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 Odinson was the biological son of King Laufey, the ruler of the Frost Giants in Jotunheim. Shortly after his birth, Loki was then abandoned and left to die. Found by the Asgardian King Odin, he was taken to Asgard and raised by Odin and his wife Frigga as an Asgardian prince, along with their true biological son Thor. When he grew up, he became known as the "God of Mischief". 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 on Thor's banishment to Earth and Loki finding 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.

Lost in the darkest depths of the universe, Loki made a deal with The Other, a servant of the Mad Titan Thanos, who gave him a powerful Scepter and command over their army of the Chitauri to conquer Earth. Once he came to Midgard, Loki managed to take possession of the mystical Tesseract and used its power to open a portal above New York City and caused the Chitauri Invasion, but all of Loki's schemes were ultimately defeated by a new group of superheroes called 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 his mother Frigga was killed during the Sacking of Asgard, Loki was freed by Thor in order to defeat the Dark Elves and their leader, 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 Lady 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 first born, 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 the Mad Titan, who responded by lifting him off his feet. Taunting Thanos by telling him that he would never be a god, Thanos snapped his neck, ending the reign of the God of Mischief.

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.

A 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 "AAHH! It's me!" And then he stabbed me."

- Thor

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. This various tricks and illusions soon gained Loki a reputation among the Warriors Three and many of the other Asgardians as being the God of Mischief.

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."

- 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 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 an 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
"Well this boy has grown tired of your mockery." "Thor, stop and think! Look around you. We’re outnumbered!" "Know your place, brother!"

- Thor and Loki

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 Lady 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 lead 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 another Frost Giant, 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 it's normal colour. 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 heritiage following his encounter with the Frost Giants, Loki then told the Warriors and Lady 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?" "No! No!" "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
"My King, we would ask that you end Thor’s banishment." "My first command cannot be to undo the All-Father’s last. We’re on the brink of war with Jotunheim. Our people need a sense of continuity in order to feel safe in these difficult times."

- Sif and Loki

With King Odin having been temporarily rendered comatose due to falling into the Odinsleep, Loki sat by his beside with his mother 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 were 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 he 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 consistancy 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

Traveling to Jotunheim, Loki visited Laufey and introduced himself as the one who had given them safe passage into Asgard. He struck a deal to allow Laufey to go to kill Odin and take the Casket of Ancient Winters, which Odin had stolen from them, allowing Laufey to restore Jotunheim to all its former glory. Loki told him he could not be seen killing the Allfather himself as the people of Asgard would never accept him as king if he did. Laufey accepted Loki's offer. Returning to Asgard via the Bifrost Bridge, Loki was confronted by Heimdall, who claimed that Loki was using magic to block his gaze upon him while he was in Jotunheim. Loki claimed that Heimdall's powers were becoming weaker and 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.

Sending the Destroyer
"I say that for your act of treason, you are relieved of your duties as gatekeeper and no longer citizen of Asgard." "Then I need no longer obey you."

- Loki and Heimdall

Despite his direct orders, Loki soon learned that the Warriors Three and Lady Sif had used Heimdall's Observatory and travelled 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 those who had betrayed him. Therefore Loki called upon 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. Loki stripped Heimdall of all titles and banished him from the Kingdom. However Heimdall knew he was now free of his oaths and when he attempted to kill his king, Loki froze Heimdall with the Casket of Ancient Winters, leaving him to die. Loki sent the Destroyer to Earth pursue and destroy Thor and the others. This caused a huge battle between the warriors and the Destroyer who laid waste to the small town which Thor was staying in. When he saw no other end to the battle Thor sacrificed himself, Loki had the Destroyer punch Thor, breaking his bones and killing him. This however proved his worthiness and Thor got his powers back, easily defeating the Destroyer with Mjølnir.

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 Bifrost Bridge
"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

Loki traveled to the Bifrost Bridge and aimed its full power at Jotunheim where it began ripping through the centre 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 his hammer 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. Thor, enraged 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 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 Bifrost 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 Bifrost 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 Bifrost 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. Odin rejected Loki's pleas with a simple, "No". Loki, devastated by Odin's repudiation of his actions, deliberately let go of Thor to fall into the abyss made by the destruction 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

Falling through the Wormhole, Loki arrived in a part of the universe called Sanctuary and met the Mad Titan Thanos, 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, while he could use it to puppeteer the minds of others, he himself was also being influenced, the staff's power turning his green eyes crystal blue as he wielded it. Loki's use of the Scepter fueled 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
"Let them gird themselves. I will lead them in the glorious battle." "Battle? Against the meager might of earth?" "Glorious, not lengthy. If your force is as formidable as you claim."

