In all of Marvel Comics' history, there have been thousands of characters—some quite forgettable, while others have made their mark on comic boook history. One of the most interesting of them all has got to be the original Norse God of Mischief, Loki Laufeyson. If you have never read a single comic book in your life, odds are you know who Loki is thanks to the amazing performance by Tom Hiddleston as the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character's origin in Thor is pretty much the same as the one from the books, with only a few tweaks and omissions.
If Hiddleston's performance as Loki is the only source of information you have for the character, you are missing out. While his portrayal is cinematic perfection, there is far more to the character than what is shown on screen. Loki has been a driving force of events in Marvel comics since he first appeared. He became a villain everyone in the Marvel Universe had to deal with at one time or another and in recent events, he even became a younger version of himself called Kid Loki.
The character is an interesting take on what someone readers have come to know. Unlike the older version, Kid Loki is very different than his former self. There are a lot of differences that make him an individual separate from the original, but how well do you know Kid Loki? Here are 20 Crazy Things Only True Fans Know About Kid Loki.
Not The First Time Loki Hasn't Been Himself
If all you know of the character Loki is Tom Hiddleston's performance int he Marvel Cinematic Universe, you don't know the character quite as well as you think you do. Loki has been around in the comics a long time since his debut in Journey into Mystery # 85, written by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber with pencils by Jack Kirby in 1962. Since that time, he has changed form more than a dozen times including a period recently when he took over the body of Lady Sif or the time he became a snake. He even turned into a unicorn at one point.
When you think about his role as the God of Mischief, it makes sense that Loki likes to change things up a bit.
In most cases where Loki changed his appearance, it is all part of a complex plan to accomplish some sinister goal. That's certainly the case when it comes to Kid Loki. In other cases, he changes form for entirely altruistic reasons or through the machinations of other beings. He became a unicorn in Loki: Agent of Asgard #8 when the heroes and villains switched sides. As a being of pure good, he demonstrated the ability to turn himself into a being of the purest form: a unicorn.
Loki Sacrificed Himself For Asgard And Was Reborn As Kid Loki
Loki is not the type of character you might ever call selfless, but that doesn't mean he can't pull off a selfless act from time to time. Following the "Secret Invasion" event, Norman Osborne found himself in control of S.H.I.E.L.D., which he renamed H.A.M.M.E.R. With his newfound power, he put together a team of Dark Avengers and decided to attack Asgard, which was no longer in its cosmic realm, but rather, it was floating above Broxton, Oklahoma. Loki and the Dark Avengers were set to take out Asgard, but seeing the destruction being rained down upon the Asgardians who were his people, Loki had a change of heart.
Loki does what he does best and switched sides. He finds himself in a situation where he sacrificed himself to save Asgard, which is something you would never expect from the person who had attempted to destroy Asgard and initiate Ragnarok on multiple occasions. Of course, we later learn he did it all as an elaborate plan to reincarnate himself as a child who he would later take over and become himself again. But at the time, it looked as if Loki had committed the only selfless act in his entire career of evil.
He's A Kid Thanks To Sentry And Some Trickery
When Loki manipulated Norman Osborne to take the Dark Avengers and H.A.M.M.E.R. and attack Asgard, his intention was to return Asgard to its proper place in the universe. When the Sentry gave in to the whispers of his Void persona leading to the destruction of Asgard, Loki's change of heart was due primarily to his plans getting out of hand. He used the Norn Stones to help the Avengers fight the Void and win the battle, but he ended up getting ripped apart by the Void with only a moment to whisper his last words, "I'm sorry, brother" to Thor. It was surprising, to say the least, but as we already know, Loki was prepared for this eventuality.
Prior to sacrificing himself, he manipulated Hela into removing his name from the Book of Hel. This allowed him to return to life instead of dying like anyone else. With his name missing from the Book of Hel, there was nowhere for him to go other than to return to life as a younger version of himself. We later learn that this was all part of a very detailed and complicated plan put forth by Loki for his eventual demise, which just goes to show the God of Mischief plays the long game when it comes to concerns of life and death.
Thor Found Him In Paris
When you get torn apart by the Void and have to be reincarnated as a young boy with no memories of your past life, it makes sense that you will end up in Paris, France. It had to be somewhere, right? Thor travels to Paris after he learns of his brother's resurrection. He finds the boy working as a street hustler who is going by the name Serrure, the French word for "lock." Loki/Serrure was scamming passersby with simple card tricks, while one of his buddies picked the crowds' pockets. When Thor showed up, he was disguised as a civilian who confronted the young man and chased him.
