Loki

"I, Loki, Prince of Asgard, Odinson, the rightful King of Jotunheim, God of Mischief, do hereby pledge to you, my undying fidelity."

- Loki to Thanos

Loki Laufeyson was the biological son of Laufey, the ruler of the Frost Giants in Jotunheim, who was abandoned and left to die shortly after his birth. Found by Odin, Loki was taken to Asgard and raised by him and Frigga as an Asgardian prince, along with Thor. When Thor was to be crowned King, Loki had sabotaged the coronation by letting the Frost Giants attack Asgard, thus leading Thor to seek vengeance on Jotunheim, which resulted in Thor's banishment to Earth and Loki finding out the truth about his heritage. Frigga gave Loki the throne when Odin had fallen into the Odinsleep, however when the Warriors Three and Sif attempted to return Thor home, Loki was forced to try to stop them. Regardless, Thor returned from his exile on Earth and ended Loki's reign. With Odin disapproving of his actions, Loki allowed himself to fall through the deep abyss of space, entering a wormhole created by the sudden termination of the Bifrost Bridge.

Transported by the wormhole to Sanctuary, Loki encountered The Other who offered to serve under Thanos' command and gave him the Scepter. Loki was given with command over the Chitauri army in order to conquer Earth, under the provision that Loki acquire the Tesseract for Thanos. Once he came to Earth, Loki managed to take possession of the Tesseract and used its power to open a wormhole above New York City and caused the Chitauri Invasion, but all of Loki's schemes were ultimately defeated by the Avengers. Thor returned him to Asgard as his prisoner, where Odin condemned him to spend the rest of his life in the Asgardian Dungeons as punishment for his crimes.

However, when Frigga was killed during the Sacking of Asgard, Loki was freed by Thor in order to defeat the Dark Elves and led by Malekith who desired to use the power of the Aether to transform the universe into eternal darkness. During the fight against the Dark Elves in Svartalfheim, Loki faked his death, and, unbeknownst to everyone in the Kingdom, returned to Asgard and successfully removed Odin from the throne, taking his place as King where he remained for several years. During his reign, Loki continued to rule Asgard by sending Sif on missions to Earth to investigate the attacks of Lorelei and Vin-Tak.

Eventually, the return of Thor forced Loki to reveal his deception as the pair journeyed together to find Odin, arriving just in time to witness Odin's death. The loss of Odin allowed Hela, Odin's firstborn, to return from banishment and wage war against the Nine Realms. Loki was found himself at Sakaar along with Thor where Loki allied himself with the Grandmaster while Thor was forced to battle against the Hulk. Despite trying to manipulate his way to freedom, Loki chose to side with Thor and the Revengers in a final battle against Hela, in which Loki summoned Surtur, who defeated Hela by causing Ragnarök and destroying all of Asgard.

During his final moments on Asgard, Loki took the Tesseract from Odin's Vault and in the wake of the Destruction of Asgard, chose to stay by his brother's side and support his ascension onto the throne. Consequences of his deal with Thanos would soon come back to haunt Loki, however, as the Mad Titan and his Black Order intercepted the Asgardians as they were making their way towards Earth. In the chaos that followed, Loki attempted to kill Thanos but ultimately failed. Taunting Thanos by telling him that he would never be a god, the Mad Titan snapped his neck, finally killing the God of Mischief.

In 2023, after discovering a method to traverse through time safely, Iron Man, Captain America and Ant-Man time-traveled to May 2012, creating a new timeline in the process. While attempting to steal the Tesseract from Stark Tower following the Battle of New York, the future Tony Stark was struck by Hulk, allowing the 2012 Loki to steal the Tesseract, using it to create a wormhole and escaping confinement.

Adopted by Odin
"The Casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?" "No. In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the temple and I found a baby. Small for a giant's offspring. Abandoned, suffering, left to die. Laufey's son."

- Loki and Odin

Loki was born on Jotunheim as the son of the Frost Giant King, Laufey. Small and weak for a Frost Giant, Loki was abandoned by his father in a temple where he was expected to die. In 965 A.D., not long after the war between the Giants and the Asgardians, Loki was found by King Odin. Adopting Loki and using sorcery to alter his appearance to make him appear to be an Asgardian, Odin raised Loki and his biological son, Thor, with his wife Frigga. As they grew up, Loki always felt like he was living in Thor's shadow, envious to the fact that Thor was meant to be king instead of him.

Odin's Lessons
"We were raised together. We played together, we fought together. Do you remember none of that?" "I remember a shadow, living in the shade of your greatness."

- Thor and Loki

When speaking to his two sons within his Treasure Room regarding the future of the throne, Odin attempted to teach the two to value peace above war while dealing with all of their enemies. As both Thor and Loki insisted that they would both be ready to become King of Asgard, Odin noted that only one of them would be able to take the throne. However, while Thor's eagerness to fight Frost Giants and any other beasts from across the Nine Realms grew, Loki's personal jealousy towards Thor and eagerness to win Odin's appreciation of his own merits slowly altered Loki's personality for the worse. Where he was once aloof and carefree, Loki had slowly become ambitious, going to great lengths to achieve greatness without any thought or care on the consequences for others as long as Loki himself had profited.

Talent For Mischief
"There was one time my brother transformed himself into a snake because he knows how much I like snakes, and so I picked the snake up to admire it, but then he turned back and went "Ah! It's me!" and then he stabbed me. We were eight at the time."

- Thor to Valkyrie

Lacking interest in Asgardian warrior arts, Loki took an interest with sorcery. Frigga, who was a lot closer to Loki than Odin was, taught Loki everything she knew about sorcery, and he eventually became an expert in Asgardian Magic, gaining the ability to conjure illusions of himself and create weapons. Frigga regarded giving Loki her magic as a way for him to prove his worth against his brother.

Once, when Loki and Thor were still young, Loki took advantage of Thor's love of snakes and used his skill with illusions to become a snake. When Thor picked up the snake to admire it, Loki dispelled the illusion and stabbed Thor, who survived. In another instance, Loki transformed Thor into a frog for a brief time. At some point in their relative youth, Odin brought Thor and Loki on a visit to Earth. The Asgardians taught the Norse people their language and culture and displayed their abilities; this caused the Norse people to believe the Asgardians to be deities, and bestowed upon Thor the moniker "God of Thunder" while Loki became the "God of Mischief" due to the various tricks and illusions Loki displayed.

Thor's Royal Coronation
"I've looked forward to this day as long as you have. You're my brother and my friend. Sometimes I'm envious, but never doubt that I love you." "Thank you." "Now give us a kiss?"

- Loki and Thor

Loki was present when Thor was supposed to finally ascend to the throne of Asgard. Before the ceremony, Loki said that while he was sometimes envious of Thor's place as first-born, there was no doubt that he loved him dearly, while also teasing his brother over his helmet's feathered design. When Thor asked how he looked, Loki answered, like a king. However, midway through, Thor's royal ceremony was unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of several Frost Giant soldiers who Loki had summoned earlier, who then broke into Asgard and attempted to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters in order to bring it back to their homeworld and regain their strength. Stopping the ceremony, Odin called the Destroyer, which killed the invading Frost Giants but not before they killed of the Einherjar guards during the raid. Loki, Thor and Odin made their way to Odin's Vault to investigate; when they arrived, they found the bodies of the Frost Giants and the Asgardian guards who had been killed. Enraged, Thor demanded Odin march into Jotunheim and attack the Frost Giants in retaliation, but Odin refused. Thor argued that as the king of Asgard he should be able to decide these matters, but Odin told him he was not yet king. Loki stayed silent, listening and working out his own plan.

Manipulating Thor
"I think you're right. About the Frost Giants, about Laufey, about everything. If they found a way to penetrate Asgard's defenses once, who's to say they won't try again. Next time with an army."

- Loki to Thor

Disgusted at the incident, Thor unleashed his rage by throwing over a dinner table and sitting in brooding silence. Loki had soon found his brother and sat calmly next to him, comforting him over his disappointment in Odin not crowning him as the king due to the actions of the Frost Giants. Loki calmly spoke with Thor and was able to manipulate him by claiming that he also agreed with his view that they should gain revenge for the Asgardian lives lost during the attack. Having Loki agree with his belief that Jotunheim should pay for what they had done to Asgard and their Einherjar warriors increased Thor's confidence. As Loki watched on Thor then decided, just as Loki had planned, to disobey their father's orders and attack Jotunheim on their own so they could confront King Laufey, although Loki claimed that such a plan was madness knowing that Thor would just ignore his words. When the Warriors Three arrived with Lady Sif, Loki sat back and allowed Thor to convince them to follow him into the battle to gain answers as to why the Frost Giants had attacked, with Loki briefly claiming to be against such aggressive action. Loki followed the enraged Thor, along with Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, to the Bifrost Bridge in order to travel to Jotunheim to seek answers. However, just before they left, Loki informed a guard of their intention and ordered him to inform Odin to ensure their rescue and Thor's punishment. The group went to Heimdall, keeper of the Bifrost Bridge, Loki confidently attempted to confuse Heimdall to get past him, but the gatekeeper was already aware of their intentions. Despite knowing that this was against the direct orders of their king, Heimdall still gave them safe passage to Jotunheim as he wished to know how the Frost Giants had entered Asgard without him knowing. While Volstagg and Fandral mocked Loki as they prepared to depart, he stood alongside the warriors while Heimdall warned that if their return threatened Asgard's own safety, then he would be left with no choice but to leave them all to perish on Jotunheim.

Attack on Jotunheim
"Thor, stop and think! Look around you. We're outnumbered!" "Know your place, brother."

- Loki and Thor

When the group arrived onto Jotunheim, they looked over the barren wasteland planet which had been almost completely devastated by the previous Battle of Jotunheim. Upon seeing the landscape of the planet, Hogun claimed that they should not be there but they continued on their mission, with Sif questioning where the Frost Giants were hiding. As they explored the planet, they eventually located Laufey, the King of the Frost Giants who immediately ordered them to leave. However, ignoring Laufey's warning Thor demanded answers on how Laufey's soldiers had gotten into Asgard to try and steal the Casket of Ancient Winters from Odin's Vault. This quickly led to several threats being made between Thor and Laufey as Odin's name had been insulted. Loki however, seeing they were vastly outnumbered by their enemy, tried to persuade his brother to retreat. Soon Thor relented but as they began to leave, a Frost Giant insulted Thor, causing the prince to attack his foe with Mjølnir leading to a full-on attack. The Frost Giant's army launched an ambush of the Asgardians and they engaged in a fierce battle against their enemies, where Loki began to fight by using his knives to kill those who attacked him. While Sif and Volstagg used to their strength and great fighting skills to gain the advantage, Loki used his magic to attack and confuse the Frost Giants, tricking one into charging at an illusion which caused him to fall to his death while Loki continued fighting. During the battle, Volstagg became wounded when a Frost Giant had grabbed his arm resulting in burns, with Volstagg warning the others of this. However, when Loki inadvertently also made physical contact with Raze, Loki had discovered that he was unharmed, unlike Volstagg, and his arm instead turned blue resembling that of a Frost Giant. Loki and Raze looked at each other for a moment before Loki killed him as his arm returned to its normal color. As they became more outnumbered and Fandral was injured when a Frost Giant impaled him, Loki killed the Frost Giant before he ordered the Warriors Three to retreat. Thor, however, refused to stop fighting as the others ran from a Jotunheim Beast while was soon killed by Thor. When they were cornered by Laufey's armies, Odin arrived and attempted to regain the peace between both Asgard and Jotunheim; however, Laufey told him Thor had restarted their long war. Odin accepted this unfortunate truth and then took the group back to Asgard through the Bifrost Bridge. Back on Asgard, Odin remained furious at Thor, ordering the Warriors to heal Fandral while Loki still stayed with his family. Loki watched as Odin began telling Thor he had just started a new great war between Asgard and Jotunheim that put innocent Asgardians at risk, however, Thor argued aggressively while Loki stayed quiet and watched from the side. Odin eventually confessed that he was a fool to think Thor was ready to be king and, when Loki did try to intervene, Odin silenced him with a fierce growl. Calling his own son unworthy, Odin then furiously took away Thor's armor and powers and banished him to Earth. Loki then watched as the now powerless Thor was thrown out of Asgard and Odin sent Thor's hammer after him under the spell meaning that only one worthy of its power would actually be capable of lifting it.

Refusal to Help
"I love Thor more dearly than any of you, but you know what he is. He's arrogant, he's reckless, he's dangerous! You saw how he was today. Is that what Asgard needs from its king?"

- Loki to Sif

Back within one of the many great halls of Asgard, Loki had closely listened as Volstagg argued with the others about why they should have never allowed Thor to go on his revenge mission, although all the other members of the Warriors Three had noted that there would have been absolutely no chance of stopping Thor's mission once he had decided to attack the Frost Giants resulting in his banishment. While Fandral had also noted that at the very least Thor was merely banished and not dead, noting they would have never survived if the Einherjar guard had not informed the King of their true plans, with Volstagg also questioning exactly how the guard had known. Despite considering his true heritage following his encounter with the Frost Giants, Loki then told the Warriors and Sif that he was the one who had informed the guard of their journey to Jotunheim while showing little remorse. Despite Sif pleading with him, Loki refused to speak to Odin to convince him to return Thor home as he argued that Thor had proven himself to be a reckless leader and not what Asgard needed in their king before storming out of the room.

Learning His True Heritage
"I'm the monster that parents tell their children about at night?" "Don't..." "It all makes sense now. Why you favored Thor all these years. Because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!"

- Loki and Odin

Still thinking on the shocking discovery he had made during his fight against the Frost Giants in which contact with the creatures had not done him any harm like they had done with Volstagg, but had instead changed the color of his skin to a cold blue, Loki made the decision to investigate further. Loki made his way inside Odin's Vault and soon found the Casket of Ancient Winters, the ancient weapon of the Frost Giants which had been taken following the Battle of Jotunheim during which the Asgardians' armies had been victorious. Upon touching the device, Loki's once again skin had turned blue, causing him to resemble a Frost Giant just as he had feared following his encounter with Raze during the Attack on Jotunheim. However, Loki's test was then interrupted as Odin arrived inside the room and ordered his son to stop, but as Loki asked what he was, Odin just insisted he was his son, but Loki did not accept this as an answer and then demanded to know what else he truly was. As Loki questioned if the Casket was not the only thing he had taken from Jotunheim following his victory, Odin finally relented, telling Loki of how he had discovered Loki as a baby and taken him in, having learned Loki was the son of the defeated Laufey who had been left to die in the snows of Jotunheim. Mortified, Loki questioned why Odin had done this following the slaughter of so many Frost Giants, with Odin claiming that Loki was just an innocent child he had saved. Loki did not accept this answer and desperately demanded the truth, and was told Odin thought Loki's presence within Asgard could bring about an alliance in the Nine Realms and foster a permanent peace, but then confessed there was little hope of this now following their start of the second war. Loki then questioned if he was a monster or nothing more than another stolen relic which Odin would lock away within his vault until he had might finally have some use for him. Upon discovering his true heritage, Loki believed that Odin would have never put a Frost Giant on the throne of Asgard which was why he loved Thor more, allowing his brother to gain his father's love and respect while Loki had been left behind. Loki furiously berated Odin in denial, accusing him of using him as a tool for peace until Odin, overcome with stress, fell into the Odinsleep. Upon seeing this, Loki desperately called out to the Einherjar for some aid.

