| Loki | |
|---|---|
Cover art for Loki #1. Art by Esad Ribic. |
|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Venus #6 (August 1949), Journey into Mystery #85 (October 1962) (modern day) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Larry Lieber Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Loki Laufeyson |
| Species | Frost giant |
| Team affiliations | Acts of Vengeance Cabal Mighty Avengers |
| Notable aliases | Loki Odinson, Scarlet Witch, Serrure |
| Abilities |
|
Loki is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. He is the adoptive brother and archenemy of the superhero Thor. He is based on the being of the same name from Norse mythology. The character first appeared in Venus #6 (August 1949) and was created by writer Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby.
In 2009, Loki was ranked as IGN's 8th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.[1]
Contents |
Loki made his first Marvel Comics appearance in Timely Comics' publication Venus #6 (August 1949), where Loki was depicted as a member of the Olympian gods exiled to the Underworld. He made his first official Marvel appearance in Journey into Mystery #85 (October 1962), where Loki was reintroduced by brothers and co-writers Stan Lee and Larry Lieber and he was redesigned by Jack Kirby.
As one of Thor's arch-nemeses, Loki has frequently made appearances in Thor-related titles like Journey Into Mystery and Thor, as well as other Marvel Universe titles such as The Avengers. He was the starring character in two four-issue miniseries (2004 and 2010).[2][3][4]
Loki played a key role in the 2010s company-wide "Siege" storyline.
After slaying the King of the Frost giants Laufey in battle, Odin found a small Asgardian-sized child hidden within the primary stronghold of the Frost Giants. The child was Loki, and Laufey kept him hidden from his people, ashamed of his son's small size. Odin took the boy because he showed strength when Odin slew his father in combat and raised him as his son alongside his biological son Thor.
Throughout their childhood and into adolescence, Loki was resentful of the differences in which he and Thor were treated by the citizens of Asgard. The Asgardians valued great strength, tenacity, and bravery in battle above all things, and Loki was clearly inferior to his foster brother Thor in these areas. What he lacked in size and strength, however, he made up for in power and skill, particularly as a sorcerer. As Loki grew to adulthood, his natural talent for causing mischief would make itself manifest and earned him a nickname as the "God of Lies and Mischief"; his mischievousness eventually became malice as his hunger for power and revenge grew stronger. Several times he tried to use tricks to get rid of Thor, like telling him to guard a hole in the wall he had made. In time, his reputation grew from being a playful and mischievous trickster to the "God of Evil". Over the centuries, Loki attempted on many occasions to seize rulership of Asgard and to destroy Thor. He even helped the Storm giant Ghan to escape Thor planning to get a debt from him later, and aided other enemies of Asgard, planning to take over. Odin, who had grown weary of Loki's mischief, magically imprisoned him within a tree until someone would shed a tear for him. Loki eventually freed himself by causing a leaf to strike Heimdall, the guardian of Bifrost, in the eye, which made him shed a tear. Loki compiled an extensive criminal record in Asgard, and was frequently exiled.[5] He met the Sorceror Eldred, who taught him black magic. He repaid Eldred by later giving him to the Fire demon Surtur.
Loki's schemes eventually came to include Earth itself, and he often fought with Earth's superhuman heroes to defend their planet and, often, Asgard itself. He first battled Thor on Earth in modern times after escaping from the tree;[6] Loki then manipulated the Hulk into wreaking havoc using an illusion of dynamite on train tracks, while in astral form in an attempt to lure Thor to Asgard, which inadvertently led to the formation of the Avengers as several other heroes came to meet the Hulk.[7]
Thor was one of the founding members of this superhuman team, and often led them in battle against his brother. Several times Loki, while not directly battling Thor himself, caused threats for Thor to battle, like increasing the mental powers of a carnival fortune teller Sandu, making him powerful enough to lift buildings with his mind,[8] and releasing a Lava man called Molto by accident when he caused a long-dead volcano to explode.[9] When Loki convinced Odin to punish Thor, Odin took away half of Thor's power, after which Loki returned the memory of the 23rd century villain Zarkko. Zarkko defeated Thor and took him back to help conquer his time period, although the God of Thunder was able to finally capture the villain.[10] Loki even released Mr. Hyde and Cobra by paying their bail, then doubled their powers. Loki told them to kidnap Jane Foster, which he knew would attract Thor's attention, but they were again defeated.