Thor easily ran the boy down and helped him gain back some of his memories by letting him grasp the handle of Mjolnir. Loki immediately regained a portion of his lost memory as well as some of his identity, but he also showed remorse for his past deeds. Thor then takes Loki back to the remains of Asgard where a resurrected Odin frightens him. Ultimately, Thor sides with his brother who decides to learn more about the people of Midgard by remaining on Earth. This starts the path where Kid Loki determines to make up for his evil past by trying to become one of the good guys.
He's A Good Guy
After regaining a portion of his memories, Loki begins to establish himself as a new, separate identity. Kid Loki is not the same person as his previous adult incarnation and he goes out of his way to prove that. When the original Loki's plans come to light, Kid Loki declares that he will not follow down the path set by his former self and that he's determined to become a good person who works tirelessly to atone for the sins of his past. One of Kid Loki's most prominent character traits is that he is racked with guilt over what he was and the harm he caused to those around him.
Initially, he remembered his past deeds via nightmares and he worried that those were truly his past actions.
He asks his brother for help, which Thor promises to provide though Kid Loki was somewhat hesitant at first. Thor remained wary of Kid Loki and his true intentions, but still remained by his side before he ended up going through some imprisonment, death, and resurrection troubles of his own. Even with his desire to do good, few people trusted him—especially the remaining Asgardians and you can't really blame them for that considering the role he played in Asgard's downfall.
He's Entirely Unpredictable
This one might not come as too much of a surprise if you know anything about Loki's personality. The similarity between Kid Loki and his former, is their unpredictable nature. This has a lot to do with the way people think of him as his former self. Hardly anyone trusted Kid Loki when he returned from the dead. Odin berated him constantly and the other Asgardians bullied him. Only Thor remained somewhat loyal to him by protecting his brother from the others, but even he was dubious of Kid Loki's actions.
Nobody could determine what he might do and whether or not he would do something with nefarious intent. Because of this uncertainty, Kid Loki remained as unpredictable as he was when he was an adult. The difference between the two remains the nature of their intent: Loki would do whatever suited him best to accomplish his goals while Kid Loki would do whatever he thought was best to either help people or atone for his previous actions. The comment he made in the picture above clearly shows his awareness of the problem. Nobody trusts him and they have a good reason not to—Loki is, by his very nature, untrustworthy, which makes anything he does unpredictable.
He Has Only A Fraction Of His Former Memories And Abilities
When Thor found the younger version of his brother reincarnated in Paris, he retained none of his former memories or any of his true powers. It took an act by Thor to return only a portion of his memories as well as some of his powers. He regained his godlike abilities inherent to anyone born a Frost Giant of Jotunheim, but only a portion of what he was in his former life. Even with his Jottunheim traits, he actually possesses abilities similar to those of his adoptive people, the Asgardians. Even with his diminished abilities, he still possesses superhuman qualities that make him a force to be reckoned with.
He still possesses superhuman strength, durability, healing, stamina, and longevity like all Asgardians possess. Additionally, he maintains much of his sorcery and psionic abilities, including Allspeak, which allows him to communicate with anyone of the Nine Realms to include all languages and dialects. When Thor found him, he didn't even realize he was speaking Allspeak and Thor had to point it out to him. He can practice magic, but has forgotten all he previously knew forcing him to relearn whatever he needs. Kid Loki's greatest trait has to be his genius-level intellect, which he uses to accomplish just about any task imaginable. After his resurrection, he lost much of his memory, but his ability to think critically and decipher puzzles appears to remain fully intact.
Odin Wasn't Pleased To See Him Again
Loki's relationship with his adoptive father is a tenuous one at best, seeing as the adopted Frost Giant has been instrumental in Asgard's demise. Odin went through his own death and resurrection around the time Asgard was destroyed, as he was needed once more to try and restore the kingdom of the Asgardians. When Thor showed up with his younger brother in Kid Loki form, Odin reacted in pretty much the way you might expect. He immediately turns on the young boy screaming, "How dare you" and calling him an abomination and traitor, before letting him know that Asgard's blood is on his hands.
Loki does what any young boy might do when confronted by an angry parent who also happens to be the king of the Gods, he runs away in terror.