Taking the Throne
"Thor is banished. The line of succession falls to you. Until Odin awakens, Asgard is yours. Make your father proud... my king."

- Frigga to Loki

With Odin having been temporarily rendered comatose due to falling into the Odinsleep, Loki sat by his bedside with Frigga, he asked her more questions about his heritage following his discovery of being part Frost Giant and the son of Laufey, wanting to know why the truth had been kept from him for so many years as Frigga insisting they had not wanted him to feel any different. During their conversation, Frigga insisted that they must not lose hope that Odin would awake and Thor may at last return from his banishment to Earth, although Loki questioned what hope there still was for Thor, with Frigga insisting there was always reason behind Odin's actions. Despite Frigga's attempts to comfort him, Loki could not accept the truth as he walked away from his father's own bedside. Before he could leave, however, a guard then arrived and presented Loki with Odin's powerful staff Gungnir, and pronounced Loki as the new King of Asgard while Odin was unable to rule. Loki took the throne in Odin's place, delighting in all the new power bestowed upon him as he sat in the Asgardian Palace considering how to ensure he maintained the power of ruling the Nine Realms for as long as possible. While on the throne, King Loki was then visited by the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, who was immediately shocked by the disappearance of Odin and Loki's new position, as Loki told them that whatever issue they had should be brought to him. Reluctantly accepting their newest king, the warriors then requested that the end Thor's banishment, but Loki refused, claiming his first action as king could not be to undo his father's last, also insisting that the Asgardians needed some consistency before they headed into a war against Jotunheim. Before Volstagg could argue the matter any further, Loki ordered them to leave, and Fandral pulled Sif away before she could confront King Loki with any violence.

Keeping Thor in Exile
"I know you loved him. I tried to tell him so, but he wouldn’t listen. So cruel to put the hammer within your reach, knowing that you could never lift it. The burden of the throne has fallen to me now."

- Loki to Thor

Seeking to ensure that there was no risk of Thor returning back to Asgard and taking the throne away from him, Loki paid a visit to his brother on Earth where Thor had been captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. while trying to regain Mjølnir. Thor asked Loki what had happened on Asgard, questioning if something had happened with Jotunheim, but Loki lied to him and told Thor that Odin had died, in an attempt to keep him completely unmotivated and emotionally destroyed. Loki continued his lie by claiming that Thor's banishment combined with the latest war against Laufey and the Frost Giants had simply been too much for Odin to bear, resulting in his untimely death. Loki then informed Thor that he had been forced to take on the burden of the throne and that the peace was dependent on Thor's banishment from Asgard. When Thor tried to argue that they could find a way for him to return home, Loki claimed that Frigga forbid his return. Thor sadly agreed and said goodbye to his brother and thanked him for coming, accepting that the death of their father and the disasters that had befallen their family had all fallen to him as he accepted his fate to remain on Earth for the rest of his life. After leaving Thor in his holding cell to be questioned by Phil Coulson, Loki attempted to lift Thor's hammer but failed as this betrayal of his brother's trust proved him to be unworthy of wielding it, much to Loki's annoyance.

Dealing with Laufey
"So you're the one who showed us the way into Asgard." "That was just a bit of fun, really. To ruin my brother's big day, and to protect the realm from his idiotic rule for a while longer."

- Laufey and Loki

In an attempt to play the long to ensure he remained in power, Loki then traveled to Jotunheim where he then visited Laufey. However, upon seeing him, Laufey ordered his Frost Giants to kill the prince, only for Loki to then introduce himself as the one who had given them safe passage into Asgard to attempt to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters, claiming he had only done it for a big of fun to ruin Thor's royal coronation, stopping his brother from ruling Asgard. Loki then struck a deal to allow Laufey to go to kill Odin while he was still in the Odinsleep and take the Casket of Ancient Winters back to Jotunheim, which Odin had once taken from them, which would have allowed Laufey to finally restore Jotunheim to all its former glory. Loki told him Laufey could not be seen killing the Allfather himself as this would result in the people of Asgard never accepting him as the king if he did. Laufey accepted Loki's offer and allowed him to leave. Returning to Asgard via the Bifrost Bridge, Loki had found himself being immediately confronted by Heimdall, who claimed that Loki was using his magic to block his gaze upon him while he was in Jotunheim, as Heimdall had come to believe that Loki was currently attempting to hide his true intentions from him. Loki, however, claimed that Heimdall's powers were becoming weaker from his many years of service to Asgard, which added to Heimdall's suspicions. Loki began questioning if Odin had ever feared Heimdall despite his incredible power, to which Heimdall answered that he had not as he was loyal to his king. Hearing this, Loki reminded him that he was his king and therefore was forced to obey his orders without question and with complete loyalty. When Heimdall agreed, Loki ordered him not to allow anyone else to use the Bifrost until he had repaired all of the damage that was done by some of Thor's previous actions.

Sending the Destroyer
"Ensure my brother does not return. Destroy everything."

- Loki to the Destroyer

Despite his direct orders, Loki soon learned that the Warriors Three and Lady Sif had used Heimdall's Observatory and traveled to Earth via the Bifrost Bridge. Knowing that his brother would soon learn of his treasonous lies, Loki decided that he had no choice but to silence all those who had betrayed the throne. Therefore Loki had called on his most powerful weapon, the Destroyer and ordered it to travel to Earth and destroy everything it found and kill his enemies. Furious at the betrayal, Loki made his way to the end of the Bifrost and confronted Heimdall over his treason. Heimdall, however, made it clear that he knew that Loki was responsible for bringing the Frost Giants into Asgard and had, therefore, betrayed his own family and the citizens of Asgard by his actions. In response to his act of treason against the throne, Loki proceeded to strip Heimdall of all titles and finally banished him from the Kingdom, never to return again. However, Heimdall knew he was now free of his oaths to the new king and responded by drawing Hofund and furiously swinging the blade at Loki. However, Loki was prepared for such an attempt against his life and, when Heimdall had attempted to kill his king, Loki used his Magic to then summon the Casket of Ancient Winters, successfully freezing Heimdall alive before he could be struck down, before Loki then left Asgard's gatekeeper to die while trapped in the ice. Seeking to tie up all other loose ends before his schemes could be exposed, Loki then sent the Destroyer down onto the Earth pursue and destroy Thor and all of the others who had betrayed him. Loki watched from the Asgardian Palace while the Destroyer arrived on Earth and charged through S.H.I.E.L.D. before it then caused a huge battle between the Lady Sif and Warriors Three as the Destroyer who laid waste to the small town which Thor had been staying in. When he saw no other end to the battle, the still powerless Thor had stepped up to the Destroyer completely unarmed and pleaded with his brother to allow all the Humans to go free and take his own life in exchange. Accepting this offer, Loki had the Destroyer punch Thor, breaking all of his bones and killing him. This, however, had proved his worthiness and Thor got his former powers back, easily defeating the Destroyer with Mjølnir as Loki looked on in complete horror.

Betraying Laufey
"You may know your death came at the hand of Laufey." "And your death came by the son of Odin."

- Laufey and Loki

Knowing he had to move his plans forward, Loki then welcomed Laufey and his small army of Frost Giants to Asgard and showed him the way to Odin, walking past the frozen body of Heimdall on their way. Laufey came to Odin's bedroom, attacking and knocking down Frigga who attempted to defend her husband before finding his greatest enemy defenseless as he lay in his Odinsleep now completely unguarded. Laufey stood over Odin's sleeping body and mocked the King of Asgard as he made an ice blade form in his hand. Just as Laufey was about to kill Odin with the blade, Loki returned and betrayed his true father, shooting him in the back with Gungnir. As Laufey stared in shock and horror, Loki told him his death came from the son of Odin. Loki then killed his cold-hearted father with a single powerful blast from Odin's spear. As Frigga ran to her son, Thor returned to Asgard with all his powers restored, as Heimdall had survived and returned him through the Bifrost Bridge. Thor arrived in Asgard mere moments after Loki had killed Laufey. He told their mother all about Loki's attempt on his life with the Destroyer while Loki attempted to talk his way out of the situation. Loki fired his spear's energy at Thor and shot him through a wall before making his way to Heimdall's Observatory.

Duel at the Rainbow Bridge
"I never wanted the throne! I only ever wanted to be your equal!"

- Loki to Thor

Loki traveled to the Bifrost Bridge and aimed its full power at Jotunheim where it began ripping through the center of the planet. To ensure that it could not be stopped, Loki then froze it with the Casket of Ancient Winters so the energy would continue to slowly destroy the planet and wipe out the Frost Giants for good so he could be recognized as the King who ended the war. Thor arrived to see the destruction being caused and tried to convince his brother not to massacre an entire race, but Loki refused and continued to mock and threaten Thor. It was soon proven that Thor would be unable to use Mjølnir to stop the destruction and Loki argued that massacring the Frost Giants was the right thing to do. Eventually, he threatened to kill Jane Foster, causing the furious Thor to attack him to protect the lives Loki threatened. The brothers fought a violent battle with Loki often using tricks to get the upper hand on his brother. Loki continued to use Gungnir to his advantage, both as a spear and using its energy to shoot at Thor while laughing maniacally every time he managed to outwit and hit his furious brother. They eventually charged at one another and threw each other through the wall and out onto the rainbow bridge, and Loki was thrown over the edge and was barely able to hold onto the side. As he begged his brother to help him, Thor, seeing his brother in need, bent down to help, only to learn that Loki had indeed tricked him and created an illusion. Loki sneaked up behind him and stabbed him in the side with Gungnir; as Thor lay wounded on the ground, Loki created multiple versions of himself, all laughing maniacally at him. Enraged Thor slammed his hammer on the ground, causing a shock wave which caused Loki to be knocked backwards.

Losing All Hope
"I could have done it, father! For you! For all of us!" "No, Loki."

- Loki and Odin

As Loki lay injured on his back, Thor calmly walked over to him and placed Mjølnir on his chest, trapping him onto the floor, unable to move. Thor then began to consider how he could possibly stop the destruction of Jotunheim, as there was no way to stop the beam of Bifrost energy, all while Loki mocked his brother for trying and failing. Thor knew there was only one way he could stop the deaths of millions of Frost Giants. Thor retook his hammer and began to destroy the Rainbow Bridge as Loki looked on in sheer horror at what his brother was attempting to do. Attempting to stop him however he could, Loki reminded Thor that if he destroyed the bridge, then he would never see Jane Foster ever again, but Thor ignored him and continued his task. Loki chose to leap at his brother to stab him in the back, but before he could, the bridge was destroyed and the brothers were thrown into the air. Thor destroyed the Rainbow Bridge and the pair began to fall into the abyss, only for both of them to be saved at the last minute by Odin, who had awoken from his Odinsleep. They both hung before a black hole and Loki tried to convince Odin that he had done it all for them, with Odin rejecting Loki's pleas. Loki, devastated by Odin's rejection of his actions, let go of Thor and fell into an abyss, before entering into a wormhole created by the energy of the Bifrost Bridge.

Working for Thanos
"I was a king! The rightful king of Asgard. Betrayed." "Your ambition is little, born of childish need. We look beyond the Earth to greater worlds the Tesseract will unveil." "You don't have the Tesseract yet. I don't threaten, but until I open the doors, until your force is mine to command, you are but words."

- Loki and The Other

Traveling through the wormhole, Loki arrived in a part of the universe called Sanctuary and met the Mad Titan Thanos and The Other, the former who offered a pact that would allow him to become ruler of the Earth while he would take the Tesseract which was being studied by S.H.I.E.L.D.. Thanos provided Loki with a Scepter with a blue gem which acted as a powerful weapon, and also as a mind control device. Unbeknownst to Loki, his use of the Scepter was also influencing him, fueling his hatred and desire to bring harm to humans and Thor. Thanos showed Loki how to temporarily control someone while still on the planet. Doctor Erik Selvig was taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, where Nick Fury showed him the Tesseract asked him to study it. Loki influenced Selvig to ensure that he agreed. Later, Frigga learned that Loki had survived and tried to make contact with him, but Loki told her it was not the time to talk.

Arrival on Earth
"This doesn't have to get any messier." "Of course it does. I've come too far for anything else. I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose."

- Nick Fury and Loki

Accepting Thanos' deal without fear of failure, Loki turned his focus back to Erik Selvig, who had been summoned by S.H.I.E.L.D. with the task of unlocking the Tesseract's secrets. Selvig came to understand the cube's capabilities, and through Loki's influence, he developed equipment that would focus its power. When the time was right, Loki activated the Tesseract, forming a portal that pulled him through space to its location on Earth, the main facility of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.. Upon arriving at the facility, Loki was immediately confronted by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who ordered him to put down his weapon. When Loki attacked the agents with powerful blasts of energy, the agents fired on him only to learn that bullets bounced off his body. Once he had killed or subdued all his attackers within seconds, Loki managed to use the Scepter's power to subjugate and control Hawkeye and Selvig, as well as another agent by placing the tip of the scepter at their chest near their heart and allowing the power of the gem to overtake their free will. As Loki gathered his slaves, Nick Fury attempted to keep him away from the Tesseract and escape unseen. Loki, however, spied the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director and tells him to leave the cube. Introducing himself and explaining he was Asgardian, Loki explained to Fury that he wanted the Tesseract as part of his glorious purpose which was to free the Earth and humanity from freedom, which he defined as life's great lie, vowing that he would become their one supreme king, although Fury questioned his goals for peace and argued that he wanted war. Fury tried to flee with the Tesseract but then decided to stay and allow himself to die with the cube if it meant stopping Loki as well. Selvig and Hawkeye informed Loki of Fury's intent, prompting Loki to gather the turned agents and leave with the Tesseract but not before ordering Hawkeye to shoot and kill Fury. The group then made their way to the Jeeps where they avoided Maria Hill's attempt to stop them. As they made it outside, the energy the cube had unleashed consumed the area and the entire compound with it. As they drove away from the wreckage of the facility, trapping Hill inside, Fury, who had survived the gunshot due to a Bulletproof Vest, flew over them in a helicopter. Unwilling to allow Loki to escape with such a dangerous weapon, Fury fired his gun at the Asgardian, so in response Loki fired a single blot of energy from his Scepter, shooting the helicopter out of the sky. Fury barely survived the crash and continued to fire at the jeep as Barton drove them to safety; despite being under fire, Loki appeared relaxed and pleased with his success.

Testing the Tesseract
"I want to know everything you can tell me about this team of his. I would test their mettle. I am weary of scuttling in shadow. I mean to rule this world, not burrow in it."