- Loki and The Other

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 to the citizens of Stuttgart

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, signalling 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 really 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!" "You’re a monster."

- Loki and 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 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 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 his foe a drink while Loki 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 the Incredible 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 a 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 his brother, 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. While Loki was unsure of himself, his eyes reverted to their normal green state temporarily as he struggled with the scepter's grip on him; 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 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 the thunder god, who disarmed his adoptive brother 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 leapt 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. Loki, too stunned to fight or threaten any longer, just lay on the ground, more wounded physically than he had ever been before.

Defeated and Captured
"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. With the Tesseract relinquished to Thor, Loki was bound and placed in a metal muzzle to prevent his pleading, threatening and use of magic. Despite the World Security Council wanting to imprison Loki on Earth to pay for his crimes, Nick Fury allowed Thor take him back to Asgard to be punished by Odin. 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

Thor brought him back to Asgard where Loki was forced in chains 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 called him by his true name, Loki Laufeyson. Loki was put into 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 Bifrost 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 in his cell, throwing and catching ornaments to pass the time, Loki heard horrific screams from another part of the Asgardian Dungeons. 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 cell, revealing himself as a Dark Elf looking to destroy Asgard and its leadership. Grasping an opportunity to harass his foster father, Loki 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 the chaos, Loki 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 battle when the entire Dungeon shook as a Dark Elf Harrow crash-landed inside the Asgardian Palace and the entire army of Dark Elves attacked the Palace. Eventually the battle subsided and appeared to have been won by the forces of Asgard. Not long after the sounds of battle had died away, a guard visited Loki and informed him that Frigga had been killed by the Dark Elves, who had attacked Asgard at the same time as the prison riot started. Loki thanked the guard and stood up in silence, processing the news. Although he appeared calm, this knowledge sent Loki into a fit of rage and he unleashed a seismic blast of his mystical aura, trashing his cell.

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 there were 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 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 he 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' home world 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's false confession

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
"Thank you, father." "No. Thank you."

- Thor and Loki

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, 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, commisioning 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 30 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..." "Alright, 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 in 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 like 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 honoured 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 to 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 joined their father, who was dying in Norway and watching the entire landscape. Odin revealed that he had indeed broken from Loki's spell but told Loki that his mother would be proud of him. Before dying, Odin warned his sons that his only daughter, Hela, would be released from her prison and will try to again subjugate the Nine Realms. He told his sons that he loved both of them before dissolving into a golden mist and transported to Valhalla to rejoin Frigga in the afterlife.

Banishment
"What would you like me to say, hm? You faked your own death. You stole the throne, stripped Odin of his power, stranded him on Earth to die, releasing the Goddess of Death. Have I said enough or would you like me to go farther than the past two days?"

- Thor to Loki

Shortly after Odin's death, Thor grew outraged and went to attack his brother, who attempted to calm him down. However, Hela, having been released from her prison due to Odin's death, arrived and ordered them to kneel before her, while Loki tried to talk things peacefully. Loki then watched how Hela destroyed Mjølnir. Seeing that they were vastly outmatched by their newest enemy, Loki quickly tried to go back to Asgard with Thor through the 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, as Hela followed closely behind and eventually launched both Thor and Loki out of the Bifrost during mid-transport, with Loki believing that this caused Thor's demise.

Living on Sakaar
"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

After being launched out of the Bifrost, Loki arrived on Sakaar and came in favor of the Grandmaster. He was later shocked to find Thor was still alive and could not do anything to ensure his brother's release. The Grandmaster asked if Loki knew Thor, which the former denied knowing before Thor added that they were brothers. However, Loki clarified that they were adopted. Later, Loki communicated to his brother via a holographic projection, where he attempted to convince Thor to abandon Asgard, and instead, join him by the Grandmaster's side. However, Thor refused to even talk to his adopted brother, merely throwing stones through his projection, despite Loki seemingly showing genuine worry of what will happen if Thor goes up against Hela again. Before Loki left, Thor blamed him for everything that had happened, scolding him for causing Odin's death and, in turn, releasing Hela. Loki warns him that the Grandmaster's champion is "astonishingly savage" and asks his brother not to let him down as he has made a large wager against him.

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

- Loki and Grandmaster

Time later, Loki watched how Thor was forced to fight in the Contest of Champions against it's champion. However, it turned out that the champion is the Hulk, to Loki's shock and horror.