Thor calls his father a "horrible unlovable old man" before reminding him that Loki is merely a child who is very much like the boy he raised to which Odin simply replies, "shut up." Later on, Heimdall asks the All-Father why he lets Loki live when he causes so much trouble, but he reveals he could never eliminate him because he still sees him as a son. It's interesting considering all the trouble Loki has caused Odin and his people, but in the end, he really is his father.
He Has A Magpie Named Ikol
Kid Loki travels around with a pet magpie named Ikol, but that bird is far more than it seems. As you can see, its name is a reverse spelling of Loki and there's a reason for that. Ikol is Loki's complete and total opposite. It's not just a bird, it's Loki's former, much more evil self. When Kid Loki learns of this echo from his past, it is revealed that were he to die, the older, evil version would be able to return. The original Loki's plan had been to take over the body of his younger self in his bid for reincarnation, but Kid Loki is having none of that. When he learns of the plan, he turns his former self into a magpie and makes him his minion.
It comes to light that Ikol is one of the most nefarious versions of the character to see print. He is malicious and determined to fulfill his original plan to return himself to his younger body. It has been pointed out by fans that Kid Loki's path to becoming an evil being once more began, when he trapped his former self in the body of a magpie. Which is ironic, since he did it to avoid becoming evil. Whether or not this is true, it is open to interpretation. Regardless of his benign or evil intent, you have to admire a kid who can trap his evil, older self in the body of a bird and make him his minion.
He Has A Pet Hellhound Names Thori
We all know that kids love dogs. They make great pets and companions. For some superpowered folks, a simple canine just won't do it. For those people, there are hellhounds. Loki is responsible for the birth of seven Hel-Pups after leaving Garm and Hel-Wolf together. From that union, seven pups were born and given to Loki as a Yuletide gift due to Garm's unwillingness to raise them. Like most kids who show up with a bunch of puppies, the All-Mothers made Loki give the pups away. He was able to find homes for them with Gaea, Warlock, the New Mutants, Heimdall, Mephisto, Tyr, and an animal shelter on Midgard, but wasn't able to give away the most bloodthirsty of them all.
When the All-Mothers ordered Loki to destroy the last remaining Hel-Pup, he instead decided to keep him for himself.
He named the pup Thori though the dog would have preferred Deathripper, Entrail-Gargler, The Death That Prowls on Four Legs, and other equally terrifying dog names. Thori is independent and wildly aggressive, but he remained loyal to Kid Loki often helping him out in his adventures. Unlike most dogs, Thori's status as a Hel-Hound endows him with certain powers including pyrokinesis, the ability to speak, interdimensional tracking, enhanced speed, and interstellar flight.
He Joined The Young Avengers
If you are lucky enough to own a copy of The Avengers #1 (or have read a reprint in physical or digital form), you already know that Earth's mightiest heroes banded together to stop a serious threat... can you guess what that threat might have been? Yes, it was Loki. Just like the first film Avengers film depicted, the Avengers came together to fight off a serious threat posed by the God of Mischief. It's interesting to consider that Loki was essentially the reason the Avengers teamed up in the first place when you learn he eventually joined the team. That's right; the guy who set Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man and others on the path to defend the world from himself can say he got to join the team.
Granted, this wasn't the full-grown team seeing as Loki was still in his Kid Loki form at the time. Kid Loki came onto the team alongside Hawkeye, Hulkling, Wiccan, Marvel Boy, and America Chavez as part of the Young Avengers. The newly formed team turned out to be a major success for Marvel and fans loved seeing a new, modern adaptation on the decades-old franchise. The series was wildly popular among fans and it presented Loki in a positive light. Not as the person responsible for the team existing in the first place, but rather as a valued member of the team his allies could count on.
He Has A Special Sword
Loki has always been the type of person who relies on various tricks, potions, mystical objects, and weapons so it should come as no surprise to learn he has a sword he uses on occasion. The sword is named Laevateinn, which is Old Norse for "wounding wand". Laevateinn is the mystical and ancestral sword of Loki, which he can summon to himself whenever he needs it. The sword itself hasn't appeared very much in the comics, but it has made appearances outside the pages of comic books in places you might not have thought to look.
If you're familiar with and a player of Fire Emblem Heroes, you may have noticed there is a character named Laevatein. In the game, Laevatein is a female character who wields a special sword that shares the same name as its wielder. While it isn't explicitly connected to the God of Mischief from Marvel Comics, it seems apparent that it is an homage to Loki and his ancestral weapon. Marvel plucked the sword's name from Norse Mythology itself in creating the character as well as his weapon. Heroes has vague references to Norse Mythology and features a character called Loki the trickster half-giant/half-god alongside his weapon with references to other characters and locations so it seems they followed Marvel's example.