- Loki to Hawkeye

Before long, Loki and his small but ever-growing army had been successful in securing an area to determine the next course of action for the Tesseract while Erik Selvig continued his experiments to learn how to control and use its power. While watching his men work, Loki noted the Scepter's gem glowing and calling out to him. He allowed himself to enter a trance where he could appear to The Other and his Chitauri army across deepest space in a metaphysical form. While on the Sanctuary, Loki mocked the Chitauri and asked if they were truly as formidable as he had been promised. The Other furiously reminded Loki of how he had been given a second chance after being cast out and defeated by Asgard. The Other then warned Loki that if he failed at his pursuit of Earth or the Tesseract was kept from Thanos, that there would be no place for him to hide from the Mad Titan's wrath and, when he was found, before long he would beg for something as sweet as pain. Now unsettled about potential failure and more determined than ever, Loki met with Selvig and Clint Barton to discuss their next course of action to complete their plans. While Selvig commented on the incredible power and knowledge that the Tesseract was providing him, he explained that what he would need was iridium, necessary to stabilize the portal. Loki also spoke to Hawkeye about the team of Avengers that Nick Fury was forming. To gain the Iridium, Loki went to Stuttgart, Germany with Hawkeye and other turned agents.

Skirmish in Germany
"Kneel before me. I said... Kneel! Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power. For identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."

- Loki

In Germany, Loki causes a distraction by disrupting a gala at a large museum while Hawkeye, along with a few men, raids a secure installation for Iridium. Loki struck terror into the hearts of guests by securing the one thing needed for Hawkeye to breach the security measures: Heinrich Schafer's eyeball. Loki, disguised in a suit, attacked Schafer, grabbed the man and flipped him onto a bench, then used a special device to saw into Schafer's eyeball, allowing Barton access to steal the Iridium. Loki strode out after the screaming crowd into the streets where he made several copies of himself, trapping the people and demanding that they kneel before him. As he looked upon the humans cowering in fear at his power, Loki could only laugh at those he deemed lesser than himself. Loki bragged that this was man's purpose to be ruled and that in the end, they would always kneel before him, but a single man stood up and challenged him and his intentions. The man said he would not kneel before a man like him, Loki arrogantly argued that there were and never had been men like him as he deemed himself vastly superior to all humans. When Loki prepared to kill the old man, Captain America appeared and challenged him, deflecting the bolt of energy back at Loki with his shield. Seconds later, an armed Quinjet carrying Black Widow also challenged him from the sky. Loki fired a bolt of energy at the Quinjet, missing, and Captain America threw his shield at him. Loki engaged in a brief but brutal battle with the super-soldier, during which Loki gained the upper hand and stood above the Captain, demanding he kneel; Cap refused and continued fighting Loki. Just as Loki once again gained the upper hand and began beating Captain America into submission, they were interrupted by the arrival of Iron Man, who shot Loki in the chest and threatened to fire all his weapons upon Loki, daring him to make a move. Realizing that the Avengers had been assembled and he was now outmatched, Loki allowed himself to be captured, using his magic to remove his armor. As the Avengers took Loki into custody, he secretly began plotting how to use this situation to his advantage in the end.

Captured
"I've seen worlds you've never known about! I have grown, Odinson, in my exile! I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it–" "Who showed you this power? Who controls the would-be king?"

- Loki and Thor

As they journeyed to the Helicarrier on board the Quinjet, Loki sat in silence while Captain America and Iron Man discussed what his plans could be and why he had allowed himself to be captured so easily. The conversation stopped, however, when lightning began shooting from the sky, signaling the arrival of Loki's brother. As predicted, Thor arrived and extracted Loki from the jet and the Avengers' custody. Taking his brother to a nearby mountain where they were observed by Hugin and Munin, Thor attempted to reason with Loki, imploring him to remember that they were once brothers as they had been raised together and spent years playing and fighting together. Thor asked him to return home to Asgard and surrender the Tesseract. Loki, however, still resented his brother and refused to cooperate, claiming that Odin was not his real father. When Loki mentioned his knowledge of the Tesseract, Thor demanded to know how he knew so much but Loki refused to say Thanos' name. Thor regained Mjølnir and threatened his brother, but before he could get the information he needed from Loki about the Tesseract's location, Thor was tackled by Iron Man and knocked off the side of the mountain. Loki remained on his perch and watched, pleased, as his enemies began to battle each other over who should take Loki into custody. As the argument escalated, Thor and Iron engaged in a fierce fight which ended when Captain America intervened and convinced them that they should ally themselves.

Questioned by S.H.I.E.L.D.
"You talk about peace and you kill cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did." "Ooh. It burns you to come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is."

- Nick Fury and Loki

With the Avengers and Thor now considering themselves to be allies in the war, they took Loki together into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody aboard the Helicarrier. As armed guards marched Loki down the hallways and past Bruce Banner's laboratory, Loki smiled at the scientist, making Banner uneasy and raising suspicion all round. Loki was placed in a confinement capsule which had been designed, without Banner's knowledge, to hold a rogue Hulk. If Loki tried to escape or break through the cell, it would drop him 30,000 feet straight downward, which would hopefully be fatal to him. Loki taunted Nick Fury about his failed attempts to understand and control the Tesseract and his gathering of misfits to defend Earth. However, Fury remained confident and told the God of Mischief that he had made him very desperate and he might live to regret this. Loki went on to tell Fury that he had finally seen what real power was and Fury took this as a cue to leave. Loki's mere presence and self-confidence was enough to provide a disruptive element that would fragment the only group of heroes that had any hope of stopping him.

Tricked by Black Widow
"I won't touch Barton! Not until I make him kill you. Slowly, intimately, in every way, he knows you fear. And then he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams I'll split his skull. This is my bargain, you mewling quim!"

- Loki to Natasha Romanoff

As Loki paced in his cell, he was greeted by Black Widow who came to apparently offer a deal in exchange for Clint Barton's freedom. Loki subjected her to a play of wits where he asked her questions about her past and her relationship with Barton. Eventually, Loki ferreted out her deeper misgivings and explained that Barton had told him all about her murders and terrible crimes she had committed while a part of the Red Room before she joined S.H.I.E.L.D.. Loki vowed that he would force Barton to torture and kill Romanoff in order to break his heart before he broke his skull, taking considerable pleasure at the horror this put in Romanoff. However, she tricked the trickster into revealing that there was already a monster among them and that it was not him. From this, she concluded that the monster was Banner and that Loki planned to use Hulk to destroy the Helicarrier and the heroes as well. Once she left to warn them, Loki's smile indicated that was part of his plan: to turn Hulk against the Avengers by first turning the Avengers against Hulk.

Attack on the Helicarrier
"Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?" "You lack conviction."

- Loki and Phil Coulson

However, Loki's plan to use Hulk was only one aspect of his real intentions. More of his full scheme became clear as another jet carrying Hawkeye and the rogue agents came to his aid, following a signal from the Scepter. Hawkeye caused a massive explosion which separated the Avengers. The wounded Banner transformed into Hulk and went on a rampage, destroying much of the Helicarrier while Loki remained in his cell and smiled to himself at the destruction. Before long one of Loki's controlled agents freed him from the cell. Loki then used illusions of himself to trick Thor into entering the cell, trapped him in there, and mocked his brother for falling for the same trick yet again. Before Loki could drop the cell from the Helicarrier in order to kill his brother, Agent Phil Coulson confronted him with the Destroyer Armor Prototype Gun and politely ordered him to move away from the controls and surrender, noting that he was not sure exactly how powerful the gun really was. Loki used his illusions to get behind the brave S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and stabbed him straight through the heart with his Scepter. Thor watched in horror as Coulson fell to the ground dying. Loki looked his brother straight in the eye as he returned to the control pad, and ejected Thor - in the cell Fury made for disposing of a dangerous Hulk - to fall thousands of feet from the Helicarrier to his eventual death. As Coulson lay on the ground bleeding to death, he summoned the strength to tell Loki that he stood no chance of winning this war. Loki claimed he had no disadvantage as the Avengers had been destroyed, only for Coulson to fire the Destroyer Gun at him, sending him flying through a wall. Though he retrieved his Scepter, Black Widow released Hawkeye from the mind control, and Loki got on-board a Quinjet and headed to New York City, where Erik Selvig waited with the Tesseract at Stark Tower where they intended to complete their experiments.

Tony Stark's Challenge
"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity." "Uh... actually, I'm planning to threaten you." "You should have left your armor on for that."

- Loki and Tony Stark

While Erik Selvig continued his work on the roof of the skyscraper, Loki prepared to welcome his army of Chitauri and begin his glorious, but brief, war on the Earth. Iron Man, having survived the Attack on the Helicarrier and having figured out his plans, caught up with him at Stark Tower. Loki watched confidently as Stark landed on the Tower's landing pad and abandoned his wrecked Iron Man suit, stepping inside the building in order to confront and threaten the God of Mischief personally. Stark offered Loki a drink while he claimed that once the Chitauri arrived nothing could stop him. He asked Stark what he had to fear: Stark told him that he should fear the Avengers as together the team would be a strong force against him. Loki mocked the claim, noting that in their first bout he had already driven them apart, but Stark insisted he had just pissed them off and that if they couldn't protect the Earth, they would Avenge its destruction at Loki's hand. He also promised that Hulk was stronger than Loki and his entire army combined, much to Loki's great annoyance. When Loki grew weary of the threats noted that the Avengers would soon be too busy fighting Stark to challenge him as he attempted to subjugate Stark with the Scepter, only to be physically blocked by the Arc Reactor in Stark's chest, leading to Stark mock him even further for the awkward failure. Annoyed at the insults, Loki threw the inventor out of a window and was surprised when a freshly built Iron Man armor rocketed after him. Loki found himself under attack when the fully suited Iron Man rocketed back up to retaliate and, avenging Agent Phil Coulson, knocked him back with an energy blast. Before they could continue the fight, the Tesseract opened the portal in the sky, finally allowing Loki's entire Chitauri army to come pouring through beginning the Chitauri Invasion of Earth. As Iron Man left Loki to begin battling the oncoming army as he shot them out of the sky singlehandedly, Loki recovered himself and took a moment to enjoy the moment. With his triumph near at hand, Loki stepped out onto the observation tower on Stark Tower, regained his full armor and watched as New York City burned around him, lifting his arms up and smiling at all of the devastation he had now caused.

Showdown with Thor
"Loki, turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it!" "You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war!" "So be it."

- Thor and Loki

Loki was confronted by Thor who had survived his fall from the Helicarrier and demanded that he deactivate the Tesseract or the God of Thunder would destroy it. Loki refused, claiming that nothing could stop his war. The brothers fought for a second time, Loki's Scepter matching Thor's hammer. Blasts from the gem almost completely destroyed the Stark Tower logo on the side of the balcony, blasting some of the giant letters and debris off the side. The two continued to battle as Loki shot down a Quinjet carrying the other Avengers. When the confrontation came to stalemate with them grappling each others' necks, Thor urged Loki to look around him at the destruction he had caused and asked if he truly believed it would all end with his rule. Loki was unsure of himself; he claimed it was too late to stop the madness, but briefly considered Thor's appeal to working together to end it all and redeem himself. The will of the Tesseract over his mind was stronger than his guilt, however, and Loki instead stabbed Thor in the stomach with a throwing knife, preparing to strike him down with the Scepter as he knelt before him and laughing in amusement at Thor's sentiment. This did little more than enrage Thor, who disarmed Loki of his staff before hitting him repeatedly in the face, soon beating Loki into submission before picking him up over his head and slamming him down hard onto the ruined balcony. Not allowing himself to be defeated and captured so early into the Chitauri Invasion, Loki threw himself off the building and landed on one of the Chitauri Chariots. From there, Loki took command of the attack on the New York City, shooting down at the humans, destroying many cars and killing dozens of innocent people in massive explosions. The Avengers meanwhile put all their might into attempting to stop him and protect the lives of the people trapped in the city.

Humiliating Defeat
"Enough! You are all of you beneath me! I am a god, you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by–" "Puny god."

- Loki and Hulk

When Hulk destroyed the first of the Chitauri's massive Leviathans, Loki commanded the Chitauri on the other side of the still-open portal to send the rest of their massive armada, releasing dozens of Leviathans and hundreds more Chitauri soldiers, overwhelming New York City's defenses. An aerial chase in which Loki chased down Black Widow left his craft destroyed when Loki confidently caught one of Hawkeye's arrows, which then exploded, causing him to crash land back on Stark Tower. Just as Loki got to his feet ready to return to the fight, Hulk confronted him and punched him through a wall into the main room. Loki leaped to his feet and demanded that he stop, claiming that as an Asgardian God he was vastly superior and would not be bullied by him. Loki's frustrated rant only goaded Hulk into simply picking him up and repeatedly slamming him into the ground, catching him entirely off-balance. Loki, too stunned to fight or threaten any longer, just lay on the ground, more wounded physically than he had ever been before.

Aftermath
"If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now."

- Loki to the Avengers

Barely able to move from the beating he had received from Hulk, Loki eventually summoned the strength to crawl only to find himself face to face with the Avengers, who had defeated the Chitauri army and closed the Tesseract's portal. As Black Widow held the Scepter and Hawkeye aimed an arrow directly at his face, Loki accepted his defeat and quietly requested the drink that Tony Stark had offered before. The Avengers ignored his request and took him into custody.

While he was being bound in handcuffs, Loki mockingly transformed into Captain America, only to be shut by Thor who placed a metal muzzle in his mouth. Loki's Scepter was then coveted into the possession of STRIKE, secretly HYDRA agents, to be studied by Doctor List in Sokovia. When Hulk wasn't allowed to board the elevator due capacity and forced to go downstairs, Loki took advantage to mockingly make a dismissive gesture to Hulk.

As the Avengers were escorting Loki out of the Stark Tower, they were stopped by Alexander Pierce and a group of HYDRA operatives that were disguised as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Pierce had attempted to negotiate the custody of Loki for his crimes against humanity, and the Tesseract. Pierce's interference led to a heated discussion with Thor and Stark, while Loki merely watched the events unfold in front of him. However, Nick Fury allowed Thor take him back to Asgard to be punished by Odin as well the Tesseract.

Thus, Loki was led to an open area in Central Park with his brother. From there, Thor said goodbye to the Avengers and used the power of the Tesseract to transport both of them back home to Asgard.

Imprisoned
"If I'm for the axe, then for mercy's sake just swing it. It's not that I don't love our little talks, it's just... I don't love them." "Frigga is the only reason you are still alive and you will never see her again. You will spend the rest of your days in the dungeon."