Among Loki's better known henchmen was the human criminal Carl "The Crusher" Creel, whom Loki transformed into the superhuman criminal known as the Absorbing Man.[11] Creel would prove to be a formidable adversary to Thor over the years. Loki went so far as to attempt to turn Odin against Thor and to steal Thor's enchanted hammer, Mjolnir in an attempt to free himself, but all his efforts failed. When he convinced Odin to go to Earth and leave him in charge of Asgard with part of the Odinforce, he released Skagg, the largest Storm Giant, and Surtur, the huge Fire Demon, to try to destroy Odin. However Thor and Balder helped defeat the monsters, and Loki was sent to serve the Trolls. Loki was responsible for the Destroyer being awakened, by leading a Hunter to the Temple where the Destroyer armor resided using his mental abilities while Thor was nearby, causing the Hunter's soul to animate the armor, but Thor forced the Hunter to return to his body, then buried the armor under thousands of tons of rock.[12] The Absorbing Man was brought back to Earth by Loki, and battled Thor, but Loki quickly took him to Asgard when Thor was on the verge of defeating him. The Absorbing Man defeated the Asgardians without too much trouble and absorbed Odin's attacks. However Loki and his ally were exiled into space due to a trick by Odin.[13] He sent his astral form back to Earth and took over the Destroyer armor, attempting to take over Asgard, but Odin sent Balder to discover the location of Loki, then used his powers to send Loki out of the Destroyer armor.[14]
Loki's destiny to be the cause of Ragnarok was later recounted.[15] Loki returned from his exile in space, but was then stripped of his powers and exiled to Earth by Odin. Loki plotted to gain new powers from Karnilla; however, this accidentally created the Wrecker, who gained Asgardian powers when he was mistaken for Loki after knocking him out and putting on his helmet just before Karnilla appeared in response to Loki's ritual. He almost killed Thor by collapsing a building on him, as Thor had been stripped of all his powers except his strength by Odin. Loki then fomented a battle between Thor and the Destroyer animated by Sif.[16] Loki then took command of Asgard during the Odinsleep, using his right as the 'son' of Odin before Thor could claim it, but fled when Asgard was invaded by Mangog as he realized that this new foe was too powerful.[17]
Loki later usurped the throne of Asgard by taking the Odinring, but fled again when Asgard was invaded by Surtur.[18] Much later, Loki usurped the throne of Asgard again, and set the Destroyer against Thor once more.[19] Shortly after that, Loki caused the temporary death of Balder using mistletoe, as he had conspired with Hela to cause Ragnarok if his last plan failed. At this time, Loki's estranged wife Sigyn returned to Asgard. When Loki was chained and a viper dripped poison onto his face as punishment for killing Balder, Sigyn tried helping him. Loki attempted to bring about Ragnarok, but was foiled by Odin.[20] Alongside Tyr and his forces, Loki stole the golden apples of Idunna and invaded Asgard with help from the Midgard serpent, but then changed sides and aided Odin's forces in defeating Tyr.[21]
Despite Loki's hatred of his half-brother and father, Loki helped to defend Asgard from destruction from Surtur and his fire demons. This was because Surtur's goal was to destroy Asgard, whereas Loki sought only to rule it. Alongside Odin and Thor, Loki battled Surtur, and witnessed the seeming demise of Odin.[22] Not long after that, Loki transformed Thor into a frog for a time, using the Twilight Sword. Thor was turned back when Volstagg destroyed one of the machines Loki had used to transform Thor.[23] He then involved the X-Men and Alpha Flight in a plot to gain favor with "Those Who Sit Above in Shadow" by trying to prove that he could do a truly good deed by offering to grant the wishes of the two teams - such as giving Puck a normal body while granting Rogue the ability to touch again - but he failed the test because he tried to force the gifts on the heroes after they rejected them, the two teams learning that these enhanced powers - and the further powers that Loki would grant to the world - would deprive those who received the gifts of the ability to imagine and create new things, essentially destroying what it meant to be human.[24]
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.[25][26][27] Loki would actually die at the hands of Thor,[28] although, manipulation of the time stream would later bring him back.
