Marvel Suggests Thor Was More Like Loki (And Odin’s Worst Fear)

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Marvel's Loki episode 1, "Glorious Purpose"

The premiere episode of Marvel's Loki suggests that Thor was once very much like his brother and possibly an earlier version of their father Odin. While the series' first episode revealed that Loki (Tom Hiddleston) was none other than the infamous criminal D.B. Cooper, it was also revealed that the entire reason he committed an act of terrorism was that he lost a bet to Thor. While this further adds to the references and tales of friendship the sons of Odin had in their youth, it also suggests that the God of Thunder was once not so different from the God of Mischief, which might have been a source of worry for the All-Father.

In the premiere episode of Marvel's Loki, the adopted son of Odin gets arrested by the Time Variance Authority for breaking the sacred timeline, having used the Space Stone in 2012. However, he ends up being saved from his sentencing thanks to the TVA's Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) who apparently needs the God of Mischief's help on a case. As a result, the pair take a video tour of Loki's life due to Mobius wanting to learn what makes Loki tick. In doing so, it's revealed that Loki himself was D.B Cooper, the man behind the only unsolved case of air piracy in commercial aviation history. As was mentioned, this epic act of mischief was the result of Loki losing a bet to Thor, and the implication is made that the God of Thunder was in on the whole thing, and may have even come up with the idea to begin with.

At face value, the entire concept of Loki being Cooper and the Bifrost Bridge serving as the reason he and the bulk of the ransom money were never found is hilarious and quite clever. However, Thor's involvement creates an interesting layer worth exploring. Loki mentions that this particular act of meddling in the affairs of men occurred when he was young, presumably before his resentment towards Thor had grown too much. As Thor himself states in Thor: Ragnarok, he once thought that he and Loki would be fighting side by side forever as brothers. However, time eventually set the pair adrift on divergent paths, especially when Odin chose Thor to be king over Loki. However, one has to wonder if Odin was ever concerned by Thor's bond with Loki. D.B. Cooper/Loki's crime was a massive act of terrorism after all.

It's possible that Odin might have feared that his sons' bond was causing Thor to be ill-fitted for the crown, or even making him too much like Odin himself when he was a dishonorable conqueror with Thor and Loki's sister Hela. Could this be why Odin never interceded as Loki's resentments toward Thor grew over time? He couldn't have been fully blind to what was happening, especially considering what he knew (and was withholding) about Loki's true origins as a frost giant. However, this is primarily conjecture. Thor certainly had his own hangups and issues that would have made him a poor ruler all on his own without Loki's involvement, at least before Thor's exile on Earth where he learned to truly become worthy.

At the very least, D.B Cooper is a perfect and hilarious example of the antics Thor and Loki got up to in their youth, further confirming that they were truly brothers with a strong camaraderie (before the crown of Asgard got in the way). Thankfully, Thor and Loki managed to regain their brotherly bond Odin may or may not have been wary of by the end of Thor: Ragnarok. Additionally, it's nice to see this new variant Loki from 2012 getting to see what his future with Thor could have been in Loki's first episode as well.

Marvel's Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

More: Loki Has More Mephisto Villain Set Up Than WandaVision Ever Did