- Loki and Odin

Following the failure of the Chitauri, Loki was now in the custody of Thor who proceeded to bring him back to Asgard where Loki was forced in chains to face Odin's justice for his many crimes. Upon arriving for his trail, Loki then greeted Frigga and asked if he had finally made her proud, as Frigga begged Loki not to make the situation any worse, although Loki joked that it could not get worse. Odin, however, demanded they stop speaking and had ordered Loki to step forward, as Loki still continued making light of the situation, banging his chains together and claiming that he did not see what all the fuss was about. Loki then tried to justify his actions on Earth by claiming it wanted to rule over the Humans as a god, comparing this to what Odin and all the other Asgardians had done for thousands of years, Odin shut this down by noting that they were not gods. Loki's intentions were mocked by Odin, who noted that Loki's only birthright was to die on Jotunheim when he had been abandoned by Laufey, as Odin claimed that if they had not taken him in, he would not be alive to hate them. Odin told him that he will spare his life only because of Frigga's love for him. Odin condemned Loki to an eternal imprisonment, and called him by the name, Loki Laufeyson. Loki was put in the Asgardian Dungeons deep beneath the Palace.

Solitude in Prison


"My actions. I was merely giving truth to the lie that I've been fed my entire life. That I was born to be a king." "A true king admits his faults. What of the lives you took on Earth?" "A mere handful compared to the numbers Odin has taken himself."

- Loki and Frigga

Having been condemned to eternal imprisonment, Loki was locked in a cell within the Asgardian Dungeons deep beneath the Asgardian Royal Palace. With centuries to be spent alone by himself, Loki's only source of amusement was to watch as new prisoners arrived in the Dungeons and to read the many books that Frigga would send him. However, the longer he spent in his cell, the more bitter and resentful Loki became towards Odin for his lies and his cruel prison sentence. A year later from the Battle of New York, Loki still remained in his cell. Unknown to him, a war raged across the Nine Realms as a result of the Duel at the Rainbow Bridge having destroyed many of the ways across the Realms. A group of space pirates called the Marauders used this to their advantage and attacked Vanaheim. After their defeat at the hands of Thor, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, they were locked in cells next to Loki's. Despite his solitude, Frigga alone continued to communicate with Loki despite the commands of Odin, and did so via a projection of herself to his cell. She also continued to supply him with books to help pass the time. During one visit, Frigga attempted to make Loki consider his actions during the Chitauri Invasion and accept his crimes, but Loki only argued that she and Odin were not his true family and therefore had no right to judge his actions.

Sacking of Asgard
"You might want to take the stairs to the left."

- Loki to Kurse

While he sat alone inside of his cell in the Asgardian Dungeons, Loki had amused himself by throwing and catching ornaments to pass the time. As he attempted to relax, however, Loki suddenly overheard the sounds of horrific screams from another part of the Dungeons as the members of the Einherjar were alerted and had gone to investigate. As Loki looked out he saw a Marauder had magically transformed himself into a monstrous Kurse with a Kurse Stone and broken out of his own cell. As the monstrous Kurse had revealed himself as a Dark Elf who was looking to destroy Asgard and its leadership, Loki watched with great amusement as Kurse slaughtered the Asgardians who had attempted to stop him while also breaking over Marauders free from their cells. Although Kurse looked at Loki, he did not see Loki as a warrior and did not set him free; however, Loki, grasping another opportunity to harass Odin, advised the Dark Elf where to find the exit. Loki remained in his cell as a battle broke out between the guards and the escaped prisoners. Ignoring all the chaos, Loki had calmly continued to read one of his books even when Thor and the Warriors Three joined the battle, violently throwing prisoners into his cell wall. Loki eventually stopped to observe the ongoing battle as the room shook as a Dark Elf Harrow crash-landed into the Asgardian Palace and the entire army of Dark Elves had then attacked the Palace. Eventually, the battle subsided and appeared to have been won by the forces of Asgard, as Malekith had failed with his goal to reclaim greatest weapon of the Dark Elves, the Aether. Not long after all the sounds of battle had died away and peace had seemingly been restored to Asgard, a guard had come to visit Loki and informed him that Frigga had been killed by the Dark Elves, who attacked Asgard at the same time as the prison riot also broken out. Loki thanked the guard for informing him of this and then stood in silence, processing the news. Although he had appeared calm, this knowledge that the one person who had ever believed and cared for him was gone had sent Loki into a fit of rage and he unleashed a seismic blast of his mystical aura, trashing his cell. Loki completely destroyed every piece of comfort which Frigga had ever given him, clawed at the walls and cut his feet in his painful grief.

Liberation
"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help. What makes you think you can trust me?" "I don't. Mother did."

- Loki and Thor

With his cell in ruins and his only comfort gone, Loki briefly used an illusion to hide his disheveled appearance when he is visited by Thor, who saw through Loki's illusion. Thor told Loki that he planned to confront Malekith on Svartalfheim and he needed Loki's knowledge of the pathways between worlds. Promising Loki that they would have their revenge for Frigga's death and his freedom as a reward for his help, Thor also vowed that if Loki betrayed him he would kill him without hesitation; nonetheless, Loki agreed to Thor's proposal. Free from his cell and excited by the prospect of an adventure while also impressed by Thor's clandestine tactics, Loki began to make fun with Thor, claiming that he was surprised that Thor did not wish to use his strength to escape instead. Using his magic, Loki gave his brother the appearance of Lady Sif while transforming himself first into an Asgardian Warrior and then into Captain America, noting that Thor seemed to prefer the company of the Avengers. As Loki continued to talk and mock Captain America's Uniform for its tight fit and amusing connotations, Thor grabbed him and pushed him against a wall, covering his mouth. Seeing two Einherjar guards keeping watch, Loki advised that he be given some form of weapon, such as his knife. Thor seemingly relented but instead of providing him with his blade, Thor simply shackled him. While Loki appeared unimpressed, Thor reminded him that he usually enjoyed tricks. As they were approached the abandoned shuttle of the Dark Elves, both Lady Sif and Volstagg threatened to kill the amused Loki if he even thought about betraying Thor. When they reached Jane Foster, she punched Loki in the face, telling him the punch was for what he did to New York City. Still amused, Loki commented to Thor that he liked Foster for her feisty nature before they continued their journey to the ship. Boarding the crashed Dark Elf Harrow while Volstagg kept the guards at bay, Thor, Foster, and Loki flew it out of the palace. Loki and Thor continued with their brotherly bickering, with Loki commenting on Thor's poor flying skills, especially when he accidentally beheaded a statue of Bor. Loki suggested that the pilot the ship; Thor reminded him that he was the only one who could fly, despite Loki's proven ability to use unfamiliar technology. When Foster fainted due to the Aether in her veins, Loki casually asked if she was dead and berated Thor about his poor plan. As he continued he spill out insults to his brother, Loki was then pushed onto a Asgardian Skiff flown by Fandral. Once Thor landed on the Skiff as well, Loki commented on how impressed he was that he had successfully tricked him. As Fandral helped the trio make their way out by attacking the Einherjar, Loki was able to fly the Skiff to a secret location where he was able to transport them out of Asgard and onto the Dark Elves' homeworld of Svartalfheim.

A Tense Truce
"You'll never be ready. The only woman whose love you prized will be snatched from you." "And will that satisfy you?" "Satisfaction is not in my nature."

- Loki and Thor

When the three arrived in Svartalfheim, Loki continued to drive the Asgardian Skiff while Thor cared for Jane Foster as she recovered from the Aether's power overloading her body. Loki began to mock Thor's love for a human woman and antagonized his brother, claiming that within a heartbeat she would be dead and he would live on due to the Asgardian lifespan being so much longer. As Loki claimed that the Dark Elves' attack was Thor's doing for locking him in the Asgardian Dungeons, he managed to annoy his brother so much that Thor pushed him back and considered punching him in the face, however Thor stopped himself as he believed Frigga would not want them to fight. Loki argued that while he was right, she would not be surprised. When Thor told Loki he wished he could trust him, Loki told him to trust his rage.

Battle of Svartalfheim
"You really think I cared about Frigga, about anybody? All I ever wanted was you and Odin dead at my feet! Malekith, I am Loki of Jotunheim and I bring you a gift! I ask only one thing in return, a good seat from which to watch Asgard burn."

- Loki

Arriving in Svartalfheim, Loki and Thor looked over the wasteland of the planet as they saw Malekith and his small army of Dark Elves exiting their Ark to confront their attacks. While Loki commented that their plan would undoubtedly get them all killed, Thor uncuffed his brother and prepared to attack their enemies, with Loki questioning if Thor trusted him or not. When Thor asked if Loki would even trust himself, Loki told him that he would not. As part of their plan, Loki then pretended to betray Thor, stabbing him in the side and kicking him off the edge of the cliff. While the Dark Elves watched, Loki mocked and insulted his brother before making an illusion of him cutting off Thor's right hand. Loki then threw Jane Foster before the Dark Elves, claiming his allegiance with them and his desire to watch Asgard burn. As Malekith started absorbing the Aether from Foster's body, Thor and Loki revealed their ruse. Loki quickly removed the illusion he had cast and jumped on top of Foster in order to shield her while Thor used Mjølnir to shoot lightning at the Aether, dispersing it in an explosion. However, Malekith was still able to absorb the fragments. As the Dark Elves retreated to their giant ship, Malekith's lieutenant Kurse stayed behind to keep Thor and Loki busy. With Malekith having regained the Aether from the Asgardians as he had planned, he no longer had any need to keep them alive and ordered their demise. When Kurse threw his Black Hole Grenades into the air towards them, Loki pushed Jane Foster away from it without hesitation. Though he himself was nearly sucked in it, he was saved at the last moment by Thor as they prepared to retaliate against the Dark Elves and stop Malekith. While Thor fought the almighty Kurse as Malekith made his escape on his Ark, Loki was attacked by another group of Dark Elves. Armed only with his dagger, Loki found himself surrounded but remained confident in his abilities and instantly began planning how to beat them. As the Elves attacked, Loki easily defeated them all by using his speed and trickery to gain the upper hand and kill them before seeing that Thor was struggling to battle Kurse.

Faking Death
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..." "I will tell father what you did today." "I didn't do it for him."

- Loki and Thor

Seeing Thor being beaten into submission by Kurse, Loki ran to his brother's aid. He stabbed Kurse from behind, pushing the blade through his chest. The Kursed warrior then grabbed Loki and pulled him onto the blade, stabbing him as well. As one final ruse before he began losing strength, Loki activated one of Kurse's Black Hole Grenades, which then sucked the Dark Elf into a black hole, crushing his entire body and destroying him in just mere seconds. With Kurse destroyed and Loki seemingly mortally wounded from his injury, Thor ran to his aid and told a dying Loki that he would tell Odin about his noble deed. Loki looked into his brother's eyes and replied that he did not do it for Odin before his skin turned grey and he seemingly died in Thor's arms as his brother cried out in grief. As it appeared Loki was dead, Thor and Jane Foster left him behind on Svartalfheim as they continued their mission to stop Malekith. However, Loki's death was just another of his illusions. Seemly weak but still alive, Loki then waited for Thor and Foster to depart from the planet to find Malekith on Earth. Then, when an Einherjar Guard had come to check the battlefield, Loki apparently killed the guard and took his place, returning to Asgard without anyone seeing. Disguised as the Einherjar Guard, Loki informed Odin that a body was found on the battlefield. Odin responded, believing Loki to be dead.

Stealing the Throne
"If I were proud of the man my son has become, even that I could not say. It would speak only from my heart. Go, my son." "Thank you, father." "No. Thank you."

- Loki and Thor

Loki managed to take Odin's place and usurped the throne of Asgard. When Thor defeated Malekith, he returned to Asgard to give his report to Odin. Disguised as Odin, Loki offered him the throne, but Thor declined while honoring Loki's sacrifice. Thor then offered him Mjølnir, but Loki told him it belongs to him if he is worthy of it, knowing full well that he could not take it from him. Thor thanked him and left the room. Loki reverted to his true form and smiled in triumph at reclaiming the throne of Asgard at long last. Some time into Loki's reign, Lorelei had escaped to Earth using one of the secret passageways between worlds. Loki, still disguised as Odin, ordered Lady Sif to go capture Lorelei and bring her back to Asgard. During his observation of Earth, Heimdall saw the Kree land on the planet. Due to the enmity between Kree and Asgardians, Loki sent Sif to investigate. Afraid he would be exposed, Loki banished Lady Sif from Asgard. In order to prevent Thor from picking up on any subtle differences in their personalities and eventually figuring out Odin was really Loki in disguise, Loki granted Thor the freedom to act as he pleased in order to keep the peace of the Nine Realms, which would mean that Thor would be away from Asgard more often while Loki could rule Asgard in peace and enjoy all of the riches this power brought him. Loki also banished Heimdall from his long-standing position as the guard of the Bifrost Bridge and appointed Skurge as his replacement. Skurge's true purpose was to report to Loki when Thor had returned to Asgard, allowing Loki time to switch to Odin's stricter personality. While taking pleasure in his role, Loki convinced the Asgardians that he was a tragic figure, commissioning a large statue of himself while also commissioning a Stage Production of his own death a script for which he wrote himself.

Search for Odin
"You just couldn't stay away, could you? Everything was fine without you. Asgard was prospering. You've ruined everything, ask them." "Where's father? Did you kill him?"

- Loki and Thor

Having been ruling over Asgard for four years while enjoying himself immensely, Loki, still in his Odin disguise, took time out of his day to sit with the Asgardians, eating grapes and watching the play, The Tragedy of Loki of Asgard, which depicted his "death" on Svartalfheim. As the performers acted out the production, Loki smiled and commented on the piece, quoting the lines with them and then clapping enthusiastically once they were finished with the play. However to Loki's surprise, Thor unexpectedly arrived and greeted him, having also brought with him the Crown of Surtur following his recent Escape from Muspelheim, with a suspicious Thor questioning if Loki even knew what it was before sending it into Odin's Vault. Loki questioned if Thor would be heading back onto Midgard soon in the hope that his cover would not be blown: However, Thor confirmed he was not, which had made Loki considerably more nervous. Thor then explained that he had been having some recurring dreams recently depicting Ragnarök, so he had begun investigating this and found the Nine Realms in utter chaos and Marauders who had been marching unchallenged as the King did nothing. Loki tried to defend his actions but Thor was not buying his excuses and proceeded to threaten Loki by putting him into the path of Mjølnir, with Loki finally breaking his disguise in front of all of the horrified Asgardians. The moment Loki's true identity was revealed, Skurge finally arrived, having run from Heimdall's Observatory, to announce Thor's arrival, much to Loki's great annoyance as he reminded Skurge that warning him of Thor's arrival was his only job. Exposed, Loki tried to defend his deception, insisting that Asgard had prospering while Thor had the independence he always wanted, claiming that by revealing his identity Thor had ruined everything he had just achieved. Ignoring all that Loki was saying, Thor then furiously demanded to know where Odin was, questioning if Loki had murdered him or not. When Loki refused to answer him, Thor responded by pinning Loki with Mjølnir for the first time in years, at which Loki easily gave up their father's location at Shady Acres Care Home where Loki had left him. Thor had then put Volstagg and Fandral in temporary charge of the Bifrost Bridge as he and Loki went to investigate further.

Encountering Doctor Strange
"I have been falling for thirty minutes!" "You can handle him from here." "Handle me? Who are you? You think you're some kind of sorcerer? Don't think for one minute, you second-rate–" "All right, bye-bye."