Through a time traveling adventure with Doctor Strange, Morwen, a foe of Strange's former master, is released, taking Tessa Black, a child of Loki, as a host. With Strange unavailable, she is detected and confronted by both Loki and Spider-Man (Spider-Man having played a part in the crisis that resulted in her escape). When Spider-Man saves Tessa by distracting Morwen long enough for Loki to make contact with her, Loki proclaims he owes one debt to the wallcrawler.[29]
It was prophesied Loki would lead Asgard's enemies into the "Eternal Realm" and aid them in destroying it in a final conflict known as Ragnarök, sometimes referred to as "The Twilight of the Gods". Loki fulfilled the prophecy by forging Uru weapons for his army after he found the forge used to create Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. Not even Thor's hammer could break the shields and it was shattered in a nuclear-scale explosion. This battle consumed all who participated in it and it was revealed that the continuing Asgardian cycle of the birth, life, and death was presided over by beings known as "Those Who Sit Above in Shadow" who drew sustenance from the energies expended during these cycles. In the final confrontation between Loki and Thor prior to the final battle that would bring Ragnarök to a close, Thor declared Loki to be less than those he vanquished. His punishment was to strip Loki of a body to make his body match his stature. Thor then hung Loki's head from his belt so he could watch the final moments of the end of days. All Asgardians perished in this last Ragnarok except for Thor, who would disappear into a deep sleep. This time, "Those Who Sit Above" followed the Asgardians in death and were unable to revive them.[30] Upon Thor's return, it was revealed the Asgardians existed on Earth in mortal guises.[31]
After the Ragnarok, Loki returned in a new female form and was revealed to have been working with Doctor Doom, plotting to manipulate events so Thor unwittingly resurrected his greatest Asgardian enemies.[32]
After Loki's resurrection, she claimed to make a new vow: to never lie again. However, she manipulated Balder to make him a new successor to the throne of Asgard, and potentially start a civil war against Thor.[33]
It was revealed that Loki retained his male form after Ragnarok but hid himself inside a female body (which originally belonged to Thor's reborn lover Sif) in order to sell to Thor the idea that he wished to change. Combining his magic with that of Hela, Loki traveled to the past and set into motion the events that led to his younger self being adopted by Odin, starting by turning Bor into snow. His reasons for doing this were later revealed as a means to eliminate Bor, Thor's grandfather.[34]
In "Secret Invasion" storyline, Loki was with the Asgardians when she goaded them into believing the injured Beta Ray Bill was a Skrull, resulting in a mob of Asgardians nearly attacking him, although Thor used his hammer to stop the rumor by showing Bill could lift it.[35]
Following the Skrulls defeat, Loki was introduced as a member of the Cabal, consisting of herself, Norman Osborn, Emma Frost, Doctor Doom, Namor, and the Hood.[36] Osborn gathered them to obtain their support for his plans for his "new world order." Osborn offered the Cabal solidarity and the resources to accomplish their own agendas. In return Osborn asked for their public support/registration, as well as cooperation in fulfilling any request he may have of them. When asked what she wanted, Loki responded she wanted Asgard and wanted it back in the heavens where it belonged.[37]
In Thor #600, it was revealed Loki traveled to the past to ensure Bor, father of Odin and first king of Asgard, perished in battle against the Frost Giants. He turned the Asgardian king to snow after luring them to him with a Frost Giant. In the present day, Loki revived Bor from some snow in New York City, but placed a spell on him to mistake everything around him as an enemy, causing him to attack everything in sight. He was further aggrieved by the belief that his son's failure to resurrect him could only mean he was killed in battle. Thor arrived on the scene but 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 was unaware of his identity). Thor was forced to kill Bor fearing the entire planet would be destroyed in the wake of their battle, due to Bor's vast power. 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 made arrangements to have all Asgardians, but not Asgard itself, moved to Latveria at the invitation of Doctor Doom.[38]
