Loki

"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help. What makes you think you can trust me?" "I don't. Mother did. You should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with a glimmer of hope that my brother is still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me and I will kill you." "When do we start?"

- Loki and Thor

Loki is the son of Laufey, the ruler of the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, but, shortly after his birth, he was abandoned and left to die. Found by the Asgardian king Odin, Loki was raised by Odin and his wife Frigga as the Asgardian prince, along with their biological son Thor. When he grew up, he became known as the "god of mischief".

When Loki learned the truth about his father, he made a plan to force Odin to banish Thor so he could become next in line to the throne. The first part of his plan worked well, but Thor returned from his exile on Earth and ended Loki's reign of terror. Lost in the universe, Loki made a deal with The Other, a servant of Thanos, who gave him command over their army of the Chitauri to conquer Earth.

Once he came to Earth, Loki managed to take possession of the mystical Tesseract, but he was ultimately defeated by a group of superheroes called the Avengers. Thor returned him to Asgard, where Odin condemned him to spend the rest of his life in prison.

However, Loki was later freed by his brother in order to defeat the Dark Elves and their leader, Malekith. During the fight against the Dark Elves in Svartalfheim, Loki faked his death, and, unbeknownst to everyone, removed Odin from the throne of Asgard and took his place.

Early Life
"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 in a temple to die. In 965, not long after the war between the Giants and the Asgardians, Loki was found by Odin. Adopting Loki and using sorcery to alter his appearance to make him resemble 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. Lacking interest in Asgardian warrior arts, Loki took an interest in sorcery. Frigga, who was a lot closer to Loki than Odin was, taught Loki everything she knew on sorcery, and he eventually became an expert in those arts.

Loki's jealousy of Thor and eagerness to win Odin's appreciation slowly altered Loki's personality for the worse. Where he was once aloof and carefree, Loki slowly became ambitious, going to great lengths to achieve greatness without any thought or care on the consequences.

Thor's Coronation and Banishment
"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

Loki was present when Thor was supposed to ascend the throne, only to be interrupted by Frost Giants that broke into Asgard. Afterward, Loki followed the enraged Thor, along with Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, to Jotunheim to seek answers. They then engaged in a battle against the Frost Giants. Loki discovered that he is unharmed by making physical contact with the Frost Giants, unlike Volstagg. After they were cornered, Odin arrived and took the group back to Asgard, where Odin banishes Thor to Earth.

Learning His True Heritage
"Loki, you must go to the All-Father and convince him to change his mind." "And if I do, then what? 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?"

- Sif and Loki

Loki later confronted Odin over his sudden change on Jotunheim, discovering his true heritage. Distraught, Loki berated Odin in denial, accusing him of using him as a tool for peace. Odin, overcome with stress over the recent dilemmas, fell into the deep Odinsleep.

Revenge on Thor
"Loki, this is madness!" "Is it madness? Is it? IS IT? I don't know what happened on Earth to make you so soft! Don't tell me it was that woman?... Oh, it was. Well, when we're done here, maybe I'll pay her a visit myself!"

- Thor and Loki

With Odin temporarily rendered comatose, Loki took the throne in his place. In spite of this, he refused to take back Thor's banishment. He visited Laufey to allow him to go to Asgard to kill Odin and to take the Casket of Ancient Winters back, which Odin stole from the Frost Giants before. He also paid Thor a visit on Earth to say that Odin had died in order to keep him unmotivated. After learning that the Warriors Three and Lady Sif went to Earth, he sent The Destroyer to pursue and destroy them, and was successful until Thor got his powers back. Loki then showed Laufey the way to Odin. Just as Laufey was about to kill Odin, Loki betrayed and killed his cold-hearted father. Thor arrived in Asgard just as Loki was going to destroy Jotunheim. The brothers fought until Thor destroyed the Bifrost Bridge, only for both of them to be saved at the last minute by Odin, who woke from his Odinsleep. Loki, devastated by Odin's repudiation of his actions, lets go of Thor on purpose and falls into the abyss made by the destruction of the Bifrost Bridge.