- Loki and Doctor Strange

When they reached Earth, they discovered that the retirement home within New York City where Loki had left Odin had been bulldozed, which left Loki with no idea where Odin was now. When Loki insisted that he could not have predicted this had happened, Thor teased him by questioning why he now dressed as a witch. Thor then questioned how Loki was still alive following witnessing his death at the hands of Kurse back on Svartalfheim, insisting that he had mourned for his loss which Loki claimed he was honored to hear. While Thor then posed for a photograph with two Humans, Loki then overheard that Thor had been dumped by Jane Foster only to be distracted by something happening underneath him. Looking down, Loki saw a small portal was being created underneath him which he insisted he had nothing to do with. Before he could react, Loki then fell through the portal that had just opened beneath his feet, conjured by Doctor Strange to keep Loki from harming anyone on Earth. While Loki was falling through an unknown space, Thor then visited Doctor Strange who offered to locate Odin on the condition that Loki, Odin, and Thor promptly returned back to Asgard thereafter to avoid anything like the Battle of New York happening again. Following thirty minutes of falling, Strange remembered about Loki and then used his own Sling Ring to warp him inside the New York Sanctum where the furious Loki confronted Strange for letting him fall for so long. Upon hearing Strange note that he thought Thor could now handle his brother from his point on as they said their goodbyes, Loki, out of annoyance and anger, attempted to attack Doctor Strange, furiously calling the Master of Mystic Arts a second rate magician as he then drew a pair of knives to get his revenge. Doctor Strange, however, had refused to even bother engaging with Loki and simply sent him and Thor through the portal to Norway, where Odin was waiting.

Father's Farewell
"Took me quite a while to break free from your spell. Frigga would have been proud."

- Odin to Loki

Along with Thor, the two brothers fell through Doctor Strange's portal where they found and joined Odin, who was standing alone on the edge of a cliff within Norway, watching over the entire landscape. As they approached him, Odin appeared distracted, commenting on how he could hear Frigga calling out to him, which Thor mistook as more of Loki's Magic still having an effect on their father, although Loki denied this. Odin revealed that he had broken from Loki's spell but told Loki that his mother would be proud of him for casting an effective spell onto him, which had shocked Loki who had not ever had such praise from Odin. Sitting down while still overlooking the landscape, Odin told his sons to admire all the beauty of the landscape and the sea in front of him, reminiscing of Asgard. While Odin explained that Ragnarök was upon them, Thor told his father he had put an end to Ragnarök. Odin, however, had explained that Ragnarök would not be started by Surtur but the arrival of Hela, noting that his own life was the only thing holding Hela back. Odin explained that Hela was, in fact, Thor's first-born sister who had been imprisoned within Hel for thousands of years due to her violent needs. While Odin considered this shocking news, Odin told Loki and Thor that he loved them both as his body dissipated into energy and was taken away by the wind. Having witnessed the death of his father and having learned Odin's secrets regarding Hela, Thor's grief and anger caused storm clouds to gather above, as he furiously claimed that this was Loki's fault, as it had been Loki's actions with banishing Odin to Earth without any of his Asgardian powers which had led to Odin's body dying of his long life. While lightning came out of Thor's fingertips as his anger grew, Loki fearfully had then attempted to calm him back down.

Thrown from the Bifrost
"Perhaps we can come to an arrangement." "You sound like him. Kneel." "Beg your pardon?" "Kneel, before your queen."

- Loki and Hela

With Odin now dead and past into the afterlife, Loki and Thor were then forced to put aside their differences as Hela, having now been released from her prison in Hel due to Odin's death, materialized before them. Loki and Thor then returned to their Asgardian uniforms to then greet Hela once she returned, who commented on how she wished she had been there to witness her own father's demise. Loki looked on as Thor introduced himself as the son of Odin, while Hela commented that he did not look like Odin. Loki then attempted to make an arrangement with Hela, to which she had commented that Loki sounded more like Odin than Thor did. Hela then ordered the two brothers to kneel before her as she drew her Necroswords, while Loki attempted to talk things peacefully. Loki then watched as Hela destroyed Mjølnir, proving Hela to be incredibly powerful. Seeing that they were vastly outmatched by their newest enemy, Loki quickly tried to go back into Asgard with Thor through their Bifrost Bridge. However, Thor horrifically told Loki not to use Bifrost Bridge, as it will cause Hela to follow them while going back to Asgard, but was too late, while Hela still followed closely behind and eventually launched both Thor and Loki out of the Bifrost during mid-transport, with Loki now believing that this had caused Thor's demise.

Living on Sakaar
"I've made friends with this man. He's called the Grandmaster." "He's crazy!" "I've gained his favor. The Bifrost brought me out here weeks ago."

- Loki to Thor

Upon being launched out of the Bifrost Bridge by Hela, Loki had then arrived on Sakaar. Despite being in such a strange environment, Loki had soon managed to come in the favor of the Grandmaster who had viewed Loki as his friend and had often invited Loki to rejoin him to enjoy the Contest of Champions which the Grandmaster had enjoyed putting on. Loki then enjoyed a prolonged period of several weeks drinking with the Sakaarans and telling stories of the Duel at the Rainbow Bridge, enjoying all of the reactions he got from telling these such stories of his own life before he had arrived within Sakaar. While telling some of his stories to the amused Sakaarans, Loki was then completely and utterly shocked to discover that Thor was still alive following their encounter with Hela some weeks earlier, although he had been captured by the Grandmaster and was being prepped to face his champion. Loki and Thor had reunited as Thor questioned what was happening while Loki noted that he had not had the same experience as Thor had gone through when he had arrived. While they were awkwardly being watched by the Grandmaster, Loki had then explained that he could not do anything more to ensure his brother's release from the Grandmaster's custody. The Grandmaster asked if Loki knew Thor, which the former denied knowing before Thor added that they were brothers. However, Loki clarified that he was adopted. The Grandmaster then noted that the only way that Thor would be able to finally win his own freedom would be to defeat his Champion, before sending him away to meet the Gladiators who included Korg and Miek, while Loki still remained by the Grandmaster and had enjoyed all the many joys which were presented to him.

Suggestion to Thor
"You're not seriously thinking of going back, are you? Our sister destroyed your hammer like a piece of glass. She's stronger than both of us, she's stronger than you; you don't stand a chance! Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

- Loki to Thor

Seeking to make his own way off from Sakaar, Loki had then quietly communicated to Thor via a holographic projection in his cell for the Contest of Champions, where he attempted to convince Thor to abandon Asgard, and instead, join him by the Grandmaster's side so they could both live in luxury. However, Thor refused to talk to his adopted brother, merely throwing stones through his projection. Loki suggested to Thor that they betray the Grandmaster and allow him to die so they could control Sakaar together. However, as Thor continued to throw stones at him in frustration, Loki had seemingly begun to show genuine worry of what would happen if Thor goes up against Hela again, noting how during their first encounter Hela had destroyed Mjølnir like it was nothing more than a piece of glass and was therefore clearly more powerful than either the pair of them. Loki prepared to leave, Thor blamed him for everything happening to him, scolding him for causing Odin's death and, in turn, his part with releasing Hela from Hel and then causing the deaths of the Warriors Three. Remaining calm and focused on himself, Loki warned Thor that the Grandmaster's champion is "astonishingly savage" and had noted that he had made his large wager against Thor, before Loki's illusion left as Korg appeared to tell Loki's illusion to leave.

Reunion with Hulk
"I have to get off this planet." "Hey, hey, hey. Where are you going?"

- Loki and Grandmaster

Still enjoying his time in Sakaar, Loki came to watch Thor as he had prepared to fight in the Contest of Champions. Taking a drink as he entered, Loki watched while Thor put on his Collapsible Helmet and prepared for the battle, armed with the Sakaaran Mace and Shield and his pair of Retractable Swords, with Loki still remaining confident that he would make a grand profit out of watching Thor lose in the upcoming battle. As Loki watched from above, he happily awaited the arrival of the Champion who Thor would be fighting against. However, it had turned out that the champion was the Hulk, to Loki's shock and horror as he recalled how the Hulk had beaten him senseless during the Battle of New York. Unwilling to be near the Hulk again, Loki had attempted to leave Sakaar only for the Grandmaster to stop him as he insisted that Loki stay and watch the fight with him. Not revealing to the Grandmaster that he had previously encountered the Hulk, Loki sat in awkward silence while Thor delighted at being reunited with his fellow Avenger, as Thor pointed to Loki who was sat watching in horror. Thor then attempted to catch up with his friend, explaining how Hela had returned and destroyed Mjølnir, however, the Hulk became annoyed as Thor had still continued referring to him as Bruce Banner, resulting in the Hulk furiously attacking Thor. Loki watched as Thor and the Hulk furiously battled each other, while the Hulk had soon managed to gain the upper hand, armed with his own Sakaaran Battle Axe and War Hammer. However, when Thor had managed to land a heavy blow against the Hulk, he attempted to use the Black Widow's technique to calm him down, only for Hulk to smash Thor into the ground as he had done to Loki back in New York, much to Loki's delight as he yelled that Thor now knew how he felt. Loki and the Grandmaster kept watching as Thor and Hulk continued fighting, until Thor unexpectedly gained a sudden surge of his power, allowing his entire body to be engulfed with lightning as he struck the Hulk and damaged his Sakaaran Battle Armor. Unwilling to watch his beloved Champion defeated, however, Grandmaster activated Thor's own Obedience Disk, which then caused him to fall down to the floor, allowing Hulk to finally win the duel, much to Loki's dismay.

Challenging Valkyrie
"I thought the Valkyrie had all died gruesome deaths." "Chose your next words wisely." "I'm terribly sorry. Must be a very painful memory."

- Loki and Valkyrie

While Loki continued enjoying the luxury of his lifestyle while he was still staying in Sakaar, meanwhile Thor and the Hulk had disappeared from their cells, resulting in the Grandmaster becoming furious about their escape and demanded that they be found. Loki and the Grandmaster's chief bounty hunter Scrapper 142 were contacted by the Grandmaster, who offered a great bounty for their capture as he refused to allow his beloved champion to escape from Sakaar. In his attempt to maintain the favor of the Grandmaster, Loki vowed to bring both Thor and the Hulk back to him within hours, although Scrapper 142 made the same promise. When Loki interrupted the Grandmaster, Topaz had responded by offering him the Melt Stick to punish Loki by destroying him, although Grandmaster insisted that interruption was not a crime punishable by death. The Grandmaster then sent Loki and Scrapper 142 to complete their task for him. As they made their way out of the meeting with Grandmaster, Loki and Scrapper 142 had a brief argument instead of beginning their search for Thor and the Hulk, as this had quickly turned into a duel, with both drawing their knives and slashing at the other. During their fight, however, Loki then noticed a tattoo on Scrapper 142's arm and realized she was, in fact, the last living Valkyrie; however, Valkyrie was clearly unwilling to allow this secret to be revealed as she kicked Loki away and furiously threatened him by pinning him against the wall and telling him to chose his next words carefully, although Loki had still remained unintimidated by Valkyrie's threat against his life. Noting what a painful memory it must be for her, Loki used his Magic to then make Valkyrie relive the Massacre of the Valkyrie at the hands of Hela when she had attempted to escape from Hel, which had also eventually had led to Valkyrie living her life on Sakaar and drinking herself towards death. Furious at Loki's actions at making her relive her own trauma, Valkyrie responded by knocking him out with a hard punch to the face before chaining him up inside her room.

Betraying the Grandmaster
"The Grandmaster has a great many ships. I may even have stolen the access codes to his security system." "Suddenly you're overcome with an urge to do the right thing?" "Heavens, no. I've run out of favor with the Grandmaster."

- Loki and Thor

Having been captured by Valkyrie, Loki was left chained up inside of her room, waiting for her to return. He was later presented as a peace offer to Thor and Bruce Banner, who had returned to Human Form. Thor first ensured this really was Loki by throwing a bottle at his head, before Banner noted how they had last seen each other during the Battle of New York, as Loki calmly threatened Banner. While he remained chained up, Loki had listened as Thor, Banner and Valkyrie discussed how to leave Sakaar and return back to Asgard by going through the Devil's Anus. As the team were discussing how they would require a strong ship to get through the Anus, Loki spoke up and noted that the Grandmaster had several ships which could do the job, and then offered to give their team access to these ships in exchange for safe passage away from Sakaar for himself. Although Loki offered his help, Banner was nervous about trusting him, noting how Loki had just threatened his life. Loki then listened and smiled to himself as Thor told the others a story of how Loki had tricked Thor by using Magic to turn into a snake before stabbing his brother. They finally agreed to Loki's plan, noting they would need a distraction as Loki suggested unleashing Hulk, but Thor dismissed this as they agreed to start a Rebellion as a distraction.

Sakaaran Rebellion
"I've betrayed you many times before, but this time it's truly nothing personal. The reward for your capture will set me up nicely." "Never one for sentiment, were you?" "Easier to let it burn."

- Loki and Thor

While Valkyrie had successfully initiated the revolution on Sakaar by giving Korg and the other Contest of Champions gladiators weapons, Loki and Thor had teamed up to steal one of the Grandmaster's shield generator-powered ships. Now armed with the Sakaaran Laser Rifles, Loki and Thor had together charged straight through all the Sakaaran Guards who had been ordered to stand in their way. While taking cover, Loki noted that Odin had brought them together when he had taken Loki from Jotunheim, claiming that it was almost poetic that his death them break them apart for good. Thor continued firing while Loki unlocked the doorways, while still claiming that they might as well become strangers, before being threatened by another Sakaaran Guard who Thor dispatched by forcing him to fire into the ground which shot him into the air as they entered the elevator. Once they got inside of the elevator, Loki suggested that he should actually stay in Sakaar, which Thor immediately agreed with as he claimed it fit his lawless and chaotic personality perfectly, much to Loki's surprise. Thor went on to admit that he had always thought the world of his own brother and had hoped they would fight side by side forever, but had come to the conclusion that this would never happen they way they wanted, which clearly had conflicted Loki internally. Knowing that they would soon encounter more of the Grandmaster's guards, Thor suggested that they utilize their "Get Help" strategy, much to Loki's horror. Although he tried to object, Thor still managed to convince Loki as they ran out with Thor pretending Loki needed some medical assistance before throwing his brother at the Sakaaran Guards, knocking him out. Thor delighted in the successful strategy while Loki continued moaning about how humiliating it was. While they went to steal the Commodore from the Grandmaster, Loki, inevitably, betrayed them as they are escaping, using his magic to create an illusion of himself which kept speaking with Thor while his actual self had then attempted to alert the Grandmaster of what was happening. Upon revealing his betrayal, Loki assured Thor that while he had betrayed him many times before, this was truly not personal as the Grandmaster's reward would then set him up financially. However, it turned out that Thor had predicted his brother's betrayal and had quietly placed the Obedience Disk on his back which he had then activated, which had left Loki being shocked on the floor and completely unable to move. Thor told his brother that he knew Loki will always be the God of Mischief, but had hoped that he would have shown some capacity for growth before leaving, with Loki still being shocked and the remote put just out of Loki's reach. While Loki had remained stuck on the ground while being constantly shocked, the Sakaaran Rebellion was successful, just as Thor had managed to enter Asgard with both Valkyrie and Bruce Banner. Loki was eventually found lying on the ground and was rescued by all the rebels, as Korg turned off the Obedience Disk and invited Loki to join them with stealing the Statesman, which Loki agreed to, noting that Korg and his people looked like they needed his leadership.