Loki, along with Balder, attended a dinner hosted by Doctor Doom to secure a new home for the Asgardians in Latveria. She was caught off guard by Balder's insistence that since they are leaving Asgard, Thor should be allowed to rejoin them. Loki was able to calm Balder before he offended Doom too much. She later appeared before Blake and Thor to tell them that she would be returning to her male form shortly and that he had come to the realization that his 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. When Thor mass-summoned the Asgardians, Sif's body was created but her soul could not be placed into it. Sif's body went looking for a soul with no body and found Loki. Loki told them that the transfer from his female form to his male form would probably kill Sif's host and she urged Blake and Thor to find Sif and say goodbye.[39] By the time Thor restored Sif, Loki was back in his male form.[40] Following the Hood's depowerment at the hands of Doctor Strange, Brother Voodoo, and the Son of Satan, Loki offered the Hood a second chance.[41]
The Scarlet Witch appeared in her astral form recruiting a team of Avengers to face the Elder God Chthon.[42] It was soon revealed that Wanda was Loki in disguise. The Avengers, unaware of Loki's trick, followed the false "Wanda's" instructions.[43] Her goal was to throw Norman Osborn off balance, as shown during the second meeting of the Cabal. After Thor was banished due to her trickery, 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. He raced around the world searching for her, not knowing that his nephews Billy and Tommy had just done so and also failed to find her.[44]
However, Loki had planned on the deaths of Pietro and Cassandra Lang, fearing they may be wedges in her plans. She cut off communications from the former, and tried to convince Hank Pym to expel Cassie after placing a spell on her to prevent her from saying anything bad about her disguise. The latter, however, invited her fellow Young Avengers into the Infinite Avengers Mansion (an extension of the PymPocket), to prove that the Scarlet Witch was evil. When Wiccan cast a spell to bring Scarlet Witch to them, Loki appeared as Scarlet Witch and stated that Cassandra Lang sealed their fate. Just then, Ronin appeared and ambushed the "Scarlet Witch."[45] He determined that she was not Wanda by kissing her and stating that the real Scarlet Witch would have used her power to revive Cassandra's father. Wiccan then chanted a spell to reveal her true form. Afraid of exposure, Loki was forced to leave swearing all their deaths.[46] The continued achievements of the Mighty Avengers strained Osborn to the breaking point. Loki decided to play the final card that would break Osborn by unleashing the Absorbing Man, who had absorbed the power of the Cosmic Cube.[47] In the Dark Avengers, Loki was in Norman Osborn's office and manipulated him into becoming the Green Goblin again, as Siege begins.[48]
Loki was present at the Cabal when Norman Osborn denied to bring Namor to Doctor Doom. When the Doombot posing as Doctor Doom unleashed insect-like robots, Loki advised to the Hood to take flight. Following Osborn's talk with the President, Loki advised to recreate an incident similar to the Stamford Incident that would bring about the invasion upon Asgard.[49][50]
He then revealed a plot to Osborn that would take advantage of Volstagg's presence in Chicago. Since Volstagg had gone for adventures like Thor, the U-Foes could attack him and destroy a packed Soldier Field during an American football game killing thousands while he and Osborn watch in astral form. Loki then warned Balder about Obsorn's impending attack on Asgard and claimed he tried to convince Osborn not to attack.[51][52] He killed an Asgardian who prophesied the attack and sends Heimdall's chamber beneath Asgard so he couldn't warn the Asgardians in time. Loki, when Osborn called out to him for their aid, sent the Hood and his syndicate as reinforcements to help Osborn's forces against the Avengers.[53][54] Loki later appeared to Balder, telling him that he would have simply pardoned Thor instead of banishing him if he had not wanted the throne of Asgard for himself. Balder later banished Loki from Asgard.[55]
Some time after he magically disguised himself as Osborn's Green Goblin persona to lay siege to Asgard, Loki encountered the Disir (the Valkyries of Bor) after he lured them using several wandering god's souls he imprisoned as bait, revealing that he desired to gain their service as his slaves. The 13 Disir unite and assault him as one, but Loki managed to defeat them using extraordinary swordsmanship skills, thus forcing them to submit to him and declare him the victor. Loki meets with Hela and asks her what she will give in exchange for a new Hel, to which she answers 'Anything.' He meets with Mephisto, demonstrating the power of the Disir and agreeing to lend him the Disir for a hundred and one days in exchange for the demon lord granting a portion of his netherworld to his daughter Hela for one thousand and one years, as her new "Hel", which Mephisto agrees to. In exchange for this, Hela erased Loki from the Books of Hel, thus he was no longer tied to Hel or Asgard, gaining absolute freedom. Mephisto asked Loki why he had resorted to such schemes, to which Loki replied it was more fun this way.[56][57]
