Warning: MASSIVE SPOILERS for War of the Realms #1
The War of the Realms has officially begun in Marvel's Universe. And to prove that nobody is safe from this all-out battle, not one, but TWO iconic Asgardians have been murdered in just the first issue. Thank goodness Infinity War helped fans say goodbye to Loki once already.
With all ten realms of the Marvel Universe now destroyed or conquered by the Dark Elves, and only Thor left to lead Earth's heroes before all of Creation falls... perhaps it's best his father Odin and brother Loki are killed. That way they won't be forced to see him fail. And judging by War of the Realms #1, plenty more heroes are going to be challenged, defeated, and killed before this war is over.
- This Page: War of The Realms Begins By Killing ODIN
- Page 2: LOKI Dies in The Most Disgusting Way Possible
War of The Realms Kills Odin First
The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth is nothing new for the Asgardians, which means Odin is anything but worried about the grim and "terrible ending" he senses fast approaching. The past few issues of Jason Aaron's Thor comic have shown Odin getting drunk and miserable, proving that his time is over, and Thor's turn as the All-Father is nearing. It's a pathetic way to go out, Ragnarok or not. But when he sits on the thrones of Asgard and contemplates the fall of his people, his empire, his powers, and his family... he soon learns he is not alone.
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It's a testament to just how far Odin has fallen that Malekith, leader of the Dark Elves and the mastermind of this War of the Realms doesn't even come to kill the All-Father personally. Instead, he sends a squad of Dark Elf assassins who get the job done with minimal casualties. Even if the story leaves Odin before his lifeless corpse can be confirmed, the slain ravens, and the flurry of assassin blades leave little doubt. And when the action shifts to Loki's own luck in evading the same assassins, Odin's fate seems to be just the first in a chain of Malekith's opening strikes against Earth's defenders.
Loki is Dying (Only That Ain't Loki)
When Loki's bloody and dagger-filled body crash lands in Thor's backyard, the god of thunder recognizes that the time is up. No more adventures with his brother trying to rally the troops, or even becoming Thor, King of Hel to delay the inevitable. The War of the Realms is under way, and Malekith has murdered Loki for trying to trick him with false loyalty (trickery is kind of his thing, so you would expect better from a Dark Elf).
But things go from bad to worse for Thor when he is teleported to Malekith by Loki's magic... only to learn that his traveling partner isn't his brother at all. This 'Loki' is actually Malekith himself, masquerading as Thor's brother in order to lure the Avenger away from Earth. So with Thor removed and Earth now vulnerable, Malekith abandons him to battle Frost Giants on Jotunheim and heads to New York City to lead his grand army.
Fortunately for Earth, there is still ONE son of Odin prepared to die for Earth, and his family. Sorry Loki fans, massive SPOILERS lie ahead.
Page 2 of 2: Loki Dies in Truly Disgusting Fashion
Loki Takes a Stand For His Mother
Odin may be completely out of the fight before it even begins, but the same can't be said for his former wife, Freyja (step-mother to both Thor and Loki). The Queen of Asgard has followed her people to Earth in search of a new home. To date, she has received nothing but help from Thor and Jane Foster... and like everyone else, has been deceived by her son, Loki. So when the King of Jotunheim, the Frost Giant Laufey and Loki's biological father comes to Times Square at the head of Malekith's army, Freyja is there to meet him. Meet him, and be scooped up in his enormous fist within seconds.
RELATED: Marvel Confirms Loki Was Never 'Evil' in The MCU
It's not exactly a fair fight, but lucky for Freyja, Loki arrives just in time to save her from certain death--by slicing his father's hand clean off, with Freyja still clutched inside. By this point King Laufey is used to betrayal and effrontery by his wayward son, but it's a bit newer for Malekith. The Dark Elf confirms that he sent assassins to kill Loki as well--assassins now transformed into toads by the trickster god--before the Avengers break up the fight long enough for Loki to give his mother the message he came to deliver.
Obviously Freyja is more than a bit suspicious, having been betrayed and stabbed in the back by Loki once already. Yet Loki persists in telling her that Thor is in need of rescue from the home of the Frost Giants, and retrieving him is now the only thing that matters. To save Earth, and what remains of the other realms, the heroes will need Thor to make it the slightest bit possible. And in response to her disbelief and unwillingness to trust anything he says... Loki reassures her that what happens next will leave no doubt as to where his loyalties lie.
And with that, the trickster god takes his mother's place in King Laufey's oversized crosshairs. Staring down his Frost Giant father, Loki goads him into action by claiming he is completely unlovable to even his own son, and that fathering the great Loki of Asgard is "the only noteworthy thing you've ever done." Laufey doesn't waste time giving Loki the response he clearly desires.
Loki is Eaten Alive By His Own Father
It's not going to be easy for Marvel fans to wipe the above image from their minds, as King Laufey decides to do what his honor demands, and eat Loki alive with a massive, bloody crunch. Only Freyja screams in horror at the sight, understanding that her son chose loyalty to her in his final moments knowing that his sacrifice would prove exactly that. The rest of the assembled heroes of Earth are less than distraught, but who can blame them? Loki has been a pest to Earth for almost all of his life. But the point is made: nobody is safe in the coming war.
Hopefully it's a memorable enough death to earn him the same posthumous respect as the Marvel movie version. Either way, this first issue of War of the Realms shows that Loki being choked to death by Thanos was tragic... but could have been a LOT worse. Will the trickster pull one last illusion to come back to life? We don't know if that's possible when you've been chewed to death, even for an Asgardian. But if anybody can do it, it's Loki.
War of the Realms #1 is available now at your local comic book store, and directly from Marvel Comics.