Rescuing Asgardians
"Your savior is here! Did you miss me? Everyone, on that ship now." "Welcome home. I saw you coming." "Of course you did."

- Loki and Heimdall

Loki and the other members of the Sakaaran Rebellion proceeded to take the Statesman and had then made their escape from Sakaar. Loki then took control of the ship and decided to do some good for a change, as they arrived in time to help the Revengers evacuating the surviving Asgardians from Asgard, while they were attempting to escape from Hela. While he appeared from the shadows, Loki delighted with his heroic moment, announcing to the Asgardians that their savior had arrived. While Loki walked through the crowds of Asgardians and questioned if they had missed him, he then reunited with Heimdall who noted that he had seen Loki coming. Standing alongside the remaining Asgardian warriors, as well as Korg and Miek who were leading the Sakaaran rebels, Loki had furiously fought against Hela's incoming armies of Berserkers who were still furiously attempting to stop the Asgardians from boarding the Statesmen to escape from Asgard. As the battle continued, Loki and the other warriors had then looked up to the Asgardian Palace where a huge blast of lightning had just destroyed much of the front of the Palace and had injured Hela who was in the center of the blast. Loki had then smirked to himself as he watched Thor charge down to the Bifrost Bridge with his incredible new power as lightning engulfed his body, which he used to destroy several of the Berserkers with some considerable ease. Loki continued fighting against the army of Berserkers with his allies while Thor made his way towards him, as they were also joined by Valkyrie who had arrived on the Commodore and had joined in the battle armed with her Dragonfang. Taking whatever advantage he had in the fight, Loki had resorted to using his helmet to knock the Berserkers off their feet and killing them, until eventually, they had pushed the Berserkers back, allowing the Asgardians to escape. Taking a break from the fight, Thor claimed that Loki was late, while Loki noted that Thor was now missing an eye. Seeing Hela was still coming for them, Loki suggested that Thor struck her with a lightning blast, but Thor insisted that this would do nothing to stop her. As Hela was too powerful and cannot be killed, Thor told Loki to revive Surtur to finally kill Hela, but at a cost to have no choice to put Asgard through Ragnarök, as Loki called it a bold move even for him. Leaving Thor and Valkyrie to him some time to distract Hela by furiously fighting her on the Rainbow Bridge, Loki took control of the Commodore and flew back to the Asgardian Palace, commenting to himself along the way about how completely insane this plan was. With Hela and the Berserkers distracted by their battle against the Revengers, Loki was then able to successfully get into the Palace and charge into Odin's Vault without being seen or challenged. Loki immediately grabbed the Crown of Surtur and had prepared to complete his plan, however just before successfully reviving Surtur with Eternal Flame inside Odin's Vault, Loki had then also managed to quietly get the Tesseract safely away. As the Ragnarök began, the Revengers, along with all surviving Asgardian refugees and Sakaaran Rebels escaped Asgard quickly, while watching Asgard’s destruction and the end of Hela's reign of terror once and for all.

Making Amends
"If you were here, I might even give you a hug." "I'm here."

- Thor and Loki

As Thor put his new eyepatch on, Loki remarked his new look as reminiscent to their father's. Thor, believing his brother had already left the ship, jokingly remarked if he was here, he'd give him a hug. Loki reassured him that he was really here. The two made their way towards the deck, with Thor deciding to remake Asgard on Earth.

Final Stand on the Statesman
"Undying? You should choose your words more carefully." "You... will never be... a god!"

- Thanos and Loki

As Thor made preparations to head back to Earth, he and Loki discussed this, with the latter uncertain to return there after everything he'd done. Out of nowhere, an enormous ship appeared in front of the Statesman. The ship belonged to Thanos and his Black Order, who boarded the Statesman, massacring half of the ship, with the other half managing to escape. Loki was among those who remained. The Mad Titan demanded that Loki hand over the Space Stone, but attempted to hide the fact that it was in his possession. Now being held at knifepoint by Proxima Midnight, and surrounded by the rest of the Black Order, Thanos began to torture Thor with the Power Stone being pressed against his head. Threatened with Thor's death, Loki revealed the Tesseract to Thanos, before siccing the Hulk on him - quoting Iron Man from their confrontation in Stark Tower years before. As Hulk charged forward, Loki dropped the Tesseract and lunged to push Thor out of harm's way. However, Hulk was easily overpowered by Thanos and was beaten badly. Once he had been disposed of, Ebony Maw picked up the Tesseract and presented it to Thanos, who crushed it and added the encased Infinity Stone to his Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos then triumphantly ordered the Black Order to go to Earth to obtain the remaining Infinity Stones there. Under the pretense of offering himself as a guide to Earth, Loki feigned continuing servitude to Thanos while secretly readying a dagger. Hoping that he had fooled Thanos, Loki attempted to stab his throat, but the Titan easily predicted the move. Thanos stopped the knife with his Infinity Gauntlet and sarcastically mocked Loki for choosing the word "undying" while referring to his false allegiance, rebuking him for not choosing his words wisely. Despite this, Loki remained defiant even though he was now at the mercy of Thanos, and threatened him that he would never succeed in his plans, and would not become a god like he sought to be. This did not faze or anger Thanos at all, and while Thor watched, he calmly crushed Loki's neck. Dropping his broken corpse at Thor's knees, Thanos mocked him by saying that this time, Loki would not be resurrected. Thor mourned for Loki's death, crying over his lifeless body while Thanos used his newly acquired Infinity Stones to destroy the Statesman and teleport himself and the Black Order away. Loki's corpse, along with half of the Asgardian population, was then blown up in the Statesman explosion and left floating in the debris left over from the spacecraft. Only Thor, albeit injured both physically and emotionally, had survived the ordeal.

Thor's Revenge
"So... dead brother, huh? That could be annoying." "Well, he's been dead before. But this time... I think it really might be true."

- Rocket Raccoon and Thor

Having fully reconciled with Loki and witnessing his brother's death, Thor condemn him for saving the Space Stone. Knowing that Loki was truly dead, Thor did everything he could to kill Thanos and avenge him, forging Stormbreaker with the aid of Eitri and going so far as to confront and wound Thanos with his new axe. Thor repeated his vow to kill Thanos to mock him, but Thanos was too resilient and mocked back that Thor should've aimed for his head. Before Thor could stop him, Thanos managed to snap his fingers with the Infinity Gauntlet, successfully wiping out half of the universe.

A few weeks later, however, the surviving Avengers and Guardians, accompanied by Captain Marvel, went to Titan II and ambushed Thanos on his farm, only to discover in horror that the Mad Titan had destroyed the Infinity Stones to make impossible to undo the Snap. Feeling that Thanos had earned to die for his actions, Thor brutally decapitated Thanos with the Stormbreaker, killing him and finally avenging Loki's death. Nevertheless, Thor didn't feel victorious nor better, but frustrated that Thanos' actions were now irreversible.

Imprisoned on Asgard
In 2023, after discovering a method of traversing through time safely, the Avengers initiated a Time Heist, where they would travel to various points in the past and amass all six Infinity Stones in order to reverse the effects of the Snap. In two alternate branches of the mainstream timeline created by the Avengers by traversing through time, Loki was present. In an alternate 2013, just prior to the Sacking of Asgard induced by the Dark Elves, where Loki remained in his holding cell in the Asgardian Dungeons. Loki had began fidgeting with various objects in his cell, oblivious to Thor and Rocket Raccoon from the future, sneaking past him while attempting to obtain the Aether from Jane Foster.

Escape from S.H.I.E.L.D.
"On my way down to coordinate search and rescue." "'On my way down to coordinate search and rescue!' I mean, honestly, how do you even--"

- Captain America, Loki and Thor

In an alternate 2012, after Loki's defeat at the hands of the Avengers in the Battle of New York. Loki was escorted by the Avengers to the first floor of Stark Tower as per the original events of the battle's aftermath, until Alexander Pierce arrived to negotiate the custody of Loki, the Tesseract and the Scepter.

Thor and Tony Stark argued with Pierce, as Thor noted that Loki must be judged by Asgardians, an argument that did not convince Pierce. Suddenly, Stark fell into cardiac arrest, causing Pierce and the Avengers to tend to him. In the ensuing chaos, the confused Loki noticed Ant-Man kicking the briefcase with the Tesseract to Stark from the original timeline. Stark attempted to retrieve the Tesseract, only to be knocked by Hulk while opening the door from the stairway. As for the Tesseract, it slid right to Loki's feet. Taking advantage of the commotion, Loki took the Tesseract and used it to open a portal and escape his confinement. After Thor managed to reboot Stark's Arc Reactor core, he turned his back to see that Loki was already gone. By teleporting away with the Space Stone, Loki created a branched reality on a new timeline.

Personality
"Dear brother, you're becoming predictable. I trust you, you betray me. Round and round in circles we go. See, Loki, life is about... it's about growth. It's about change. But you seem to just want to stay the same. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you'll always be the God of Mischief... but you could be more."

- Thor to Loki

Loki was an ever-scheming individual; the God of Mischief, he meddled in people's lives and even led them to their inevitable deaths as it made him feel powerful, and often used superior ploys or ulterior designs upon his enemies, such as Thor and the Avengers. Compared to his boisterous older brother, he always seemed to be calm, peaceful and quiet, but in truth had the mind of a cold, calculating sociopath and was constantly formulating machinations that would achieve his power and respect that he truly believed he deserves. Other than that, Loki supposedly cared for Thor, consoling him after his coronation was ruined but was stated to be jealous of him his entire life, although no one knew the extent of such jealousy until it was too late. He had a deep hatred of Odin and Thor due to supposedly being the least favored son and constantly rejected by Thor himself. Loki would do anything to humiliate, defeat or hurt Thor, even enslaving the world he cared about and supposedly killing himself.

Part of his bitterness stemmed from the fact that he was a Frost Giant and was intended as a political tool to bring peace between Asgardians and Frost Giants. As such, Loki felt alienated and ashamed since he was a member of a race Asgardians were taught to fear and hate, and the people he thought were his family lied to him about it all his life. Growing up, Loki believed he was an actual prince of Asgard and so genuinely thought he could be King. Loki competed with Thor for Odin's favor, yet once his real parentage was revealed, Loki felt betrayed as he felt a Frost Giant as king was never a feasible possibility. Furthermore, Loki also felt that he was viewed as nothing more than a trophy and tool instead of an actual son by Odin despite all evidence to the contrary.

However, deep down Loki loved his family to some degree. Though his hatred for his brother and father seemed to be unending, he did not share these feelings for his mother Frigga. Upon learning she was killed, Loki acted with rage and destroyed everything within his cell. When confronted by Thor in his imprisonment, he asked genuinely if she suffered as she died and was willing to work with his much-hated brother to kill Malekith. Part of this stemmed from his regret over directing Kurse to Frigga and Jane Foster and upon Svartalfheim he displayed tremendous and uncharacteristic selflessness such as risking his own life to save Foster and Thor while dying in the process. Thor even stated that Loki did indeed die with honor but even this was a ruse as he has usurped the throne of Asgard and captured Odin. Despite his hatred and contempt, Loki had expressed the desire to be Thor's equal and recognized by Odin as the worthy son. He did seem to care about the two to an extent, particularly Odin, calling the guards and looking on in concern when Odin collapsed on the ground, and when hanging onto Thor near the Bifrost, he stated that he wanted to destroy Jotunheim for him. Perhaps, he did love his family deep down as he appeared hesitant to eject Thor out of the Helicarrier, and saved Odin from being murdered by Laufey as he later stated that his death was not his goal, and did not actually kill Odin, but rather imprisoned him on Earth.

But the love he once showed and his more human emotions appeared to be significantly dulled by the time he arrived on Earth, along with the decades of built-up resentment which overshadowed any sliver of humanity Loki might retain. Despite this, however, Loki's time as king of Asgard appeared to have reduced his rivalry with and hatred for Thor and resentment for Odin, as he showed sadness and remorse for Odin's death and even showed visible care for Thor on Sakaar, asking him not to return to Asgard out of possible concern of his adopted brother dying against Hela. He was evidently angry and distraught when Thor ignored his offers to abandon Asgard and join the Grandmaster, saying emotionally that he always had to do it alone. He was also affected when Thor suggested he remain on Sakaar due to his power-hungry nature and seemed saddened when Thor said that their paths had diverged long ago. Ultimately, Loki's newfound love for his brother swayed him to help Thor evacuate the Asgardians, risk his life by personally reviving Surtur, and support Thor's coronation.

He had suppressed his desires for most of his life due to constantly living within Thor's shadow. As such he was capable of presenting himself as timid and meek when in reality he was in possession of supreme megalomaniacal ambitions which he believed he was entitled to more than anyone else, especially Thor whom he viewed as an incompetent fool who would make a terrible King in comparison to himself. As The Other stated, his desires were virtually reminiscent to that of a childish need to always be best; this also made his hatred of Thor an entirely overgrown and impractical sibling rivalry and the entirety of his actions could be intervened as purely attention-seeking, going to horrifying lengths such as the subjugation or destruction of a species, all to impress his father. Indeed, Loki's megalomaniacal desires were foiled by his true objective to stand superior over Thor and crush him completely, proving to Thor that he was his equal and his better, which was all he ever wanted.

As a master of deceit and trickery, Loki utilized his duplicitous nature within combat. Loki was also not above underhanded tactics, such as when Thor offered a hand of peace, Loki deceptively stabbed him in his side. Loki would create feints and appear like running away or surrendering if a fight turned to his disadvantage. For example, when he was at the mercy of Thor on top of the Bifrost Bridge, Loki pathetically begged for his life, yet revealed the act to be just another one of his illusion manipulations and a feint to ambush his brother. However, Loki had a flaw of being arrogant, narcissistic and was in possession of extensive delusions of self-entitlement. This led him into trouble at times as he mocked Hulk within Avengers Tower, calling him a "dull creature" which caused him to be thrashed around like a plaything by the green monster. Later, the same arrogance allowed Doctor Strange sufficient time to teleport Loki away from the New York Sanctum. This overconfidence over his deceptive talents ultimately ended up claiming his life as attempted to smooth talk Thanos into lowering his guard enough to be slain only for the Titan to easily anticipate the attack and inevitable betrayal, having always been the far better deceiver and manipulator, and kill Loki in retaliation.