When the combined forces of the New Avengers, Young Avengers and the Secret Warriors defeated the Dark Avengers, Thor demanded to know where Loki was. Norman Osborn could only tell him that he was dead, just like the rest of them as the true form of the Void appeared.[53][54] As the creature tore apart the three teams, Loki began to repent, realizing that what had happened to Asgard was not what he wanted. He begged his father, Odin, to return to him the Norn Stones, which were taken away from the Hood and given to the trickster. He used their power to empower the three teams and give the powers of the Hood's gang to them and fight back against the Void. However, the Void sensed Loki's hand in this and attacked him, the stones not affecting him directly. As Loki was torn apart by the Void's tendrils in front of a shocked Thor, his last words were to apologize to his brother. Thor resolved to avenge his fallen brother and destroyed the Void and the Sentry with a lightning strike. He took the Sentry's remains into outer space, and released them into the Sun.[58][59]
Thor, missing his brother, resurrected him and Loki returned to life in the form of a young boy. Now located in Paris, France, Loki was a street hustler going by the name of Serrure (the French word for lock), who feigned simple card tricks in front of an audience while an accomplice pickpocketed them. Thor, in civilian disguise, gave chase, resulting in the restoration of Loki's memory, but not of his past life with the exception of a guilty conscience for things he cannot remember. With nothing to lose, Loki followed Thor, who restored part of his identity to him (though he remains in the form of a child), and asked when did Thor get so old, to which Thor smiled.[60] Thor took Loki to the remains of Asgard where plans were made to help the refugees of the World Tree.[61] With the resurrection of Odin, Loki was frightened away and fled with Thor who lambasted Odin for scaring him away. Running into Iron Man, Loki was saved by Thor who defended his own reasons for bringing the trickster back.[62]
With the Asgardian population other than Thor still wary of Loki, Loki revealed to his brother that he was attempting to learn more about Earth and humans, to which Thor approves. When a magpie exploded in his quarters carrying a key, it led to a chain of events where at the end, Loki was contacted by an echo of his former incarnation, who revealed he chose to sacrifice himself fighting the Void as part of a greater plan which would involve his death and return. The child Loki refused to follow this path, wanting to be his own person, and transformed the spirit of his former self into a magpie named Ikol. On returning to Earth, he witnessed Odin striking down Thor.[63]
Odin prepared all of Asgard for an unknown battle and imprisoned Thor for attempting to protect Midgard from being scoured. Loki, who disagreed with Odin's actions, was put to work by Volstagg into cleaning the stables of Thor's goats to keep him out of trouble and danger. Using the wool of one of the goats, Loki descended into the roots of the World Tree at the advice of Ikol to ask questions from the Nornish women who live there. After receiving his answers, Loki wept but decided to turn to the imprisoned Thor for his opinion before making his final decision. Breaking into the prison by stealth, Loki asked his brother what he would do if he had to let something bad happen in order to prevent something worse from happening and what if it cost him everything. With Thor's answer, Loki decided to free one of the imprisoned Hel Wolves and bind it to him in servitude using the bridle of Thor's goats. He revealed he needed help from one more 'personage' before heading for the realm of Hela.[64]
Loki is a member of the race of Frost Giants of Jotunheim, although not a giant in stature. He possesses physical attributes equal to a fit average member of the race of superbeings known as Asgardians, such as superhuman strength; stamina (his Frost Giant metabolism grants him superhuman levels of physical stamina in practically all activities); durability; and immunity to all known diseases and toxins, as well as some resistance to magic.
