Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
From Marvel Database
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Contents |
History
Early Years
Loki himself was not a member of the Asgardians, but was actually the son of Laufey, the deceased monarch of the Frost Giants, the ancient enemies of the Asgardians. Odin himself led the Asgardians into battle against the Frost Giants and killed Laufey in personal combat.
After slaying Laufey, Odin found a small Asgardian-sized child hidden within the primary stronghold of the Frost Giants. The child was Loki, and Laufey had kept him hidden from his people due to his shame over his son's small size. Odin took the boy, out of a combination of pity and because he was the son of a worthy adversary slain in honorable combat, and raised him as his son alongside his biological son Thor.
Resentment
Throughout their childhood and into adolescence, Loki was resentful of the differences in which he and Thor were treated by the citizens of Asgard. The Asgardians valued great strength, tenacity, and bravery in battle above all things and Loki was clearly inferior to his foster brother Thor in these areas. However, Loki's gifts lay in other areas, most notably sorcery. Loki possessed a natural affinity to command great magical forces and hoped to somehow use these powers to become the most powerful god in all of Asgard and to destroy Thor.
As Loki grew to adulthood, his natural talent for causing mischief would manifest itself and earned himself a nickname as the God of Mischief. However, instead of playing harmless pranks, his deeds grew steadily more malicious and his lust for both power and revenge was apparent to all those around him. In time, his nickname grew from being a playful and mischievous trickster god to the "God of Evil".
Over the centuries, Loki would try to seize Asgard and to destroy Thor on many occasions. Odin, who had long tolerated Loki's attempts, magically imprisoned Loki within a tree. Loki would eventually free himself from his prison and his thirst for power and vengeance became even more consuming than it had ever been, if that were even possible.
Loki and Thor would clash more and more times, sometimes with Loki confronting Thor directly and sometimes using various pawns in order to achieve his ends. Among Loki's more well known henchmen was the human criminal Carl "The Crusher" Creel, whom Loki would use his sorcery to transform into the superhuman criminal known as The Absorbing Man, who himself would prove to be a formidable adversary to Thor over the years. Loki would even go so far as to attempt to turn Odin against Thor and to steal Thor's enchanted hammer, Mjolnir, all of which failed.
Loki's schemes would eventually come to include Earth itself and these schemes would often draw some of Earth's superhuman heroes to defend Earth and, often, Asgard itself. Loki was able to manipulate the Hulk into wreaking havoc and, accidentally, would lead to the formation of the Avengers. To make matters worse, Thor would be one of the founding members of the superhuman team and often found himself undone by them, many times, even when it seemed that his goals were within his grasp.
However, despite Loki's loathing for Thor and Odin, Loki would help to defend Asgard from destruction from Surtur and his fire demons. However, this was only because Surtur's goal was to destroy Asgard and Loki sought only to rule it.
Ragnarok
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It has been prophesied that Loki will lead Asgard's enemies into the "Eternal Realm" and aid them in destroying it in a final conflict known as Ragnarok, or sometimes referred to as "The Twilight of the Gods".
Loki fulfilled the prophecy of leading the enemies of Asgard against the Asgardians. This battle consumed all who participated in it and it was revealed that the cycle of the birth, lives, and death of the Asgardians was a continuing cycle presided over by beings known only as "Those Who Sit Above". Thor, was able to put an end to this continuing cycle. All Asgardians perished in this last Ragnarok except for Thor who would disappear into a deep sleep. But this time "Those Who Sit Above" followed them in death and were unable to revive them. Whether the Asgardians will receive a reincarnation after this final battle is uncertain.
As a Woman
After Thor returned, he started a quest to find the other Asgardians. After finding Heimdall and the Warriors Three he steeped up the search. Heimdall guided him to the southwest where dozens of humans were being jailed by the Destroyer. Loki had collected all of his former Asgardian allies, and Thor fell for the trap, restoring them all to their full power. Loki himself had been reborn as a female. She claimed to have no more plans now that Ragnarok was over. Time would tell if her schemes to rule had been truly set aside.
Having told Balder that she would never lie again, Loki proceeded to win the Asgardians' trust by revealing that he, like Thor, was a son of Odin. Balder didn't believe, but once he was told it was true by Thor himself, he had come to think of Loki as a trustworthy confidant. During the Skrull invasion, he managed to goad a mob of Asgardians into thinking that Beta Ray Bill was a Skrull impostor.
Dark Reign
Loki joined Norman Osborn's dark Illuminati.
