Loki in popular culture
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Loki, Odin and Thor are the three characters to appear most often in both Nordic myths and modern fiction derived from them.
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[edit] Depictions in modern popular culture
[edit] Comics
- Loki is a supervillain of the Marvel Universe, the setting for many Marvel Comics publications. He is the primary enemy of Thor. In Marvel continuity Loki is son or adoptive son of Odin and half-brother or foster brother of Thor. Loki made his first appearance in Venus #6 (August, 1949). He was featured as a member of the Olympian gods exiled to the Underworld. In Journey into Mystery #85 (October, 1962), Loki was reintroduced by brothers and co-writers Stan Lee and Larry Lieber. He was redesigned by Jack Kirby.
- Loki also appeared in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys to have teamed-up with Ares.
- Loki, Odin and Thor are the heroes of the Valhalla comic book or graphic novel series written by Hans Rancke-Madsen, and illustrated by Peter Madsen from 1979 until today. The series was published in Denmark by Interpresse and later Carlsen Comics. Originally published in the Danish language, translations have been made into Dutch, Finnish, German, French, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish. One full-length animated movie was also produced from the series.
- Loki was a recurring character in the comic book The Sandman by Neil Gaiman (1988 - 1996). He was freed from his prison under the Earth by Odin and by contrivance of Dream allowed to remain at liberty. He reappeared in the second-to-last story arc, where he ran afoul of the Corinthian. He later makes a cameo appearance in Lucifer.
- Loki is the main hero of the Matantei Loki Ragnarok manga by Sakura Kinoshita, published from August, 1999 to December, 2001. A television anime, The Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok, was based upon the manga series and shared the same title. Twenty-six episodes were released between April 5 and September 27, 2003. The main villain is Odin.
- In the Ragnarok manhwa by Myung-Jin Lee , Loki has reincarnated into a stoic assassin of Midgard. The series was published in English in North America by TOKYOPOP from May 21, 2002 to April 6, 2004.
- In the popular webcomic Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yuuki, launched in 2002, the chains binding Loki loosen, allowing him to interact with the Earth through control of a small plush cat.
- Loki is the central protagonist in the webcomic The Modern Edda, during which he is sealed on earth by Odin after he escapes his bonds for Ragnarök.
[edit] Film
- In the movie The Mask (first released on July 29, 1994), unlike the original comic book, Loki's bound spirit empowers the titular mask, which grants its wearer shape-shifting abilities and an altered, chaotic personality, from everything/anything they keep suppressed in their unconscious mind (see also Sigmund Freud). In the 2005 sequel, Son of the Mask, Loki spends the movie seeking out his mask.
- A fictional character named Loki, played by Matt Damon, appears in the film Dogma, directed by Kevin Smith and first released on November 12, 1999. The character is a fallen angel, the former Angel of Death rather than the Norse mythological figure. Curiously, the villain, a demon named Azrael, acts like a mischievous trouble-maker. Azrael was originally the name for the Angel of Death.
[edit] Games
- Loki is the main antagonist in the 1993 game God of Thunder.
- Loki is the main adversary in the computer role-playing game Valkyrie Profile, first released in Japan on December 22, 1999 by developers tri-Ace. The only way in which this Loki differs from the mythological god is that he is the offspring of an Æsir and Vanir, which provides the central motivating force for his actions throughout the story.
- In The Sims 2, a pre-made family has a character named Loki who enjoys making crank calls.
- In the PC Game Rune (computer game), Loki is the mastermind behind the destruction of the Runestones to bring about Ragnarok
- Loki is the final-boss in Ghouls n Ghosts.
- In the game Age of Mythology, Loki is a major god of the Norse civilization.
[edit] Literature
- Loki and several other Norse gods (e.g. Heimdall) were featured in the novel, The Incomplete Enchanter by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt (Holt and Company, NY, 1941).
- The 1975 fantasy novel Eight Days of Luke by Diana Wynne Jones features a contemporary take on Loki.
- Loki (using the pseudonym "Low Key" ) and Odin (using the pseudonym "Wednesday", as a kind of joke) were also central characters in the 2001 novel American Gods by Neil Gaiman.
- In the novel series Everworld by K.A. Applegate, Loki is the father of Fenrir, a giant wolf god, Hel, the mad queen of the underworld and the Midgard Serpent. Residing with the other gods in Everworld, he wishes to use one of the main characters, Senna, as a magical gateway to reenter the modern world.
- Loki appears (most often disguised, but in his true identity near the end) in Robert A. Heinlein's 1984 novel, Job: A Comedy of Justice.
- Loki is mentioned a lot in Melvin Burgess' Bloodtide, and is the father of a shapeshifting character.
- Loki is the name of the mischievous cat in Loki's Parrot, a picture book by Pet Serrano based on Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. The character jumped target audiences and formats from a series of flash cartoons in which he was known as Loki the Cat from Hell.
[edit] Music
- Loki is the tricker mentioned in the song "When The Trickster Starts A-Pokin` (Bordello Kind of Guy)" by Gogol Bordello.
[edit] Sports
- Loki is the nickname of the most successful Hungarian football team, the DVSC Megaforce.
[edit] Television
- In an episode of the television series Stargate SG-1 (July 27, 1997 - ), "Fragile Balance" (the third episode of Season 7), Loki appears as an Asgard experimenting on humans (and responsible for many alien abduction stories) to try and solve his race's problems of genetic degradation due to repeated cloning. He is outed when an attempted experiment on Colonel O'Neill goes awry, and Thor eventually steps in to stop Loki.
- Loki had made an appearance as a villain in the American cartoon The Life and Times of Juniper Lee (May 30, 2005 - ).
- Loki has also made an appearance as a member of the norse pantheon in an episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
- In one of the OVAs of the Anime Saint seiya called "the hot battle of the gods" a villain named Loki apears. In the anime Athena and her warriors go to see Aolbare to ask about missing Athena warriors they get help from Frey and Freya, Seiya and companions must battle against Asegard sacred-warriors
- There is another anime, Mythical Detective Loki - Ragnarok, which depicts Loki in the form of a young child who had been banished to Earth by Odin.
- Loki also appears as a character in the Hercules television series with Kevin Sorbo"