He's Still The God Of Mischief
Loki has always been known as the Norse God of Mischief and his actions certainly suggest why he has this moniker. Nearly every one of his schemes involves tricking his targets or misleading them in such a way as to keep them guessing. In his own words, "I am the god of mischief. I am Loki, the fire that burns. And why does the fire burn? I know not. But I am he..." You might think that he would abandon this title after becoming Kid Loki, seeing as the young God worked hard to separate himself from his former self and his past misdeeds. But, he still embraced it.
Kid Loki may not be the evil version of himself everyone considers to be a true villain, but that doesn't make him any less mischievous.
Frankly, it's a true character trait for Loki and even in his Kid Loki form, he retains that facet of his being. The difference between the grown-up God of Mischief and the adolescent version has everything to do with his intent. As we mentioned before, his goal was to become better than he was and atone for the sins of his past. He could still accomplish this as the God of Mischief just so long as he wasn't going about trying to destroy Asgard or take over the Midgard while doing it.
His Relationship With Leah
Another of Loki's important relationships revolves around a woman named Leah. Leah became Loki's guardian on Midgard following the events of the Serpent. Prior to getting involved with Loki, Leah served as a handmaiden to Hela and was initially displeased with her new duties, which required she take up residence in a cave outside Asgard. Because she wasn't happy with her posting, she constantly teased Loki and insulted him whenever she got the chance. This may have been only a front as there were numerous indications she had romantic feelings for the young God of Mischief. Granted, Leah denied this at every turn, but her actions suggested otherwise.
Not needing to sleep, she would stand guard over Loki whenever he would lay down for the night. There were other allusions to her affections toward Loki who seemed intent on making Leah his BFF. Of course, she didn't understand what that meant until later. When Loki and Leah worked to restore Hela's hand to her, it ended up costing Leah her life. As she began to fade from existence, she held Loki's hand and told him she looked up the phrase asking if it was something that could ever be true for him. The loss was difficult for Loki who has a history of tumultuous relationships with women.
His Resurrection Into Kid Loki Was All About Changing Himself
Once the dust settled and it became apparent the original Loki manipulated pretty much everyone to allow for his resurrection into Kid Loki, it became clear that part of his goal also involved changing himself. Loki set a path for his adolescent self to follow so he could eventually retake his form, but in doing so, he revealed the reasons for his machinations. Loki appeared as an echo of his former self to Kid Loki and explained his intention to take over his body to be reborn. Kid Loki decided not to take that path right then and there and forced the echo into the magpie who became Ikol, but he only did this after learning of Loki's true intentions.
The spirit form of Loki revealed that his path to resurrection was born of a desire to start over. He wanted a fresh start in life with his past being left behind him. He offered aid to Kid Loki to help guard the Nine Realms through foreseen hard times, "because a trickster is naught without a playground." Kid Loki didn't buy it and put the echo aside for a while, but Loki wouldn't remain Ikol for long and his plan to start over would eventually come to fruition.
Loki's Plan Was To Take Over Kid Loki's Body And He Did
When Loki appeared to Kid Loki in spirit form and revealed his intent to change himself by getting a new start, he revealed that he would need to replace Kid Loki's consciousness with his own. This would effectively eliminate Kid Loki by obliterating his consciousness. Unsurprisingly, Kid Loki wasn't interested in such an act as he was, since, for all intents and purposes, a completely new and independent individual. He went on to trap Loki in the magpie as Ikol, but it turned out this was only a temporary solution.
Loki's machinations revealed the existence of the Fear Crown to Mephisto who would use it to become the next Satan with the intent to unleash Hell on Earth. It was revealed that the Fear Crown only exists due to Kid Loki's mind and were that mind to be destroyed, the threat posed by Mephisto on all existence would immediately be removed. Kid Loki was left with little choice and opted to allow Ikol to take over his mind, but before he went, he reminded Ikol that he had changed and had ultimately lost who he was, meaning the original Loki wouldn't be the same as the Ikol/Loki who supplanted Kid Loki from his body.
