't fully immune to aging. Although he has recently been "reborn", he still has his memories of his previous life. While he is several millennia old, at least, he has the appearance and vitality of a young Asgardian man in his physical prime. Loki is immune to the effects of all known Earthly diseases and infections.
- Sorcery: Loki has extensive training in sorcery, giving him the ability to generate and control a great quantity of mystical abilities for a variety of purposes. His magical abilities are equal to Karnilla, the most skilled sorceress in the Asgardian dimension.[72][4][73] He has also once used his magic to turn Invisible Woman's psionic shields against herself,[74] and has been able to break free of Celestial technology in possession of Apocalypse. Loki has also imbued himself with magical abilities that enable him to withstand injuries that would prove fatal to another Asgardian, such as being beheaded by Balder. He has also been shown to be immune to the Controller's control disk, the mental influence of the Voice, and the power-sapping abilities of Rogue. Loki’s power has been said by the Silver Surfer during their early encounters as sufficient to “decimate a planet”.[75]
- Telekinesis: Being a telekinetic, Loki can influence the movement of objects and people with his mind, and as such, this power proves to be devastating and chaotic in nature.
- Mystical Energy Blasts: Loki can project powerful beams of concussive force.
- Mystical Force Fields: He can generate highly durable force fields.
- Illusion Casting: His illusion casting can fool cities, and powerful entities such as Surtur.
- Teleportation: Loki has the ability to teleport himself or others across dimensions.
- Psionics: Loki has demonstrated powerful psionic capabilities, the full limits of which aren't known. He has demonstrated the ability to project his thoughts telepathically across great distances, even across dimensional barriers, as well as potent hypnotic capabilities. He is able to communicate with beings telepathically, though his ability to do so is greater with beings that serve him.
- Shapeshifting: Like a number of Gods or Goddesses, Loki possesses highly developed shapeshifting capabilities. He is able to adopt almost any form imaginable whether it be animals, other humanoid beings, or even inanimate objects. The thought has been raised that his current form is merely a shape Loki has decided to remain in. Despite this being a well-known ability of Loki's, he has commented to himself, as he struggled to escape from Dormammu's mystic cage, that this is his "most soul-draining" power, apparently meaning it is more taxing than his other magical abilities. He has become such animals such as a snake, eagle, mouse and bee, gaining the basic natural abilities inherent in each form. While he can take on the likeness of another God, giant or human, he will not necessarily gain the special physical or mental powers of the being he imitates.
- Transmutation: Loki can also transform external objects into other forms and substances by magic; for instance, he has turned clouds into dragons and even changed cars into ice cream. He has also once cursed Deadpool with an indestructible Tom Cruise's face, which proved to be powerful enough to withstand being run over by a train and direct contact with a nuclear rod without receiving a single scratch.
- Physical Enhancement: His magic can be used to further enhance or augment his physical diagram, like his speed, strength, and stamina, but only temporarily.
- Enchantment: Loki can also bring inanimate objects to life and mystically imbue objects or beings with specific but temporary powers and bestow superhuman attributes to living beings or inanimate objects. For example, Loki has augmented the might of human criminals like Cobra and Sandu. These magical effects remain only for as long as he maintains the spell that created them.
Abilities
- Genius Intelligence: Loki has a genius level intellect and possesses a great deal of knowledge of the mystic arts. He is also extremely cunning and skilled, an expert battle strategist, and highly skilled and charismatic manipulator, which is evident by the ease how Loki repeatedly succeeded to regain the trust of his fellow Asgardians, despite his numerous crimes.[15] Loki possesses a brilliant intellect, with some knowledge of technology, as illustrated by the time when he created a machine to amplify Iceman's powers, and when he attached devices to the Twilight sword to tap into its powers. Loki is an expert manipulator and schemer, frequently using pawns in his plans.[76]
- Allspeak: Thanks to the Allspeak Loki can communicate in all of the languages of the Nine Realms, Earth's dialects, and various alien languages.
- Skilled Combatant: Loki is a formidable combatant in his own right, particularly as a swordsman or in the use of his various energy manipulative powers in combat situations, enough to hold his own against Thor on numerous occasions and beat the Disir into (literal) submission. He is sometimes armed with a sword, a whip, or a three-pronged spear and has used magical items (such as the Norn Stones) to enhance his powers.[77]
Weaknesses
- Magic limitations: Loki's powers are believed to at least be slightly weaker on Midgard than on Asgard, as his birth was not of Gaea, and even Odin's magic was on the wane on Earth. Also, while apparently possessing some extrasensory abilities that resemble psionic powers, Loki cannot directly read the minds of other beings, nor can he control their actions.