He traveled to the past was to ensure Bor, father of Odin and first king of Asgard, perished in battle against the Frost Giants. In the present day Loki revived Bor in New York City, but placed a spell on him to mistake everything around him as an enemy, therefore attacking everything in sight. Further aggrieved by the belief his son's failure to resurrect him could only mean he was killed in battle, when Thor arrives on the scene, Loki's enchantment caused Bor to see Thor as a monster. Sensing Odin's power inside what he saw as a demon, Bor attacked Thor, attempting to avenge his son. While Thor and Bor fought Loki made Balder aware of Bor's identity and the two rushed to New York to stop Thor from killing him (Thor never met Bor until now and is unaware of his identity). They arrived too late, as Thor was forced to kill Bor for fear of the entire planet being destroyed in the wake of their battle. In the aftermath of the battle, Loki reminded Balder the resurrected Bor was technically the king of Asgard when Thor killed him and the punishment for killing the king was banishment from Asgard, Balder was forced to agree. After Thor's banishment, Loki mentioned to some disgruntled Asgardians he made arrangements to have all Asgardians, but not Asgard itself, moved to Latveria at the invitation of Doctor Doom.[1]
Loki attended a dinner hosted by Doctor Doom along with Balder to secure a new home for the Asgardians in Latveria. She was caught off guard by Balder's insistence that since they were leaving Asgard, Thor should have been allowed to rejoin them. Loki was able to calm Balder before he offended Doom too much. She later appeared before Blake and Thor to tell them that she would be returning to her male form shortly and that he had "just now" come to the realization that his body was meant for Sif. Loki explained that, after Ragnarok, when the Asgardians were being placed into human hosts Sif's soul was placed into a dying human. When Thor sent out the call for the Asgardians to return, Sif's host was too weak to hear the call. When Thor mass-summoned the Asgardians, Sif's body was created but her soul could not be placed into it, so the body went looking for a soul with no body and found Loki. Loki claimed the transfer from his female form to his male form would probably kill Sif's host and she urged Blake and Thor to find Sif and say goodbye.[2]
Following the Hood's depowerment at the hands of Doctor Strange, Brother Voodoo, and the Son of Satan, Loki offers the Hood a second chance.[3] She presents to him the Nord Stones, a bunch of Asgardian artefacts she previously used, to grant him back his powers.
Mighty Avengers
Loki took on the form of the Scarlet Witch in her astral form and recruited a team of Avengers to face the Elder God Chthon.[4] The Avengers, unaware of Loki's trick, followed this false "Wanda's" instructions.[5] Her goal in using these Avengers was to throw Norman Osborn off balance. Loki intended to put "cracks in Osborn's armor" and gradually "widen" these cracks through the Mighty Avengers. Pietro Maximoff, though desiring to see and converse with his sister, joined the Mighty Avengers after he raced around the world searching for her.[6]
However, Loki began to see that Pietro and Cassie were becoming a problem in her plans, as they genuinely believed her to be Wanda; for the latter, was for revenge for the death of her father. She dealt with the former by cutting off communications while Pietro and U.S. Agent were in Tibet, hoping that he would die due to the main emergency he was calling about. Cassie caught her in the act and attempted to warn the others but Loki casted a spell that prevented her from saying bad things about "Wanda". Then, she appeared before Henry Pym, calling himself the Wasp, to convince him to expel Cassie from the team; Pym was a about giving second chances ever since their escapee with the Fantastic Four.
Loki soon had enough of Cassie when she tricks the Young Avengers into summoning the "Scarlet Witch" to the Infinite Avengers Mansion, using Wiccan's magic, which caused Loki's disguise to appear. However, Clint Barton also done a sneak attack and by killing Loki, he could tell that she was not Wanda. Wiccan then chanted a spell to reveal Loki's deception, forcing her to erect wards to prevent they from summoning her again, thus canceling out the spell on Cassie.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
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Despite being a member of the Frost Giants, Loki possesses similar attributes to those possessed by the Asgardians.
Superhuman Strength: Loki possesses superhuman strength that is substantially superior to that of an average Asgardian female or male. In fact, Loki is currently stronger now than he was while male. At his peak,he possesses sufficient physical strength to lift up to 50 tons. It is possible, however, that she can further increase her strength through mystical enchantment on a temporary basis. While as a male Loki was still superhumanly strong as an average Asgardian male , he was strong enough to lift 30 tons , however his strength could be increased through mystical enchantment also.
Superhuman Stamina: Loki's Frost Giant metabolism grants her superhuman levels of physical stamina in practically all activities. She can exert herself at peak capacity for about 24 hours before fatigue begins to impair her. However, much like her physical strength and durability, Loki can temporarily augment her stamina through magical means.
Superhumanly Dense Tissue: Like all Asgardians, Loki's bodily tissues have roughly 3 times the density of the same tissues in a human being. While she has the looks and physical proportions of a much smaller person, the increased density of her body actually makes her several hundred pounds heavier than she appears. This increased density also contributes to her superhuman strength to a limited degree.
Superhuman Durability: The tissues of Loki's body are superhumanly durable and are roughly equal to those possessed by the average Asgardian female. However, at times, Loki had imbued herself with magical abilities that enable her to withstand injuries that would prove fatal to another Asgardian. She is able to withstand high caliber bullets, falls from great heights, powerful impact forces, exposure to temperature extremes and powerful energy blasts without being injured.