New Alliance
"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

After falling through the Wormhole, Loki arrived in a part of the universe unknown to both the Asgardians and humans called Chitauri Space and came into contact with the Other, a servant of Thanos, who offered a pact that would allow him to become ruler of the Earth while Thanos and the Chitauri would take the Tesseract which was left on Earth and being studied by S.H.I.E.L.D., so Thanos gave Loki ancient knowledge through the powers of the Tesseract, providing him with a golden bladed staff with a blue gem that was powered by the cube itself. It acted as a very powerful weapon, and also as a mind control device, bending those who were touched by the gem's power to its will. Unbeknownst to Loki, while he could use it to puppeteer the minds of others, he himself was also being influenced by the Tesseract's will, the staff's power turning his green eyes crystal blue as long as he wielded it. He was still able to keep his mind and not become a mere puppet, but the grip it had on him fueled his hatred and desire to bring harm to humanity and his brother, Thor, beyond what they were. Thanos shows Loki how to temporarily control someone while still on the planet. Erik Selvig is taken to S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, where Nick Fury shows him a source of "unlimited power" and asks if he wants to study it. Loki influences Selvig to ensure that he agrees.

One year later still in Thanos planet, Frigga, Loki's adoptive mother, finds out that he survived and tries to make contact with him, but Loki tells her its not the time to talk.

Arrival on Earth
"We have no quarrel with your people." "An ant has no quarrel with a boot."

- Nick Fury and Loki

Accepting the deal without fear of failure, Loki turned his focus back to Earth in search of a suitable agent, someone close to the Tesseract. He found Erik Selvig, a friend of Thor's and a renowned astrophysicist, who had been summoned to the task of unlocking the secrets of the mysterious cube.

In time, Selvig came to understand some of the Tesseract's capabilities, and through Loki's influence he developed equipment that would focus some of that power. When the time was right, Loki activated the Tesseract, forming a temporary portal that pulled him through to its location on Earth, the main facility of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.. He was immediately confronted by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who fired guns at him only to learn that bullets bounced off of his body. Nick Fury attempted to keep him away from the Tesseract after, but Loki managed to use the Chitauri Scepter to subjugate and control Hawkeye and Selvig, as well as a number of other agents by placing the tip of the scepter at their chest near their heart and allowing the power of the gem to overtake them. He explained to Nick Fury that he wanted the Tesseract as part of his 'glorious purpose' which was to free the Earth and humanity from 'freedom... life's great lie' as their one supreme king.

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 after attempting to kill Fury, avoiding Maria Hill's attempt to stop them. The energy it had unleashed consumed the area and the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. compound with it.

Getting the Last Part to the Portal
"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing." "The soldier. A man out of time." "I'm not the one who's out of time."

- Captain America and Loki

After securing an area to determine the next course of action for the cube, 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 in a metaphysical form.

The Other warned Loki that if he failed at his pursuit of Earth and the Tesseract did not fall into their hands to be given to Thanos, that there would be no place for him to hide from the overlord's wrath and that he would beg for something as sweet as pain. Now unsettled about potential failure and more determined than ever, Loki went to Stuttgart, Germany with Hawkeye and other turned agents in order to retrieve Iridium, necessary to stabilize the portal.

Here he disrupted a gala at a large museum while Barton raided a secure installation for Iridium. Loki struck terror into the hearts of patrons and guests by securing the one thing needed for Hawkeye to breach the iridium lock's security measures: Dr. Heinrich Schafer's eyeball. 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. Loki bragged that this was man's purpose, but a single man challenged him and his intentions. When Loki prepared to kill the old man, Captain America appeared and challenged him. Seconds later, the Quinjet carrying Black Widow also challenged him from the sky. After a brief battle with the super-soldier, during which Loki had the upper hand, Iron Man arrived and threatened to fire upon Loki, daring him to make a move. Realizing that the Avengers have been assembled, he allowed himself to be captured, secretly plotting to use this to his advantage.

Captured
"I've seen worlds you've never known about! I have grown, Odin's Son, in my exile! I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it..." "Who showed you this power?"