Loki has extensive training in magic, and possesses the ability to manipulate magical forces for a variety of purposes: energy projection, creation of force fields, temporarily increasing his own physical strength, granting superhuman abilities to living beings or inanimate objects, flight, hypnosis, illusion casting, and inter-dimensional teleportation.
Loki's magical abilities have been described as equal to those of Karnilla, the most skilled sorceress of Asgard.[65][66] His illusion casting can fool cities,[67] and through extreme effort, he has been able to break free of technology in the possession of Apocalypse.[68]
Apparently, Loki possesses some extrasensory abilities and is capable of astral projection and casting his thoughts across great distances—even across dimensional barriers, like that between Asgard and Earth—even if he is unable to move. He cannot read the minds of other beings, although he can influence their actions, and once briefly hypnotized Thor, as well as controlling a flock of birds. However he could not coerce Thor to give him Mjolnir.[6] If someone has evil thoughts, Loki can influence their actions even if he is in Asgard and the subject is on Earth,[12] and he can influence other events to a degree, such as driving a missile from its path,[69] or redirecting a radio signal.[70]
Loki is an adept shapeshifter and can change into animals (examples include transmogrification to a salmon, horse, etc.) or impersonate other people, such as Thor or Captain America. However, he does not necessarily gain the abilities of whatever he turns into, although minor natural abilities such as flight in bird form tend to work. He has also turned clouds into dragons, and animated trees to attack Thor.[71]
At times Loki imbues 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 likewise successfully protected himself against the Controller's control disk, the mental influence of the Voice, and the power-sapping abilities of Rogue.
Loki crafted a method of cheating death. He will be reincarnated upon any "death" of his body now that he has arranged with the incarnations of death that his name is erased from the books of Hell.[56][57]
Aside from his mystical abilities, Loki possesses a brilliant intellect. However, his arrogance, his passionate hatred of Thor, and all-consuming lust for power greatly impeded his ability to bring his well-laid plans to fruition. He is an expert manipulator and schemer, 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.
In the reality of Earth-9997, Loki duped Odin into transforming Thor into a woman and he cast a spell across Bifrost that would prevent Thor from returning to Earth if he ever returned to Asgard. Among several heroes, in this reality, he opposed the Celestials due to finding out the falsehood of the Asgardians' origins. Realizing that his form was actually solely dependent on his convictions (as that of all Asgardians), he became an angelic being with a very ambiguous appearance. With his new state, he was instrumental in defeating the Absorbing Man and he later formed the new Avengers and became the new Thor.
In the Guardians of the Galaxy timeline (Earth-691), Loki is alive and well in the 31st Century. He lives on the moon, ruling over the Inhumans.[72]
In the Marvel 2099 line of series, the original Asgardians were no more. However, belief in them had grown into a full-fledged religion with many followers. Seeking to take advantage of this, a corporation called Alchemax decided to create their own pantheon. One of the company's scientists, Jordan Boone, decided that he wanted to have powers and sneaked himself into the program. He ensured that he avoided the receiving of a computer chip implant which would give him falsified memories of his godhood. Jordan became the Loki of the program, but fled before the program and their floating fortress were destroyed. He later reappeared and remade himself as the villainous Halloween Jack who went about trying to warp the entire world with a Virtual Unreality Projector. His plan would have succeeded if not for President Doom stepping in with the help of the X-Men Meanstreak and Krystalin. Halloween Jack was supposedly killed in 2099 World of Tomorrow #2, but made an unexpected cameo in X-Force #92. He was somehow pulled from the time-stream before his death and redeposited in the present where he pestered Domino. Since then his resident time period and/or location have been unknown.
