As the God of Mischief, Loki has to be one of the most devious villains in Marvel Comics. While his intellect alone makes him formidable, Loki also has a wide array of powers at his disposal, gathered over literal centuries of villainy. He has continuously used these both in service of his own grand plans and to torment his brother, Thor, and the other heroes of the Marvel Universe. But what exactly can Loki do, and why are his abilities so different from Thor’s?
Most Marvel fans know that while Loki and Thor are often referred to as brothers, they technically aren’t related by blood. Loki was adopted by Odin after the All-Father defeated the Frost Giants and killed their ruler, Laufey, Loki’s real father. Loki had been hidden away by Laufey out of shame because he was abnormally small for a Frost Giant, but he was just the right size for an Asgardian. Odin raised Loki as one of his own, but he never quite fit in, and was always overshadowed by Thor. But while Thor may have been superior in all physical aspects, Loki excelled in cunning and cleverness, attributes well-suited for mischief. As Loki grew older, however, his mischievous activities became less playful and more genuinely evil, eventually leading to his exile. But by that time, Loki was more than capable of fending for himself, and Asgard had made a powerful enemy.
Loki may not have the stature of a typical Frost Giant, but he still has all the abilities of one, including super strength, stamina, and durability, as well as immunity to poisons and diseases. While Loki isn't quite as strong as Thor, he is still strong enough to easily withstand hits from heroes like Spider-Man, as seen when he faced off with the web-head in Amazing Spider-Man #503. In addition, much like the Asgardians he was raised with, Loki has superhuman longevity, meaning he can go thousands of years seemingly without aging. All that plus a genius intellect and eons of combat training makes Loki an incredibly dangerous opponent, but this is only the beginning of what the God of Mischief is capable of.
While his physical abilities are nothing to scoff at, Loki’s true strength comes from magic. Loki’s skills in sorcery are said to be equal to those of Karnilla, the most powerful sorceress in Asgard. In fact, in 1969's Silver Surfer #4, the Silver Surfer claims Loki’s magic is powerful enough to wipe out an entire planet, and that’s coming from a guy who literally works for the Devourer of Worlds. Through magic, Loki gains abilities such as telekinesis, energy blasts, teleportation, force fields, shape-shifting, and illusions strong enough to fool other powerful sorcerers and even godlike beings. In fact, it was with an illusion that Loki managed to temporarily usurp Doctor Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme in Donny Cates’ Doctor Strange run, proving that his skills are on-par with one of the most powerful magic users in the Marvel Universe.
Overall, the combination of enhanced physical attributes and remarkably powerful sorcery makes Loki an enormous threat, held back only by his overly ambitious and jealous nature. Even still, there’s no doubt Loki is one of the most dangerous villains Marvel has to offer.