- Loki and Thor

As they journeyed to the Helicarrier, Thor arrived and extracted Loki from the jet. Thor attempted to reason with Loki, imploring him to remember that they were brothers (even if not by blood) and to return home to Asgard and surrender the Tesseract. Loki, however, still resented his brother, and refused to cooperate. Thor was tackled by Iron Man before he could say any more, and Loki remained on his perch as he watched them battle before agreeing to ally themselves. They took him into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody aboard the Helicarrier, where he was placed in a confinement capsule designed to hold the Hulk.

Loki taunted Nick Fury about his attempts to control the Tesseract and his gathering of misfits to defend Earth. Loki's mere presence was enough to provide a disruptive element that would fragment the only group of heroes that had any hope of stopping him. When Black Widow arrived to speak with him, apparently to offer a deal in exchange for Hawkeye's freedom, he subjected her to a play of wits where he ferreted out her deeper misgivings, but was completely caught off guard when the spy 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 he had planned to use the Hulk to destroy the ship and the heroes as well. However Loki's plan to use the Hulk, only one aspect of his real intentions, did follow through as another jet carrying Hawkeye and the rogue agents came to his aide, following a signal from the scepter. The wounded Banner transformed into the Hulk, destroying much of the Helicarrier, while one of Loki's controlled agents freed him from the cell. Loki then used illusions of himself to trick Thor into entering the cell and to distract Agent Phil Coulson. Loki mortally wounded Agent Coulson and ejected Thor's cell from the Helicarrier. Though he retrieved his scepter, Hawkeye was released from the mind control, and Loki headed to New York City, where Selvig waited with the Tesseract at Stark Tower.

Battle of New York
"What have I to fear?" "The Avengers. It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" type thing." "Yes, I've met them." "Yeah. Takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But, let's do a head count here: Your brother, the demigod; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."

- Loki and Tony Stark

Loki prepared to welcome his army and begin his glorious, but brief, war on the Earth. Iron Man, still alive after the raid and having figured out his plan, caught up with him at Stark Tower and abandoned his wrecked Iron Man suit to threaten him. When Loki grew weary of the threats he tried to subjugate Stark with the scepter, only to be physically blocked by the Arc Reactor in Stark's chest. Annoyed, he threw the inventor out of a window, and was surprised when a freshly built Iron Man armor rocketed out after the man. Loki found himself briefly under attack when the fully suited Iron Man rocketed back up to retaliate before the Tesseract opened the portal, allowing Loki's Chitauri army to come pouring through. With his triumph near at hand he was confronted by his brother, Thor, who demanded that he at once deactivate the Tesseract or the thunder god would destroy it. Loki refused, claiming that nothing could stop his war. The brothers fought 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 the giant letters and debris off the side. When the confrontation came to stalemate with them grappling each others' necks, Thor urged Loki to look around him at the destruction he caused and asked if he truly believed it would all end with his rule. While Loki was unsure of himself, his eyes reverted to their normal green state temporarily as he claimed it was too late to stop the madness, but briefly considered Thor's appeal to work together to end it all and redeem himself. The will of the Tesseract over his mind was stronger than his guilt, however, and he instead stabbed Thor with a throwing knife, preparing to strike him down with the scepter as he knelt before him and laughing in amusement at the sentiment. This did little more than enrage the thunder god, who disarmed his adoptive brother of his staff and picked him up before slamming him down hard on the ruined balcony. Loki threw himself off the building as he was defeated and managed to land on one of the Chitauri's small flying craft. From there, he led an attack on the city. When the first of the Chitauri's massive Leviathans was destroyed by Hulk, he commanded the Chitauri on the other side of the still-open portal to send the rest of their massive armada, overwhelming the city's defenses.

An aerial chase after Black Widow left his craft destroyed by one of Hawkeye's arrows and Loki landed back on Stark Tower, where the Hulk confronted him. Loki's frustrated rant goaded the Hulk into simply picking him up and repeatedly slamming him into the ground. Loki was too stunned to fight or threaten any longer, more wounded physically than he had ever been before. When he eventually summoned the strength to crawl, he found himself face to face with the Avengers, having defeated the Chitauri army and closing the portal, he quietly requested the drink that Stark had offered before. After the Tesseract was relinquished to Thor, Loki was bound and placed in a metal muzzle (likely to prevent his pleading, threatening, or perhaps use of magic). Despite the World Security Council wanting to imprison Loki on earth to pay for his crimes, Nick Fury agreed to let Thor take him back to Asgard. 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 home to Asgard.