Not The Same Thing As Young Loki
After Loki's plan to take over his new body, aka Kid Loki, finally came to fruition, the person known as Kid Loki ceased to be and the one formerly known as Ikol became Loki. In this form, Loki was still young and took over as the main Loki of the Marvel Universe though he was magically aged a little bit by Wiccan. This version of the character is not the same Loki as the original and he has gone through a number of changes along the way, which has separated him somewhat from his previous incarnations. One of the main reasons he has changed has a lot to do with how he wiped out Kid Loki from existence to take over his body.
When he finally succeeded in replacing Kid Loki's consciousness with his own, he was seeded with guilt.
He said the words, "Damn me. Damn you all" as he took over. This lead Loki to feel the weight of his actions and the associated guilt for a long time. While the two characters are distinct from one another, they are similar enough to be considered one in the same, but only to a point. The Ikol/Loki version may have taken out Kid Loki, but the guilt that remained from this act kept him very much in his mind, often leading him to choose a less evil path than the one he may have originally set himself on.
He Was Constantly Plagued With His Evil Past Misdeeds
Shortly after Ikol takes over the body and destroys the being known as Kid Loki, he teams up with the future Young Avengers after manipulating the interdimensional parasite known as Mother to come to Earth-616 via Wiccan's powers with the goal of bringing the young heroes' dead parents back to life. When the spell is cast, Loki interferes and betrayed Mother, but got Hulkling, Wiccan, and himself into a bit of a jam with Mother, which Loki manipulated them out of. This led to the formation of the Young Avengers, though Loki's intentions were entirely selfish at this point. Soon after, he convinces Wiccan to transfer his powers to Loki for only 10 minutes, but ends up bailing on his teammates.
Shortly afterward, Loki is visited by a vision of Kid Loki (pictured) who guilts Loki into returning to the Young Avengers. He went back and empowered the Young Avengers to defeat Mother's army, which led to Mother fading out of the dimension. Loki decided to remain a member of the Young Avengers and from this point forward, was truly a member of the team. This was a big change for the character who had abandoned his former ways in order to support a team and he would never have done so had he not been visited by the person he had to eliminate in order to become the new Loki. Guilt is a big part of what makes Loki the being he is.
Tom Hiddleston Is A Fan
When you watch a movie like any of the ones including Tom Hiddleston as Loki, you have to wonder how familiar the actor is with the character they are playing. Sure, they prepare by reading back issues, but you have to wonder if they are keeping up with what's happening with the character even if those changes in the book aren't reflected on the silver screen. For Hiddleston, we not only know that he is a huge fan of the character and the comics, but he is also a fan of Kid Loki, which means he knows all about the recent goings-on in Marvel's Journey Into Mystery featuring Kid Loki.
Hiddleson sent a letter to Kieron Gillen, the writer of the series addressing the character (that had to be an amazing letter to receive) where he wrote:
"You and I see Loki the same way. He's one dark, anarchic, bottomless black hole of rage, hatred, pity and pain. An exiled outcast, a lost & lonely agent of chaos, who wouldn't know what to do with familial forgiveness if it walked up to him in the street and slapped him in the face. I've had as much fun playing him as you've clearly had writing him."
He went on to compliment the writer even more, which received the simple response of "Crikey." It's clear Journey Into Mystery helped influence Hiddleston's portrayal of the character even though he plays the original, adult version on screen.
Kid Loki May Show Up On Screen
Hopefully, you have seen Avengers: Infinity War by now, but if you haven't, SPOILERS ahead! In the film's opening scene, Loki confronts the Mad Titan Thanos in a desperate (and possibly life-ending) attempt to take him out with one of his knives. He is quickly dispatched much to Thor's dismay and that's it. Loki is dead. The audience is greeted with an immediate and important death, but there could be hope in seeing Loki's return in an upcoming Marvel film. Frankly, the Internet abounds with rumors as to how this might come to pass, but the most likely theory being pitched around has to do with Loki's resurrection being handled similarly to the comics in the form of Kid Loki.
In the comics, we already know Loki took himself out in a bid of self-sacrifice/a path to resurrection. The comics have always been more of an inspiration for the events in the MCU, so it is possible the writers could incorporate a Loki resurrection into a forthcoming film. Though how they might do it is anyone's guess at this point. MCU Loki may have let himself pass to have this happen similar to the events of "Siege,". If this happens, it means the role will need to be recast and to be honest, we don't know if we are ready to see Loki portrayed by anyone but Tom Hiddleston. If that day comes, we will be excited to see Kid Loki on screen, but it won't be easy!
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