Remembering how Hulk smashed him during the Battle of New York, Loki tried to leave Sakaar, but he was quickly stopped by the Grandmaster, forcing him to watch the fight. During the fight, Hulk attacked Thor just like he did to Loki in New York, Loki quickly screamed that Thor now knew how he felt in New York.

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

- Loki and Valkyrie

The next day, after Thor and Hulk disappeared, Loki and the Grandmaster's bounty hunter Scrapper 142, who turned out to be the last living Valkyrie, were contacted by the Grandmaster, who offered a great bounty for their capture. After the meeting, Loki used his powers to make 142 to relive the Massacre of the Valkyrie at the hands of Hela. After that he was captured and chained by 142.

Sakaaran Rebellion
"I know 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

After being captured by Valkyrie, Loki was locked in her room. He was later presented as a peace offer to Thor and Bruce Banner, who had changed back to human form in the Quinjet that brought Hulk to Sakaar.

Loki was quickly noticed by Banner who, after making clear that he didn't trusted Loki since he tried to conquer the Earth the last time they saw, asked what Loki is doing now, to which Loki said that "it varies from one moment to another". Thor, Valkyrie, Banner and Loki eventually managed to find a way to work together, forming the team known as the Revengers. Before returning to Asgard, the Revengers initiate a revolution on Sakaar to free Grandmaster’s prisoners and steal his shield generator-powered ship.

As Loki attempted to betray the Revengers and their rebel allies to escape from Sakaar quickly, Thor predicts this coming, and manage to implant Loki Grandmaster’s Contest of Champion Control Disk on his back before he acts his betrayal, leaving the God of Mischief paralyzed for this karma. After the rebellion is successful, just as the Revengers manage to enter Asgard, Loki is soon found and rescued by the surviving Sakaaran Rebellion.

Rescuing Asgardians
"Your savior is here!"

- Loki

Loki and the Sakaaran Rebellion arrived in time to help the Revengers evacuating the surviving Asgardians from Hela. As Hela is still too powerful and cannot be killed due to being Goddess of Death, Thor told Loki to revive Surtur to finally kill Hela for good, but at cost to have no choice to put Asgard through Ragnarök, while Thor and Valkyrie bought their time to distract Hela.

Before successfully reviving Surtur with Eternal Flame in Odin's Vault, Loki managed to get the Tesseract safely. 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.

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
"You really are the worst brother." "I assure you brother, the sun will shine on us again." "Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian." "Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian. And for another... we have a Hulk."

- Loki, Thor and Thanos

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 pretence 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. He stopped the knife with his Infinity Gauntlet, and, grabbing Loki by the throat, began strangling him.

Thanos 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 aquired Infinity Stones to destroy the Statesman and teleport himself and the Black Order away. Loki's corpse, along with the newly-deceased half of the Asgardian population, was then blown up in the Statesman's explosion and left floating in the debris left over from the spacecraft. Only Thor, albeit injured both physically and emotionally, was confirmed to have 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, witnessing his brother's death both enraged Thor and filled him with great grief and remorse, further compounded by the fact that his last words to Loki had been to condemn him for saving the Space Stone. Knowing that Loki was truly dead, Thor did everything he could to kill Thanos and avenge Loki, 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, and then fled Earth.

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 just seem to just wanna 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 him 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 humans and deep hatred, 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 subjected 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 his mischief 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 a attempt to assassinate Thanos. Unfortunately for Loki, Thanos easily anticipated this and killed him during his attempted assassination.

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 came to accept both his Asgardian heritage and his Frost Giant parentage, proudly identifying himself as "Odinson" and 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 and Laufey's son, 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
Loki, as a Frost Giant, had many superhuman attributes common among the Jotuns, except to a higher degree. "Puny god!"

- Hulk

"Are you ever not going to fall for that?"
 * 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. As Laufey's son, Loki had superhuman abilities far superior to those of his race, including:
 * 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 andBerserkers, and even handled an Infinity Stone without being harmed. However, Loki's strength is still outclassed by that of Hulk, Valkyrie, his adopted brother Thor, or Thanos though he was still able to fight Valkyrie on nearly equal grounds by matching her strength with his own skill, speed, and agility before she overpowered him, but 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, nor was he able 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 and even pressure 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 pistol, 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 durabillity 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 crushed 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 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.