Imprisoned
"I intended to rule Earth with the same firm hand with which you rule all the Nine Realms. To show humanity the same mercy you've granted your opponents. And if given the chance, I might have stolen a mortal infant and raised it as my own."

- Loki to Odin

After Thor brought him back to Asgard, Loki had to face Odin's justice. Though Loki tried to justify his actions on Earth, Odin openly told him that he will spare his life only because of Frigga's love for him. Odin then condemned Loki to eternal imprisonment, and for the first time called him by his true name―Loki Laufeyson. After that, Loki was put into a crystal prison deep beneath the Asgardian Royal Palace.

War of the Realms
"All because Loki desires a throne." "It is my birthright!" "Your birthright was to die as a child! If I had not taken you in, you would not be here now to hate me." "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."

- Odin and Loki

After being condemned to eternal imprisonment, Loki was locked in a cell deep beneath the Asgardian Royal Palace. A year later, he was still there. Frigga alone continued to communicate with him, and did so via a projection of herself to his cell. She also supplied him with books to help him pass away the hours.

Unknown to Loki, a war was raging across the Nine Realms. A group of space pirates called the Marauders was attacking Vanaheim. After their defeat, they were locked in cells next to Loki's.

However, shortly after, one of the Marauders magically transformed and broke out of his cell, revealing himself as a Dark Elf turned into the monstrous Kursed warrior. Grasping an opportunity to harass his foster father, Loki advised the Dark Elf where to find the exit. Not long after the sounds of battle had died away, Loki learned that Frigga was killed by the Dark Elves who attacked Asgard at the same time when the prison riot started. This knowledge sent Loki into a fit of rage.

Liberation
"Thor, after all this time now you come to visit me. Why? Have you come to gloat? To mock?" "Loki, enough. No more illusions." "Now you see me, brother. Did she suffer?" "I do not come here to share in our grief. Instead I offer you the chance of a far richer sacrament."

- Loki and Thor

The same day, Thor decided to escape from Asgard and take Jane Foster, whose body contained the Aether, to Svartalfheim, the homeworld of the Dark Elves. However, he needed Loki's help because he was the only person who could help him to sneak out. Thor promised Loki they have their revenge for Frigga's death, and after that, he'd be released from his cell. Thor also told Loki that his feelings to protect him were gone and if Loki betrayed him Thor would kill him. Loki seemingly agreed with Thor's proposal. While they walked through the corridors of the palace, Loki made fun with Thor, magically giving him the appearance of Sif, and transforming himself first into an Asgardian warrior and then into Captain America. When Loki gave them back their true appearances, Thor shackled him, because he didn't trust him completely. While they were approaching the abandoned shuttle of the Dark Elves, both Sif and Volstagg threatened they'll kill Loki if he even thinks about betraying Thor. When they reached Jane, she punched Loki in the face, telling him the punch was for what he did to New York. Loki replied that he likes her. After boarding the crashed Dark Elf Harrow, Thor and Loki flew out of the palace. Chased by the Einherjar, they moved onto a Asgardian Skiff flown by Fandral where Jane was waiting for them. As Fandral let the trio make their way out, Loki was able to transport them out of Asgard.

In Svartalfheim
"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 to Malekith

After arriving in Svartalfheim, Thor uncuffed Loki and they made a plan how to defeat Malekith. After reaching the Dark Elves, Loki pretended to betray Thor and made an illusion of cutting off his right hand. Then he threw Jane Foster before the Dark Elves, claiming his allegiance with them to spite Asgard.