- Superiority inferiority complex: Loki's ambition has proven to be his greatest flaw, as his passionate hatred of Thor, lust for power, and his tendency to alienate himself through his ignoble actions greatly impedes his ability to bring his well laid plans to fruition. Also, as noticed by Apocalypse, Loki has a poor understanding of human nature, which leads him to severely underestimate his mortal (earthly) opponent's, resulting into humiliating defeat.
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Weapons
Notes
- It was once speculated that given Loki's god-like appearance and lack of Giant features, his mother was possibly a Goddess and not a giantess.[79]
Trivia
Loki's Golden Age appearance
- A Loki character, based on the traditional God of Mischief, appeared in a number of Golden-Age comics, with no connections to the Thor storylines. Loki's first appearance in Venus #6 (1949) was seemingly retconned in Journey Into Mystery #85 (1962). In Norse mythology, Loki is somewhat similar to his modern comic appearance except in the myths he also had a black goatee.
- In his first Silver Age appearance in Journey Into Mystery #85, it was said that Loki's powers don't work in water, but this was never mentioned again.
- Though Loki is present as one of the most powerful sorcerers of Marvel Universe, in original myths, Loki's only consistent power was that of shapeshifting (and even then, it may not be an innate skill, since some myths explicit tells of Loki using an animal-skin to shapeshift), fire manipulation and illusions. Indeed, in Lokasenna, Loki openly mocked Odin for being a magic user, since in ancient Norse culture, men using magic were considered Ergi, or unmanly.
- Among the many differences between Marvel's interpretation and Loki and the one from myths, Norse Mythology Loki wasn't particularly malevolent; his father was Farbauti and his mother was Laufey; and he wasn't brother of Thor, but the blood brother of Odin.
- Loki was originally depicted as having been adopted by Odin as an infant in Journey Into Mystery #112 rather than a boy.
See Also
- 471 appearance(s) of Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
- 22 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
- 97 minor appearance(s) of Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
- 118 mention(s) of Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
- 24 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
- 390 image(s) of Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
- 40 quotation(s) by or about Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
- 4 victim(s) killed by Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
- 15 item(s) used/owned by Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
Links and References
- Loki Laufeyson on Marvel.com
- Loki Laufeyson on Wikipedia.org
- Loki at the Norse Mythology Blog
- Loki at the Guide to the Mythological Universe
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica #1 ; Loki's entry
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Loki (Vol. 2) #2
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mighty Avengers #21
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 X-Men Annual #9
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Avengers #1
- ↑ Avengers #115
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Thor (Vol. 3) #10
- ↑ narrative caption refers to Loki as the sly one. Page 11.Thor: The Trials of Loki TPB #1
- ↑ Thor Ages of Thunder #1
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Thor (Vol. 3) #5
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #503
- ↑ Thor 2000 #1
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Journey Into Mystery #622
- ↑ Thor #617
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Avengers: Roll Call #1
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Thor (Vol. 2) #64
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Venus #10
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Mighty Thor #432
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Mighty Thor #440
- ↑ Marvel Graphic Novel #15
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 Thor (Vol. 3) #12
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Journey Into Mystery #85
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #112
- ↑ Thor (Vol. 3) #8
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Loki (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ Loki (Vol. 2) #3
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Loki (Vol. 2) #4
- ↑ Ruins of Ravencroft: Dracula #1
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 Venus #6
- ↑ Venus #7
- ↑ Venus #9
- ↑ Venus #12
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #6
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #88
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #91
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #92
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #94
- ↑ Thor: First Thunder #4
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #97
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #101
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #102
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #108
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #110–111
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #115–117
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #103
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #104
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #114
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #120
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #118–119
- ↑ Avengers #310–313
- ↑ Avengers Spotlight #26–28
- ↑ Avengers: West Coast #53–55
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #504
- ↑ Thor (Vol. 2) #80–85
- ↑ Secret Invasion: Thor #1
- ↑ Secret Invasion #8
- ↑ Secret Invasion: Dark Reign #1
- ↑ Thor #600
- ↑ Thor #601
- ↑ New Avengers #54
- ↑ Mighty Avengers #21–23
- ↑ Mighty Avengers #24
- ↑ Siege #1
- ↑ Siege #3
- ↑ Siege #4
- ↑ Loki: Agent of Asgard #13
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #645
- ↑ as the original handbook listed him as able to lift 30 tons
- ↑ Thor #147
- ↑ Avengers Annual #19
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #503
- ↑ New Mutants Special Edition #1
- ↑ Deadpool (Vol. 3) #37
- ↑ Thor: First Thunder #5
- ↑ Silver Surfer #4
- ↑ Thor #378
- ↑ Thor #363
- ↑ The Rökkr: The Faces of Loki Shadowlight: brilliant is my being
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 #3 ; Giants of Jotunheim's entry
- ↑ Avengers: Roll Call #1