He had an unfounded superiority over and deep hatred for humans, and this enforced his thinking that he was entitled to rule them; simply because he could, due to mankind's history of following people with power, Loki simply believed that they would view him as a benevolent dictator instead. Added to this, Loki firmly believed that freedom was life's great lie and that no-one was truly free and everyone was oppressed in some way. He went as far to say that humans were created only to be subjugated by superior men and that they craved to have a ruler, claiming that they would be lost and their lives effectively pointless without one to give them their identity. He mocked Thor for his compassion towards humanity and him enslaving Earth would be nothing less than a petty, spiteful attack towards his older brother.

For many years, Loki had no respect for his real heritage and would often contradict himself within this area to whatever situation would require it better. After learning that Laufey was in actuality his biological father, he did not even mention this to him on Jotunheim and later murdered him when he attempted to kill Odin. He called the Frost Giants a "race of monsters" despite already knowing that he was a member of the race himself before unleashing the full power of the Bifrost upon their planet. Effectively ending the war which Thor started and having saved Odin's life, he believed would be paraded as a hero as he apparently could not see the logic that ending an entire race would only make Odin disgust him further. Since learning that he was the son of Laufey, Loki stated that Thor was not his brother at all, ignoring the years that they grew up together entirely and threw this in his face twice. When hanging over the Bifrost, though, he referred to him as "brother", despite having previously disowned him only a few minutes earlier, though this was soon revealed to be an illusion, and another trick to use against Thor. Likewise, after being transported to Earth by the Tesseract he claimed himself as "Loki of Asgard" but on Svartalfheim before the Dark Elves, proclaimed himself "Loki of Jotunheim".

The Battle of New York traumatized Loki, since his defeats at the hands of the Hulk left him terrified about the creature, to the extent of trying to leave Sakaar upon discovering that Hulk was the champion of their Contest of Champions. Despite this, Loki showed to be capable of using him, as when he, Thor and Valkyrie plotted how to get Thor out of Sakaar, Loki suggested to use Hulk. When the Statesman came under attack by Thanos, however, the two had formed enough of a partnership to improvise a coordinated attack on the Mad Titan. Indeed Bruce Banner would later insist on referring to the New York invasion as Thanos' doing instead of Loki's, emphasizing how the two had come to terms.

Shortly after Odin died and Thor learned the truth about Hela and how Asgard really rose to power, Loki genuinely felt sympathetic towards Thor as he had just found out that everything he knew was false, much like how Loki himself did after finding out he was a Frost Giant. After the destruction of Asgard, Loki and Thor seem to have fully reconciled. However, Loki still kept some of his mischiefs as he stole the Tesseract from Odin's Vault before Asgard’s destruction. Ultimately, though, seeing Thanos on the brink of killing Thor, Loki gave up the Tesseract, despite the fact that it allowed the Titan to be one step closer to conquering the universe, showing his love for his brother had now far surpassed any desire for power that Loki had, but Loki did so in an attempt to assassinate Thanos. Unfortunately for Loki, Thanos easily anticipated this and killed him.

An often remarked flaw of Loki's was that he not only lacked conviction but often failed to appreciate the long term consequences his actions might have as stated by Phil Coulson and Iron Man shortly before the Battle of New York. This was seen again following his usurping of Odin's throne as his decadent leadership caused most of the Nine Realms to fall into chaos and unintentionally precipitated Hela's release. This period of total power had also given him a sense of complacency to the point where most everyone he came across had come to anticipate all of his potential tricks and betrayals. Indeed, Thor openly mocking this attitude was a deciding factor in Loki's decision to reform his ways and genuinely aid his people.

In the final moments of his life, Loki displayed that he had truly come to accept both his Asgardian heritage and his Frost Giant parentage, proudly identifying himself as "Odinson" and the "rightful king of Jotunheim". Though having lived in fear of Thanos since their first meeting, Loki selflessly attempted to slay the Titan in spite of his power and entourage, showing he had truly redeemed himself. When Thanos effortlessly parried the attack and began choking Loki to death, Loki not only accepted his fate but remained openly defiant, mocking Thanos that he would never achieve true godhood. In the end, Loki died doing what many believed he would never do: display open care for others and reconcile with and accept his lineage.

Powers and Abilities
As a Frost Giant, Loki possessed superhuman attributes such as abnormal strength, speed, agility, durability, stamina, and reflexes and had been shown to be a powerful combatant. He learned to use Asgardian sorcery from Frigga, which, in addition to his cunning, manipulative and strategic mind, made Loki one of the most dangerous foes an individual could ever face in battle.

Powers
"This guy packs a wallop."

- Captain America

Frost Giant Physiology: Since Loki had been enchanted to look like an Asgardian, Loki's Frost Giant features only came out when he was in contact with Frost Giant magic, such as when he utilized the Casket of Ancient Winters or when he was afflicted with the Frost Giants' touch. "A master of magic could bring three Jotuns into Asgard."
 * Superhuman Strength: Loki possessed considerable superhuman strength, and thus he had overpowered humans, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and the enhanced human Captain America with little effort, had easily defeated multiple Frost Giants, Dark Elves and Berserkers, effortlessly lifted Tony Stark off his feet, and even handled an Infinity Stone without being harmed. However, Loki's strength is still outclassed by that of Hulk, his adopted brother Thor, and Thanos. Although he was able to fight Valkyrie on nearly equal grounds by matching her strength with his own skill, speed, and agility before she overpowered him, he was completely unable to resist Thanos, who effortlessly overpowered and lifted him off his feet with no strain even as Loki struggled to break free. He was also unable to fight Hulk, who effortlessly lifted him off his feet and repeatedly pummeled and defeated him within seconds. When wielding the Scepter, which contained an Infinity Stone, and Gungnir, Loki managed to go toe-to-toe with a Mjolnir-wielding Thor in a fight, albeit he was ultimately defeated even when Thor was holding back.
 * Superhuman Durability: Loki has shown himself to be extremely durable to injuries, further augmented by his armor. Hence, Loki only flinched after getting shot in the face with a handgun and was not at all affected by assault rifle rounds to his torso. Loki also barely reacted to a jab to the face from Captain America, and even a full force kick to the face from the latter that made Loki stumble back, only hurt him slightly. However, sufficiently powerful weapons, such as Iron Man's repulsors, Hawkeye's explosive arrows, and a deflected shot from his own Scepter, were at least able to cause Loki pain and leave minor marks. Loki's durability was implied to be far greater than that of a normal Frost Giant, as he was able to take multiple mighty blows from Valkyrie, and even Hulk and Thor without any fatal damage. In addition, as a Frost Giant, Loki was immune to the extreme cold of Jotunheim. He also managed to safely touch the Tesseract without being harmed and even endure Thanos's grip on his neck long enough to defiantly threaten him that he will never be a god, although he quickly died. However, Loki's endurance and durability were shown to be considerably lesser than that of Thor, as seen when Loki was completely wiped out by Hulk's attack, yet Thor managed to recover from the same attack moments later, without any visible injuries and this was later shown when Thor survived being badly beaten and even having his head squeezed by Thanos while Loki was easily killed by Thanos when he snapped his neck without any effort. He could also survive in the vacuum of space unfazed.
 * Superhuman Speed: Loki's lack of strength compared to his brother is compensated for his speed; he was fast enough to catch Hawkeye's arrow in mid-flight, inches away from his neck. He also used his speed in his fight against Captain America, during which he easily gained the upper hand, at one point even smashing Captain America's Shield to the ground. Loki's speed even allowed him to contend with stronger opponents, such as Valkyrie and Thor, by outmaneuvering them, though he still ultimately lost such fights and Thor was holding back against Loki each and every time they fought and once Loki angered his brother in their second fight, Thor was able to easily catch Loki off-guard and beat him without Loki being able to react, implying Loki's speed is inferior to Thor when Thor held nothing back.
 * Superhuman Agility: Loki had shown immense agility and reflexes, defeating several Dark Elves at once by using swift and agile movements, and keeping up with the stronger Valkyrie for the majority of their fight with his agility, though Loki was ultimately defeated and chained up, as well as going toe-to-toe with Thor, albeit Thor was holding back, despite the latter's own great agility and fighting ability, in both of their fights.
 * Superhuman Stamina: Loki possessed superhuman stamina that allowed him to fight prolonged battles, such as the Battle of Jotunheim, Battle of New York, the Second Dark Elf Conflict, or the Siege of Asgard. His muscles produced practically no fatigue toxins during physical activity compared to those of humans. His incredible stamina enabled him to exert himself at peak capacity for an undefined period of time without tiring at all.
 * Regenerative Healing Factor: Despite his astounding resistance to injury, it was still possible to injure or even kill Loki. However, due to his Frost Giant physiology, Loki healed at a rate much faster than that of humans. Hence, Loki was quickly recovered back on his feet even after being brutally smashed multiple times against the ground by Hulk.
 * Longevity: Loki had the capacity to live for thousands of years. Loki was a baby at the end of the last great war between the Asgardians and the Jotuns, over a thousand years ago.
 * Cold Immunity: Due to his Frost Giant physiology, Loki was immune to the otherwise cold and damaging touch of Frost Giants. In fact both a Frost Giant's touch and him either using or even touching the Casket of Ancient Winters, would reveal his true form as a Frost Giant.

- Hogun

Master Sorcerer: Loki learned how to wield Asgardian magic while growing up in Asgard, thanks to his adoptive mother Frigga. He eventually became an extremely skilled and formidable sorcerer, with it being his main asset in battle, though other exceptionally skilled sorcerers, like Doctor Strange could contend with him. Even Odin was impressed by Loki's magical skills and noted that Frigga would have been proud of him. "Are you ever not going to fall for that?"

- Loki to Thor


 * Illusion Manipulation: Loki could generate extremely realistic holographic projections, sometimes with a gesture, which he has used to create illusions. He was particularly noted to fool enemies who try to attack him with an illusion of himself. These projections cannot interact with the environment and when someone attempts to interact with it, they will phase through it and the projections will give a green glow around wherever it was touched. Thor was noted to fall for this ability numerous times. Loki can even produce multiple images of himself appear simultaneously during a duel with Thor before the latter blasted them away with a blast of lightning. His holographic illusions could be projected across entire rooms, which allowed him to disguise the fact that he was disheveled and had destroyed his cell in the Asgardian Dungeons in anger over Frigga's death, though Thor was able to deduce the illusion quickly. However, Loki most notably conjured up the extremely convincing illusion of him seemingly dying from a wound inflicted by Kurse. He may have used this ability to speak to Thor when the latter was imprisoned by Phil Coulson after failing to pick up his hammer, instantly appearing in and then disappearing from the sealed room Thor was kept in.
 * Presence Concealment: Loki was able to render himself and others unseen and unheard to whomever he wanted. Instead of letting light waves pass through himself, it was simply a trick of the mind, similar to hypnosis. He could even mask his presence from the all-seeing Heimdall himself while he was in Jotunheim, sneak several Frost Giants into Asgard without Heimdall's notice, and hide from S.H.I.E.L.D. agents when he briefly visited Thor and attempted to lift Mjølnir himself. Also, he appeared as a reflection in a mirror without being present in a room, while no one noticed him, as he even spoke aloud and neither Erik Selvig nor Nick Fury heard him.
 * Shapeshifting: Loki also can alter his attire, his voice and his physical appearance in order to resemble another person or animal. When Loki uses this power on an entire person, the light generated is green, whereas if it is used on only part of a person or their clothing, the light appears yellow. He used this power to change his clothing from his usual armor to a human's business suit, and back to his battle armor. He was also capable of imitating Thor, Captain America, Odin, and an anonymous Asgardian guard. Loki's shapeshifting was so skilled that even as a child, he was able to transform himself into a snake to trick Thor, with his disguise being convincing enough to allow Thor to pick him up and hold him without arousing suspicion. He can also change others appearances as he briefly turned Thor into a frog as well as making him look like Lady Sif, and later on, to appear as if he had been stabbed, beaten and missing a hand when tricking Malekith into thinking that he had attacked Thor. Loki's shapeshifting also allowed him to generate weapons and armor as well, such as when he turned himself into an Asgardian Guard, he generated a spear and armor. Loki also used this power to generate a dagger in an attempt to assassinate Thanos.
 * Mental Manipulation: Loki could subtly influence the minds of others, such as when he manipulated Erik Selvig into researching the Tesseract, making him repeat his words and thoughts as if they were his own. Later, Loki was even able to cast such a spell on Odin himself, which induced the All-Father to stay on Midgard while Loki usurped his Asgardian throne for four years, though it should be noted that the spell's effects were ultimately not permanent and Odin was able to break the spell shortly before Ragnarök, and only choose to remain in exile due to his impending death. Loki's illusions could also take the form of entire vivid visions, such as when he notably forced Valkyrie to relive her day of defeat against Hela by placing his hand on her head.
 * Conjuration: When Heimdall was about to attack him, Loki quickly summoned the Casket of Ancient Winters to use against him, then made it disappear with a wave of his hands. He also appeared to be able to summon his dual daggers out of thin air when threatening Doctor Strange. Later, he used this ability to summon a dagger to throw at Hela while in the Bifrsot. Finally, he used this ability to make the Tesseract appear in his hand when presenting it to Thanos.
 * Telekinesis: Loki was able to move and influence objects through will alone, akin to generating immense concussive force. During Loki, Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three's skirmish with the Frost Giants, Loki used his telekinesis to amplify the force behind the daggers he threw, allowing them to easily shatter their shields and weapons. Upon hearing about Frigga's death, Loki, in a fury, clenched his fists and sent everything around the cell flying through the air and crashing into the walls, which also shook the cell violently like a small tremor, causing the light in it to flicker like an electromagnetic pulse.

Abilities
"You lied to me; I'm impressed."
 * Genius-Level Intellect: Loki was very intelligent, particularly in the fields of sorcery, tactics, manipulation, and deception, ranking as among the most intelligent individuals in the universe, being highly formidable even without using his powers or combat skills but simply through sheer intelligence, although while holding incredible intelligence, he was still way surpassed by someone as intelligent as Thanos's, with the latter thus easily completely deceiving and manipulating Loki into becoming his henchmen without him even realizing it for a long time and Loki would ultimately meet his true end when he attempted to fool and kill Thanos, who easily outsmarted Loki yet again, casually deflecting Loki's assassination attempt and then killing him without Loki being able to use his intelligence to survive the encounter. Also, Loki was initially noticeably superior to Thor in intelligence, repeatedly outsmarting him, but Thor would eventually manage to anticipate and outsmart Loki. Hence, despite lacking scientific expertise, he was able to understand and eventually utilize alien technologies with great proficiency, such as when he used a Midgard eye remover on Heinrich Schafer, when learned to use the control console that controlled the cage on Nick Fury's Helicarrier, and when he piloted both a Chitauri and Sakaaran airships. One of Loki's biggest achievements was successfully outsmarting and killing the almost invincible and vastly stronger Kurse, whom Loki tricked into letting him get close enough to activate his opponent's own Black Hole Grenade, a strategy which neither Kurse saw through until it was too late or Thor had thought of who unsuccessfully attempted to beat him hand-to-hand.