As Malekith started absorbing the Aether from Foster, Thor and Loki revealed their ruse. Loki removed the illusion he had cast and jumped on top of Foster 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 Algrim stayed behind to keep Thor and Loki busy. When Algrim threw one of his Black Hole Grenade in the air, Loki pushed Jane away from it. Though he himself was nearly sucked in it, he was saved at the last moment by Thor. While Thor fought Algrim, Loki was attacked by another group of Dark Elves. Armed only with his dagger, Loki easily defeated them all. Thor was unable to defeat Algrim, but Loki stabbed Algrim from behind. The Kursed warrior then grabbed Loki and pulled him onto the blade. Loki then activated one of Algrim's vortex grenades which sucked the Dark Elf, destroying him. A moment later, Thor told to a dying Loki that he would tell Odin about his noble deed, Loki replied that he didn't do that for Odin. As it appeared Loki was dead, Thor and Jane left him behind, but that was just another of Loki's illusions. Perfectly healthy, Loki waited until an Einherjar Guard came to check the battlefield, took his place, and returned to Asgard. Disguised as the Einherjar Guard, Loki informed Odin that "Loki is dead".

King of Asgard
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 be worthy of it. Thor thanked him and left the room, and Loki reverted to his true form and quietly answered, "No. Thank you."

Some time after Loki took the throne, Lorelei escaped to Earth using one of the secret passageways between worlds. "Odin", who presumably was still Loki in disguise, ordered Sif to find and capture Lorelei and bring her back to Asgard alive.

Powers and Abilities
Being a Frost Giant, Loki possesses the physical abilities of a typical Frost Giant, such as superhuman endurance and strength. When he was taken in by Odin since his infancy, Loki learned from Frigga how to wield Asgardian magic against his opponents. In addition to his magic, his cunning, manipulative and strategic mind make Loki one of the most dangerous foes a person could ever face in battle.

Frost Giant Physiology
Being a Frost Giant, Loki has a few of that race's physical abilities. Some of them are: "Puny god!"

- Hulk


 * Superhuman Strength: Loki was shown possessing strength that is above an average human due to his Frost Giant heritage. He can overpower and kill normal humans with ease and battle Frost Giants. He was shown capable of lifting a grown man by the neck and throwing him away from a considerable distance. He was even able to overpower Captain America, who himself is stronger than normal humans, with ease, and was able to hold his own against Thor. Despite that, his strength is relatively low compared to the likes of Thor and Hulk. His strength also extends his ability to leap distances far in excess of human capability.
 * Superhuman Durability: Loki was noted to take on considerable amount of damage and survive. Getting shot in the face with a pistol only made him flinch, and a combination of his natural durability and his armor means that assault rifle rounds to the torso don't affect him at all. He also barely reacted to a jab to the face from Captain America, and even a full force kick to the face only hurt him a bit and made him stumble back and groan. However, sufficiently powerful weapons such as Iron Man's repulsors, Hawkeye's explosive arrows, and a deflected shot from his own scepter, are at least able to cause him pain and leave minor marks. His durability is implied to be far greater than that of a normal Frost Giant's, as he is able to take hits from Hulk and Thor without sustaining major damage.
 * Superhuman Longevity: Loki has the capacity to live for hundreds, perhaps 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.
 * Superhuman Speed/Reflexes/Agility: Loki is fast enough to catch an 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 Cap's shield into the ground. Indeed, had Loki not intended to humiliate the super-soldier, he could easily have killed him.
 * Cold Immunity: Due to his Frost Giant physiology, Loki is immune to the otherwise damaging touch of Frost Giants.

Sorcery
Loki learned how to wield magic while growing up in Asgard thanks to his adoptive mother Frigga. He was a skilled sorcerer and it was one of his best assets in battle. The abilities he demonstrated were:
 * Illusionary Copies: Loki was particularly noted to fool enemies who try to attack him with an illusion of himself. Thor was noted to fall for this ability many times.
 * Disguise: Loki could alter his attire, his voice and his physical aspect in order to resemble another person. He used this power to change his clothing from his usual armor, to a human suit, and to his battle armor. He was also capable of imitating Thor, Captain America, Odin, and an anonymous Asgardian guard. He could also use his power to alter the appearance of Thor (making him look like Lady Sif or without a hand) and of his cell in the Asgardian dungeons.
 * Hypnosis: He can influence the minds of others, such as when he manipulated Eric Selvig into researching the cosmic cube.
 * Teleportation: Loki was also shown in places that were seemingly impossible to enter by conventional means.
 * Invisibility: Loki was able to render himself unseen to whomever he wants. Instead of letting light waves pass through himself, it was simply a trick of the mind. He was able to use his magic to mask his presence from Heimdall while he was in Jotunheim. He also presumably used this ability to hide himself from S.H.I.E.L.D agents when he told Thor of Odin's "death" while Thor was being held captive.
 * Telekinesis: Loki was able to mentally move objects with his mind. Upon hearing about Frigga's death, in anger over her death, his mystical green aura became a seismic blast that blasted everything around the room through the air at great speed and into the walls of his cell. It also shook it violently, causing the light in it to flicker, much like an electromagnetic pulse. It seem that he could only do this when fully enraged, as he never used this ability again. It also seems to be more like generating concussive force instead of being able to move matter with his mind.

