Loki, Prince of Asgard, Odinson, rightful heir of Jotunheim, and God of Mischief, is burdened with glorious purpose. His desire to be a king drives him to sow chaos in Asgard. In his lust for power, he extends his reach to Earth where he believes they need a ruler and encounters unlikely heroes that interfere with his schemes.
God of Mischief
The ever-scheming Loki, raised as the son of King Odin and Queen Frigga of Asgard, is resentful of living in his brother Thor’s shadow. Loki studied magical arts earning the “God of Mischief” title, while his brother pursued physical prowess. Believing himself to be the rightful King of Asgard, Loki schemes to undermine the God of Thunder’s ascension to the throne, desperate for his father’s approval and to be seen as an equal to Thor.
During Thor’s banishment to the realm Midgard, Odin revealed Loki’s true parentage. Ages ago, Odin fought and defeated Laufey and the Frost Giants of Jotunheim in a great war. Abandoned and left for dead as a baby due to his diminutive size, Odin took Loki, son of Laufey, to Asgard to raise him as his son and a prince in order to one day unite the Frost Giants and the Asgards in peace.
Furious that he had been lied to all his life and used as Odin’s political pawn instead of loved as his son, Loki set on several paths to prove his worth of the throne and superiority over Thor.
Liesmith
Loki possesses strength, durability, and longevity far superior to humans. The most powerful sorcerer in all of Asgard, Loki’s magical abilities include astral projection, shape-shifting, hypnosis, molecular rearrangement, energy blasts, levitating, conjuration, cryokinesis, telekinesis and teleportation. In addition, Loki can connect to others telepathically and see into their memories, mystically imbue objects, and create rifts between dimensions.
A master of manipulation and deceit, Loki is highly intelligent with immense knowledge and skill in wielding mystical artifacts, arcane lore, and human as well as alien technology. A highly-tactical thinker, Loki is able to manipulate opportunities and events in his favor; his cunning mind far exceeding Thor and Odin’s.
Loki, an expert combatant, typically wields throwing knives and other small blades. The God of Mischief has also wielded a Chitauri Scepter gifted by the Other and Thanos, Odin’s Gungnir spear, the Casket of the Ancient Winters, and the Tesseract.
Enduring and Mortal Rivals
While Loki’s enemies are difficult to determine given Loki’s questionable allegiances, some notable foes do stand out.
The relationship between Loki and Thor and Odin could be labeled “complicated,” at best. Initially good and altruistic, Loki soon sees his adoptive father, King Odin, and his brother Thor as more thorns in his side, preventing him from becoming the ruler he is meant to be. Upon learning his true parentage, Loki feels anger and betrayal for Odin’s deception, believing the Allfather saw him as a monster never meant for the Asgardian throne. This fuels his unrelenting jealousy of Thor and feelings of inferiority.
Despite his latent love for his family and occasionally helping Thor when he feels inspired, he typically betrays him. Thor’s closest friends—Sif and the Warriors Three Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun—and Asgardian gatekeeper Heimdall support the God of Thunder in all things and are always wary of Loki’s misplaced loyalties. However, Thor continually believes in Loki’s ability to be more.
When Loki steals an unknown entity that is thought to be an unlimited source of energy, the Tesseract, he finds himself facing off against S.H.I.E.L.D. This espionage and protection agency, led by Director Nick Fury and supported by agents Maria Hill and Phillip Coulson, assembles the Avengers to fight him.
The Avengers, a group of super-powered and remarkable people known as Earth’s defenders, which includes Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Thor, and later Falcon, Vision and Scarlet Witch, pose a threat to Loki’s schemes to take over and rule Earth.
His longlist of enemies that stand between him and his desires include Malekith and the Dark Elves, Odin’s first-born Hela, and Jane Foster. More recently, the Mad Titan Thanos and his followers—Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian—cross paths with Loki when he is fleeing along with other Asgardians from their demolished home world. It is then Loki faces off against a threat perhaps too big for him, but also reaffirms his brother’s repeated belief in him.
Confidants and Cohorts
Loki’s allies are similarly challenging to pinpoint, as his charm and powers of manipulation serve him to ally with anyone who suits his purposes.
However, Loki does deeply care for and loves his adoptive mother Frigga above anyone else in his family. She teaches him in the ways of astral projection and encourages his gift for sorcery. He feels deep remorse and pain for how his schemes play a role in her demise, and has a breakdown when she passes.
The Chitauri, an ancient race of extraterrestrials led by the Other, take Loki under their wing. They gift him ancient knowledge and a Chitauri scepter to wield. The Other serves Thanos. This former ally turns into an enemy once the Mad Titan threatens the lives of half of the Asgardian refugees, along with his brother Thor.
Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye and Dr. Erik Selvig are pawns in Loki's scheme to rule Earth. He controls them using a Chitauri Scepter, bending them to his will.
Laufey is the biological father of Loki. Despite being abandoned, Loki invites the King of the Frost Giants to Asgard to murder the sleeping Asgardian King Odin and start a second war between Jotunheim and Asgard. However, Laufey is ultimately betrayed and killed by Loki.
On Sakaar, Loki wins the favor of the Grandmaster, a hedonistic tyrant who manipulates life-forms into fighting each other in the Contest of Champions. Unwilling to be left behind on Sakaar, Loki ultimately aligns with Revengers Thor, Hulk, and Valkyrie to defeat Hela and save the remaining Asgardian populace from Ragnarok.