- Loki to Thor

"Look, why don't you let me take over? I'm clearly the better pilot."
 * Master Tactician: Loki is a crafty genius in orchestrating cunning schemes, that had earned him the title of 'God of Mischief'. Hence, Loki successfully orchestrated the events that lead to the banishment and death of Thor, by making Laufey and the Frost Giants attack Asgard during Thor's coronation, only to betray them and gain Asgard's throne. He later allowed himself to be captured by the Avengers and had his brainwashed ally Hawkeye attack Nick Fury's Helicarrier, and provoke the Hulk into a rage, thereby freeing himself and separating the superhero team. Later, Loki helped Thor in the latter's attempt to destroy the Reality Stone by pretending to betray him in full view of Malekith and Kurse, thereby momentarily gaining the Dark Elves' trust. Shortly thereafter, Loki successfully faked his own death, cast a hypnosis spell against Odin, and finally usurped the Asgardian throne for four years. After later being marooned on Sakaar, Loki managed to gain the Grandmaster's trust with relative ease. However, his incredible tactical abilities are still far surpassed by Thanos, as the latter was able to easily anticipate Loki's attempt to assassinate him and then successfully finish him off for good.
 * Expert Combatant: While Loki was far more interested in sorcery than Asgardian warrior arts, he had still proven to have received highly extensive combat training that makes him a surprisingly formidable fighter in both armed and hand-to-hand combat. His skills had allowed him to effortlessly defeat and kill several S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives in mere seconds, to easily kill several Frost Giants in Jotunheim, to easily slay multiple Dark Elves at once, using only a dagger, to defeat many Berserkers, and to roughly overpower the extremely skilled Captain America in a duel, although the latter proved to have more combat skills than that of his own. He has even been able to hold his own well against the stronger Valkyrie (through his superior agility), and even Thor on several occasions, who were among the most skilled warriors in Asgard's history, though Thor later admitted to having held back against his adopted brother.
 * Spear Mastery: Loki was extremely skilled in fighting with a spear, as he was able to contend with Thor using Mjølnir wielding Gungnir in their ferocious duel. He also wielded the Scepter with devastating efficiency, effortlessly killing many S.H.I.E.L.D operatives and once again going toe-to-toe with Thor using his hammer.
 * Knife Mastery: Loki was highly proficient with knives, able to easily kill several Frost Giants and Dark Elves with a single dagger.

- Loki to Thor


 * Pilot: Loki was a capable pilot, claiming to be better than Thor, able to effectively fly numerous alien spaceships, including a Chitauri Chariot, an Asgardian Skiff and the Commodore by himself.
 * Expert Marksman: Loki was a skilled marksman who could wield different types of weapons with great accuracy. After being given the Scepter by Thanos, Loki used it to fire energy blasts with devastating accuracy. During the Destruction of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. and the Battle of New York Loki shot air crafts out of the sky with only one shot using the Scepter. Loki was also skilled in knife throwing. During the Attack on Jotunheim and Destruction of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Loki killed several Frost Giants and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents by throwing knives at them. Loki was able to gun down several Sakaaran Guards with a Sakaaran Laser Rifle with little effort during the Escape from Sakaar despite not being known to use a gun.

Weapons
"You could at least furnish me with a weapon. My dagger, something."

- Loki to Thor

"Ensure my brother does not return."
 * Blades: In battle, Loki often used knives or daggers to injure and kill his enemies, though he was also proficient with a spear. He once had throwing blades that glowed when in use, which allowed him to kill attacking Frost Giants with a single throw. He used what appeared to be the throwing blades to kill S.H.I.E.L.D. agents when he first came for the Tesseract. As for the Second Dark Elf Conflict, he was seen using a single dagger to kill multiple Dark Elves. Loki also used a dagger during his attempt to assassinate Thanos.
 * Gungnir: When taking over the throne, Loki was seen wielding Odin's spear, which could fire intense beams of energy that could kill easily mortals or Frost Giants, and injure Asgardians.
 * Casket of Ancient Winters: Loki took possession of the Casket during his brief rule over Asgard, demonstrating being able to make it appear and then disappear into thin air in a warped, swirling blur of motion, as seen when he used the casket to freeze Heimdall. He then seemed to access its freezing energy to freeze the Bifrost Bridge in an attempt to destroy Jotunheim.

- Loki to Destroyer


 * Destroyer: In an attempt to destroy Thor and ensure that his schemes were not exposed, Loki summoned the Destroyer and sent it down to Puente Antiguo to kill his brother. Loki controlled the Destroyer while sat on his throne within the Asgardian Palace and ordered it to kill Thor by striking his mortal body, however, this inadvertently proved Thor to be worthy and allowed him to regain his powers, resulting in Thor obliterating the Destroyer.
 * Scepter: When arriving at Earth for the second time, Loki wielded the Scepter, given to him by Thanos that was capable of firing destructive energy bolts, as it contained the Mind Stone. By touching the scepter to the chest of a person, Loki was capable of twisting the person's loyalties towards him while retaining their normal personality, doing so to both Hawkeye and Erik Selvig upon his arrival.
 * Tesseract: The Tesseract is a crystalline cube-shaped containment vessel for the Space Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones that predate the universe and possesses unlimited energy. Loki used the Tesseract to open a wormhole and allow the Chitauri to invade New York City. Following the Battle of New York, the Tesseract was acquired by Loki's brother Thor, who brought the Tesseract back with him to Asgard. After Loki usurped the throne and disguised himself as Odin, he charged Heimdall with treason, forcing the gatekeeper to flee, while the Tesseract was placed within Odin's vault once more. During the destruction of Asgard, Loki noticed the Tesseract and took it for himself before the vault, along with the planet, were destroyed. Loki later lost the Tesseract to Thanos who destroyed it to obtain the Space Stone.
 * Black Hole Grenade: The Black Hole Grenade is a weapon mainly used by the Dark Elves that creates a miniature gravitational singularity. This weapon type was used again in the infiltration of Svartalfheim, where Loki planted one on Algrim that was likely held by Algrim prior to that event, killing him in the process.
 * Sakaaran Laser Rifle: Loki and Thor used these rifles to fight the Grandmaster's guards during their escape plot.

Other Equipment
"Do you know what this is?" "Oh, the skull of Surtur. That's a formidable weapon."
 * Asgardian Armor: To be added
 * Horned Helmet: To be added
 * Asgardian Collar: To be added

- Thor and Loki


 * Crown of Surtur: Following the defeat of Surtur, Loki was brought the crown of the Fire Demon by Thor while Loki was still disguised as Odin, although Loki mistook the Crown for being Surtur's skull. During their battle against Hela, Loki was personally tasked by Thor with taking the crown down into Odin's Vault and combining it with the Eternal Flame, allowing Surtur to be reborn and destroy both Asgard and Hela.
 * Eternal Flame: Seeking a way to destroy Hela once and for all before she enslaved the Nine Realms, Loki combined the Eternal Flame with the Crown of Surtur, allowing the Fire Demon to be reborn and destroy Hela, along with all of Asgard while Loki and the Asgardians made their escape.

Vehicles
"If it was easy, everyone would do it."
 * Jeep: During the Destruction of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., Loki stole the Tesseract and brainwashed Clint Barton and Erik Selvig into serving him. The three of them fled the scene in a Jeep they stole with Loki sitting in the back.
 * Chitauri Chariot: In an attempt to escape from Thor in the middle of the Battle of New York, Loki caught a ride on a Chitauri Chariot, which he rode throughout New York City, firing down on the innocent people below him. When Loki attempted to shoot down Black Widow, who had also caught a ride on a Chariot, Loki was then shot at by Hawkeye, only for the arrow to explode, destroying the Chariot and injuring Loki.
 * Dark Elf Harrow: Loki along with Thor and Jane Foster commandeered an abandoned Harrow left behind by the Dark Elves following Malekith's attack on Asgard. The three of them used the ship to reach the city's outer limits before switching to an Asgardian Skiff.

- Loki to Thor

"We're gonna get outta here on that big spaceship. Wanna come?" "Well, it seems that you are in dire need of leadership."
 * Asgardian Skiff: While escaping from the Asgardian Dungeons with Thor, Loki was pushed out of a Dark Elf Harrow and onboard a Skiff which was being piloted by Fandral. Loki then took up the controls of the Skiff and piloted it through a portal which led himself, Thor and Jane Foster into Svartalfheim.

- Korg and Loki


 * Statesman: During the Escape from Sakaar, Loki had encountered Korg along with the other members of the Sakaaran Rebellion and together they stole the Statesman, which they used to get to Asgard and assist with the evacuation of the Asgardians before they could all be slaughtered by Hela, however, the Statesmen was later attacked and destroyed by Thanos.
 * Commodore: As time ran out during their clash against Hela, Loki was tasked with resurrecting Surtur to end the battle, so Loki took the Grandmaster's Commodore in order to get inside the Asgardian Palace as quickly as possible to complete his task. When Surtur was resurrected, Loki escaped the dying Asgard in the Commodore, eventually finding and docking with the Statesman.

Facilities

 * Asgardian Palace: As a Prince of Asgard, Loki resided in the Asgardian Palace along with the other members of the Asgardian Royal Family. During his time as King of Asgard, both when Odin fell into the Odinsleep and when Loki impersonated Odin himself, Loki got to seat in the palace's throne room to rule over Asgard.
 * Loki's Hideout: Having stolen the Tesseract from S.H.I.E.L.D. and enthralled several operatives, including Clint Barton, into his service, Loki established a hideout on Earth to harness the powers of the Tesseract and open a portal for his Chitauri army to come and launch their invasion.
 * Grandmaster Palace: Upon arriving on Sakaar, Loki befriended the planet's ruler known as the Grandmaster, who invited him to stay on Sakaar in his luxurious residence. Weeks later, while enjoying a party given at the palace, Loki discovered that his brother Thor had also been sent on Sakaar by Hela. Initially, Loki was willing to help the Grandmaster capture Thor, but later joined the Revengers in an attempt to escape from Sakaar. Loki tried to betray Thor once again, but Thor outsmarted him and left him in the palace's garage, where Loki was later found by the members of the Sakaaran Rebellion.

Prisons

 * Asgardian Dungeons: As punishment for the devastation he had caused on Earth, Loki was imprisoned in the Asgardian Dungeons by Odin. Loki did not share his cell with any other prisoner and was supposed to remain in custody for the rest of his life. When a prison break was orchestrated by Kurse, Loki was not released and remained reading in his cell while the Einherjar fought the prisoners. However, Loki was informed that Frigga had died, causing him to lay waste on the furniture in his cell. Loki was freed by Thor who needed his assistance to go to Svartalfheim.

Family

 * Laufey † - Father and Victim
 * Asgardian Royal Family
 * Buri † - Adoptive Great-Grandfather
 * Bor † - Adoptive Grandfather
 * Odin † - Adoptive Father
 * Frigga † - Adoptive Mother
 * Hela † - Adoptive Sister and Attempted Killer
 * Thor - Adoptive Brother and Former Attempted Victim

Allies

 * Asgardians - Former Subordinates
 * Heimdall † - Former Enemy
 * Skurge/Executioner †
 * Loki (Fiction)
 * Odin (Fiction)
 * Thor (Fiction)
 * Jane Foster (Fiction)
 * Sif (Fiction)
 * Volstagg (Fiction)
 * Fandral (Fiction)
 * Hogun (Fiction)
 * The Other †
 * Chitauri - Former Subordinates
 * Leviathans
 * Jane Foster - Situational Ally
 * Revengers - Former Teammates
 * Bruce Banner/Hulk - Former Enemy
 * Brunnhilde/Valkyrie - Former Enemy
 * Sakaaran Rebellion
 * Korg
 * Miek
 * Biff
 * Tasba
 * Roscoe †
 * Hajo †

Enemies

 * Frost Giants - Temporary Allies
 * Hailstrum †
 * Grundroth †
 * Raze † - Victim
 * Sif - Temporary Ally
 * Warriors Three - Temporary Allies
 * Volstagg †
 * Fandral †
 * Hogun †
 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Nick Fury
 * Maria Hill
 * Phil Coulson † - Victim
 * Galaga Guy
 * Erik Selvig - Former Thrall
 * Heinrich Schäfer † - Victim
 * German Old Man - Attempted Victim
 * Avengers
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Attempted Victim
 * Tony Stark/Iron Man † - Attempted Victim
 * Clint Barton/Hawkeye - Former Thrall and Attempted Killer
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow † - Attempted Victim
 * HYDRA
 * Alexander Pierce †
 * Jasper Sitwell †
 * Brock Rumlow †
 * Jack Rollins
 * Einherjar
 * Einherjar Guard † - Victim
 * Dark Elves
 * Malekith † - Attempted Killer
 * Kurse † - Attempted Killer and Victim
 * Lorelei
 * Vin-Tak
 * Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange
 * Grandmaster - Former Ally
 * Sakaaran Guards
 * Topaz †
 * Fenris †
 * Berserkers †
 * Surtur †
 * Thanos † - Former Master, Attempted Victim and Killer
 * Black Order
 * Ebony Maw †
 * Cull Obsidian †
 * Proxima Midnight †
 * Corvus Glaive †
 * Avengers (alternate timeline)
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America (alternate timeline)
 * Tony Stark/Iron Man † (alternate timeline)
 * Scott Lang/Ant-Man (alternate timeline)

Trivia

 * In the non-canon comic Captain America & Thor: Avengers!, Loki helps his friends to free Fandral who is captured by the Dark Elves led by Alflyse.
 * Loki is also one of two characters to be the main villain in more than one film, the other being Thanos.

Behind the Scenes

 * Tom Hiddleston, the actor who portrays Loki, originally auditioned for the role of Thor.
 * Loki is the first Marvel Cinematic Universe villain to appear in multiple films in the franchise, not counting appearances through photographs and archive footage.
 * Loki's death in Thor: The Dark World was initially intended to be genuine and permanent, having been part of the initial pitch. However, during test screenings, the audience refused to believe that Loki had died and was sure he would somehow return, leading the filmmakers to reshoot the ending for one in which Loki survives.
 * Tom Hiddleston originally filmed scenes for Avengers: Age of Ultron, in which Loki's Scepter plays a pivotal role. However, Hiddleston's scenes ended up being cut when Joss Whedon felt that the movie would be overstuffed.
 * Tom Hiddleston stated that as the ruler of Asgard since the end of Thor: The Dark World, four years prior to the events of Thor: Ragnarok, that "Loki has devoted most of his efforts to narcissistic self-glorification. Not so much on good governance".
 * Paul Lacovara, Mark Musashi, Douglas Robson, Harley Durst and Adam Lytle were stunt doubles for Tom Hiddleston in the role of Loki.
 * Brent Reichert and Freddie Andrews were stand-ins for Tom Hiddleston in the role of Loki.
 * Gene Arnold was a photo double for Tom Hiddleston in the role of Loki.
 * Thomas Wisdom was a reader for the role of Loki in Avengers: Endgame.