Other Abilities
True to his title as the God of Lies and Deceit, Loki is able to trick and manipulate his enemies into doing what he wants. But was tricked and outsmarted by Black Widow. Loki has shown that being a "god" of a different world, he is able to understand, learn and eventually utilize Earth and other alien technology to an excellent degree, such as using the eye device on the scientist, learning to use the control console that controls the cage, and flying a Chitauri airship.
 * Arcane Lore: Loki possesses great skill in wielding mystical artifacts, notably Gungnir, the Casket of Ancient Winters, and the Tesseract. He also has a great deal of skill in his use of arcane lore. He uses his knowledge primarily to conjure illusions and manipulate others to do his will. He has demonstrated the ability to cause the Casket of Ancient Winters to seemingly disappear into thin air, although it is not immediately clear if this was entirely Loki's doing or, in some way, bound to an inherent property of the item. He also claims to know of secret pathways between worlds that allow him to travel without using more common transportation methods. As ruler of Asgard he also gained control of the Destroyer for a time.
 * Gifted Intelligence: While not a scientific genius, Loki is very intelligent.
 * Master Manipulator: Loki manipulated Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three to attack the Frost Giants, pretending to be sympathetic to Thor's feelings of disrespect; meanwhile, he was setting up his own agenda. When he needed Thor to stay away from Asgard, Loki lied to his brother about Odin's death, though the king was in Odinsleep.
 * Expert Tactician: Loki maneuvered events to cause the demise of Laufey. He helped Thor in his attempt to destroy the Aether by pretending to betray him in full view of Malekith and Algrim.
 * Expert Combatant: Loki has extensive combat training that allowed him to fight off and kill several Frost Giants in Jotunheim, defeat and kill several S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, and hold his own against Thor and Captain America for a time, the latter even commenting on his fighting skills. But was quickly defeated by Hulk.

Equipment
When taking over the throne, Loki was seen wielding Odin's spear, Gungnir, which could fire beams of energy that could kill a mortal and injure an Asgardian. For a short while, Loki used the Casket of Ancient Winters to freeze Heimdall. When arriving at Earth for the first time, Loki wielded a Chitauri Scepter that was capable of firing destructive energy bolts. By touching the scepter to the chest of a person, he was capable of twisting the person's loyalties towards him while retaining their normal personality.

In battle, Loki often uses throwing knives to injure and/or kill his enemies, though he is also proficient with a spear or a dagger.

Family

 * Biological Family
 * Laufey † - Biological Father, Enemy and Victim
 * Adopted Family
 * Odin - Adoptive Father, Enemy and former Ally
 * Frigga † - Adoptive Mother
 * Thor - Adoptive Brother, Enemy and former Ally

Allies

 * Thanos
 * The Other †
 * Chitauri

Video Game Only

 * Ymir
 * Ulik

Enemies

 * Asgardians
 * Warriors Three - Allies and Friends turned Enemies
 * Fandral
 * Volstagg
 * Hogun
 * Sif - Ally and Friend turned Enemy
 * Frost Giants
 * Dark Elves
 * Malekith †
 * Algrim †
 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Nick Fury
 * Maria Hill
 * Phil Coulson
 * Jasper Sitwell †
 * Avengers
 * Iron Man
 * Captain America
 * Hulk
 * Black Widow
 * Hawkeye

Video Game Only

 * Mangog
 * Fire Demons

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 Queen Alflyse.

Behind the Scenes

 * Tom Hiddleston, the actor who portrays Loki, was originally up for the role of Thor.
 * Loki is the first Marvel Cinematic Universe villain to appear in multiple films in the series.