Loki Appreciation 2019

[Raye]

Okay, read both WotR and Thor. Feelings a bit mixed, there is part I am confused about, but generally liked it, despite a fairly gruesome ending in Thor.

I won't get into WotR much here because it didn't have a whole lot to do with Loki, but Freyja remains saddened by his death, it seems. Even Odin seemed to want some vengeance. Beyond that he wasn't mentioned much.

Thor tho was cover to cover Loki. Basically it was A Christmas Carol, with Loki as Scrooge. (trivia about me - my cat is named Marley, after the character in that story) Sort of. Saw the past, in the preview there, and yup, Loki is horrified that he created Malekith, tried to stop it but, you know, ghost.... Again, sort of. Present was represented by Kid Loki, because, he said, it was the present that was supposed to be. He taunted Loki about his failures in the present, and Loki comments about fate, and how he can't seem to escape it no matter how hard he tries, even now that the Norns are gone. And the future, Necrosword Loki at the end of time. Which Loki is again horrified by. He decides he has to die to prevent that. But, it is not actually the afterlife, it's all in his head, he's still alive! But... Remember a few pages back where I said I thought him living through that would be worse than death? I think I was right. He is in VERY rough shape. I am not sure how someone, even a sorcerer god, can live though that. Overall he seems to feel very trapped and like he has failed, and... He thinks he and everyone else would be better off with him dead. He appears to have not sacrificed himself in some grand scheme, so much as he committed suicide. Or tried to. Which is just sad to think about.

Here is what has me confused. So, on the one hand, him still being alive does simplify the whole "resurrection" bit, since it sidesteps the whole reincarnation thing, he 'just' has to pull himself together, literally and figuratively, and kill Laufey from the inside, I guess. (I mean, not many other ways to get out of there. He could teleport I guess, but... Killing from the inside would be more satisfying. which could make the whole being eaten by Laufey sort of symbolic of his situation with trying to take down Malekith from the inside. Also, though I dunno how this would work exactly since typically Mjolnir will only come to someone who is its current wielder, i want Mjolnir to fly to him while he is inside Laufey, and have him explode in a fountain of lightning fueled gore. And then Loki walks out of it to everyone's shock. ) But if this is all happening in his head, how did he see the future? One we have seen, through the King Thor issues, is correct, not just him imagining his worst fears? How did he see things in the past he would have been unaware of the first time he lived through them? I suppose it is possible that is what he saw in Infinity Wars, but then why would he be reacting like he is seeing it for the first time here? Also, the question that was raised earlier which suggested more complex shenanigans comes up again, because why would he sacrifice himself like he did, if he really didn't have a plan to bring himself back? Either something weird is going on there, and there is still more to be revealed, or as I said above, it was a suicide.

I really want him to have some grand plan here, I want him to have some moment in the finale where he reveals everything he's done, or at least a good chunk of it, actually worked out for the best despite what it appeared. But it's looking like that may not be the case, which is disappointing. But on the other hand, he may have a real surge of character growth when confronted with how his usual methods failed. But on the other hand, the issue failed to mention the times where he actually did good, which was also frustrating. What he accomplished in Hel with Thor, fixing magic was huge, and saved lives in WotR once the witches were taken out, Strange would not have been able to do what he did if Loki had not fixed magic, what he did in Infinity Wars... It was frustrating to not see these mentioned. Though maybe that comes next issue, where he realizes he has done some good, and that he has to fight, even when it seems hopeless.... Oh. That's why he's worthy I bet. Or will be.

But then, we do have the new Loki series which gives a lot of hope here. We know he lives, and the situation he is in, he has to choose to live, so he ought to get over his funk. He gets Mjolnir, so he is maybe a good guy for reals, not anti hero with some seriously questionable methods, at the very least we know he hasn't surrendered to the fate he seems so hopeless about and gone evil again. The bit about fate in the Kid Loki sequence would have had me worried they were just going to have him fail and just give in to his darker nature because fate won't let him do anything else, without the new solo announcement.