In the alternate Marvel Zombies universe, Loki is shown dead, having been killed and eaten by the Zombie Avengers.[73]
In the reality of Earth-982, Loki decides to bring an end to the "Age of Heroes", still regretting the fact that his actions led to the creation of the Avengers. In the series Last Hero Standing, he kidnaps several major superheroes, brainwashes them so that they are more violent, and returns them to Earth so that they will destroy their reputations, knowing that his spell will be permanent the moment they shed innocent blood. Eventually this plot is foiled by the superheroes of Earth, especially Captain America, who shatters the gem Loki was using to create the spell before any innocents can be killed. In battle, Loki badly injures Captain America, but, because of his actions, Loki is banished to the limbo realm and is joined by the Hulk, who intends to punish him for affecting the Hulk with his spell and driving him to attack the other heroes.
Within the Avengers Next miniseries, it is revealed that Loki's daughter (within the MC2 universe), Sylene, is on a mission to restore Asgard as a way to honor her father and to prove herself to the Asgardians. Unfortunately, her plan is not only to transform Midgard/Earth into a version of Asgard but also to eliminate the Avengers, since Loki was blaming himself for his part of indirectly creating the team.
In the Mutant X universe, when Loki tampered with Iceman's powers, he left Iceman unable to touch other humans without ending their lives.[74]
In this alternate timeline, Loki is crushed by the Baxter Building, which is dropped on him after he increases his size.[75]
Loki appears in the second volume of The Ultimates as the evil stepbrother of Thor. The Ultimate version of Loki has the ability to "shuffle time and space", and in his first appearance, causes a ripple during Thor's conversation with Volstagg. In the restaurant, Loki is apparently in the background, which would mark his first "appearance" (he is mentioned and his powers apparently used, but he is only briefly seen). Loki comes to Earth after escaping from the Room Without Doors and begins to cause havoc, especially for Thor and the United States after assisting the Liberators. Through his power he creates the persona for himself of "Gunnar Golmen," the head scientist of the Norwegian extension of the "European Defense Initiative," the European counterpart to The Ultimates, and turns Thor into "Thorlief," Gunnar's brother, a former mental patient who stole the technology that Gunnar created for the Initiative.
Later in the story, he confronts the captive Thor and gloats that it is all just another one of their games, and informs him that there is a traitor in the ranks of the Ultimates. When Thor requests assistance from the guards, Loki is nowhere to be seen, though he appears as a snake around Thor's neck after they leave (most likely a nod to the real Loki in Norse mythology). At the end of Ultimates 2 #9, Loki states that the reason he joined the Liberators was that "They had a Norse god on their side. It's only fair you should get one too", and that "Odin sent his son to bring the world peace. I couldn't resist the opportunity to mess that up."[76] However, he is hesitant to use his abilities overtly as he claims Odin will then be able to find him. Yet once all The Liberators are defeated, he decides to do things himself. After revealing to the Ultimates who he is, he rises into the air and changes the color of the sky. At that moment - thanks to the Scarlet Witch 'calculating the odds' of someone showing up to defeat him - the sky opens and Thor, his brother, appears for revenge.
Issue 13 shows further demonstrations of his power by attempting to trap Thor in an illusion and withstanding a direct blow from Thor's hammer uninjured, claiming it cannot hurt him. During this battle, Thor mentions that Loki's powers have weakened for an unexplained reason. After Loki summons an army of monsters to battle the Ultimates and nearly kills Thor, the thunder god then proceeds to summon allies from Asgard while he strikes Loki with his hammer, sending him back to Asgard where Odin awaits him.[77]
Loki's motivation for his actions is not completely revealed. He mentions several motivations from a desire to cause World War III to Odin favoring Thor over him and attempting to gain Odin's favor. Throughout the whole ordeal Loki regards humans as mere playthings for his pranks. In addition to creating a Norwegian super-soldier program that was supposedly part of an EU initiative and making people believe it was real, even though Norway is not part of the European Union, he claimed to have been the one who framed Captain America for treason, regarding the failure of humans to realize the problems with these assertions as humorous.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||