- Loki


 * 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 Master of the Mystic Arts Dr. Strange could contend with him. Even Odin was impressed by Loki's magical skills, and noted that Frigga would have been proud of him. The magical abilities Loki demonstrated were:
 * Illusion Manipulation: Loki could generate hazy green, holographic light, 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. 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 shockwave of lightning. Loki could also alter his attire, his voice and his physical appearance in order to resemble another person. He used this power to change his clothing from his usual armor, to a human's business suit, and to his battle armor, though while changing his clothing, the light was yellow instead of green. He was also capable of imitating Thor, Captain America, Odin, and an anonymous Asgardian guard. The effectiveness of his disguises was enough to make it seem as if he had altered the shape and form of himself or others. As a child, he had transformed 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, and he had also briefly turned Thor into a frog. He could also use his power to alter the appearance of Thor, 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. 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.
 * 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 was 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.
 * 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 himself 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.
 * 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. Finally, he used this ability to make the Tesseract appear in his hand when presenting it to Thanos, before making a dagger appear in his other hand in a failed attempt to kill the Mad Titan.
 * 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, while using his throwing blades, they flashed green light as he telekinetically launch them with enough force to shatter an ice shield of a Frost Giant. 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
"Always so perceptive about everyone but yourself."

- Frigga

Due to being dubbed the 'God of Mischief', Loki is able to trick and manipulate his enemies into doing what he wants. "You lied to me; I'm impressed."
 * Genius-Level Intellect: Loki was extremely 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.

- 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 incredibly 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 swiftly overpower the extremely skilled Captain America (the latter even commenting on Loki's fighting skills) in a duel. 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.
 * Master Spearman: 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.
 * Master Knifeman: Loki was highly proficient with knives, able to easily kill several Frost Giants and Dark Elves with a single dagger.

- Loki


 * 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.

Weapons

 * Small 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.
 * 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.
 * 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 (also called the Cube) 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.

Family

 * Frost Giants - Biological Family
 * Laufey † - Biological Father and Victim
 * Asgardians - Adoptive Family
 * Buri † - Adoptive Great-grandfather
 * Bor † - Adoptive Grandfather
 * Odin † - Adoptive Father and Former King
 * Frigga † - Adoptive Mother and Former Queen
 * Hela † - Adoptive Half-Sister and Attempted Killer
 * Thor - Adoptive Brother, Former Attempted Victim and King

Allies

 * The Other † - Formerly
 * Chitauri - Formerly
 * Leviathans - Formerly
 * Jane Foster - Situational Ally
 * Revengers
 * Bruce Banner/Hulk - Enemy turned Ally
 * Valkyrie
 * Sakaaran Rebellion
 * Korg
 * Miek
 * Biff
 * Tasba
 * Ejashi †
 * Hajo †
 * Asgardians - Subjects and Former Enemies turned Allies
 * Heimdall † - Former Attempted Killer
 * Skurge/Executioner †

Enemies

 * Thanos - Former Ally and Benefactor turned Attempted Victim and Killer
 * Einherjar - Allies turned Enemies
 * Einherjar Guard † - Victim
 * Sif † - Ally turned Enemy
 * Warriors Three - Allies turned Enemies
 * Fandral †
 * Volstagg †
 * Hogun †
 * Lorelei
 * Frost Giants
 * Hailstrum †
 * Grundroth †
 * Raze † - Victim
 * Surtur †
 * Dark Elves
 * Malekith † - Attempted Killer
 * Algrim/Kurse † - Victim and Attempted Killer
 * Erik Selvig - Former Thrall
 * Heinrich Schafer † - Victim
 * German Old Man - Attempted Victim
 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Nick Fury †
 * Maria Hill †
 * Phil Coulson - Victim
 * Jasper Sitwell †
 * Avengers
 * Tony Stark/Iron Man - Attempted Thrall and Attempted Victim
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Attempted Victim
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow - Attempted Victim
 * Clint Barton/Hawkeye - Former Thrall
 * Kree
 * Vin-Tak
 * Doctor Strange † - Attempted Victim
 * Grandmaster - Former Ally
 * Sakaaran Guards
 * Topaz †
 * Fenris †
 * Berserkers †
 * Black Order
 * Corvus Glaive †
 * Proxima Midnight †
 * Cull Obsidian †
 * Ebony Maw †

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.
 * Despite being a Frost Giant, Loki is almost always referred to as an Asgardian, something he points out and corrects in Avengers: Infinity War. This may stem from having lived the majority of his life on Asgard.

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 series, not counting appearances through photographs and archive footage. In addition, he is also the only one to serve as the main antagonist of multiple films.
 * 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.