Superhuman Longevity: Like all Asgardians, Loki ages at a far slower rate than humans. However, unlike some other god pantheons like the Olympians, who stop aging completely at a certain point, Loki isn't fully immune to aging. Although she has recently been "reborn", she still has her memories of her previous life. While she is several millenia old, at least, she has the appearance and vitality of a young Asgardian woman in her physical prime. Loki is immune to the effects of all known Earthly diseases and infections.
Sorcery: Loki has the ability to generate and control a great quantity of mystical abilities for a variety of purposes. Her known abilities include the ability to fire powerful beams of concussive force, generate highly durable force fields, bestow superhuman attributes to living beings or inanimate objects, teleport across dimensions and augment her physical attributes temporarily. He can also bring inanimate objects to life, or mystically imbue objects or beings with specific but temporary powers . He has, for example, augmented the might of human criminals as the Cobra and Sandu. These magical effects remain only for as long as he maintains the spell that created them. Loki’s power has been said by the Silver Surfer during their early encounters as sufficient to “decimate a planet,” and according to Dormammu, Loki’s magic nearly rivals that of his own.
Regenerative Healing Factor: Like all Asgardians, Loki is still capable of being injured though, also like all Asgardians, her metabolism enables her to rapidly regenerate damaged tissue much faster and more extensively than a human being. However, through the use of her sorcery, Loki's ability to heal herself is far above that of other Asgardians. Her magical energies are so imbued into her body that she can reattach severed limbs and, while still a male, even reattached her own head at least once.
Psionics: Loki has demonstrated powerful psionic capabilities, the full limits of which aren't known. She has demonstrated the ability to project her thoughts telepathically across great distances as well as potent hypnotic capabilities. She is able to communicate with beings telepathically, though her ability to do so is greater with beings that serve her.
Shape-shifting: Like a number of gods or goddesses, Loki possesses highly developed shape-shifting capabilities. She is able to adopt almost any form imaginable whether it be animals, other humanoid beings, or even inanimate objects. The thought has been raised that her current form is merely a shape Loki has decided to remain in. Despite this well-known ability of Loki's, he has commented to himself, as he struggled to escape from Dormammu's mystic cage, that this is his "most soul-draining" power, apparently meaning it is more taxing than his other magical abilities. He has become such animals such as a snake, eagle, mouse and bee, gaining the basic natural abilities inherent in each form. While he can take on the likeness of another god, giant or human, he will not necessarily gain the special physical or mental powers of the being he imitates. Loki can also transform external objects into other forms and substances by magic; for instance, he has turned clouds into dragons.Abilities
Loki has a genius level intellect and possesses a great deal of knowledge of the mystic arts, gifted with mastery superior to that of a Sorcerer Supreme's. She is also extremely cunning and an expert battle strategist. She is also a formidable combatant in her own right, particularly as a swordsman or in the use of her various energy manipulative powers in combat situations.Weaknesses
While apparently possessing some extrasensory abilities that resemble psionic powers. Loki can not directly read the minds of other beings, nor can she control their actions. Her passionate hatred of Thor, lust for power, and her tendency to alienate herself through her ignoble actions greatly impedes her ability to bring his well laid plans to fruition. Loki's powers are believed to at least be slightly weaker on Midgard than on Asgard, as her birth was not of Gaea, and even Odin's magic was on the wane on Earth.
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Loki occasionally employs certain mystical power objects, such as the Norn Stones or rare Asgardian herbs, to augment his own magical powers. These objects or substances are generally used to enhance his immediate personal strength or abilities, or to create a permanent mystical transformation, such as that which gave the Absorbing Man his power. He once used the mystical sword of Surtur along with various Asgardian equipment to transform Thor into a frog while Loki was in Asgard and Thor was on Earth. The destruction of the engine drawing power from the sword resulted in Thor regaining his true form.Weapons
Her magic sword, known in Norse mythology as Laevateinn, which means "wounding wand" [7]
Notes
- Loki once revealed during an encounter with Deadpool that he/she is fully aware he/she is a fictional character in a comic book.
Significant stories
- First appearance: Journey Into Mystery, Vol 1 #85 (October, 1962)
- Loki #1-4 (July 2004 - October 2004) - Story told from his Loki's point of view, where he finally succeeds in conquering Asgard. But can he keep his grip on the throne?
Links
- Appearances of Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
- Character Gallery: Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
- Images that feature Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
- Fan-Art Gallery: Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
- Quotations by Loki Laufeyson (Earth-616)
- Enchantress
- Thor
- Lorelei (Asgardian)
- Loki at the Guide to the Mythological Universe
- ↑ Thor #600
- ↑ Thor #601
- ↑ New Avengers #54
- ↑ Mighty Avengers #21
- ↑ Mighty Avengers #21-23
- ↑ Mighty Avengers #24
- ↑ "The Rökkr: The Faces of Loki" Shadowlight: brilliant is my being <http://shadowlight.gydja.com/facesofloki.html> [Accessed May 28, 2007]
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