Loki Appreciation 2018

[ROSA13]

You’re a victim of the system. You are your own worst enemy. So know your enemy…”
— Restless Heart Syndrome - Green Day

[ROSA13]

Secret Wars will spare no one—not even the gods. Come May, with LOKI: AGENT OF ASGARD #14, the Last Days arrive.

“This is the Last Days of the Marvel Universe and King Loki is right there watching it all happen,” promises LOKI writer Al Ewing

Unfortunately for all, “watching” hardly summarizes what the elder Loki has planned.

“King Loki’s immediate reaction to the end of the world is to try and turn it to his advantage—whether that's to try to escape, to get a last revenge on everyone he hates, or both at once,” Ewing reveals. “He's stirring up trouble any way he can.”

The Asgardians, as a whole, have no plan to take the end of everything passively either.

“All of the Asgardians know something’s wrong; being creatures of myth and story, they've got a special affinity with the end of the tale,” the writer explains. “They didn’t even notice the other incursions, but this one they can feel coming. And while Ragnarok is just the end of one story, this is the end of every story, everywhere.

“The other Asgardians are rising to the challenge for one last, blazing, apocalyptic war against the forces of—everyone else,” he continues. “It’s cosmic conflagration the way you like it! And how!”
Additionally, Asgard and Midgard do not stand alone in noticing that the end approaches.

“All 10 realms are feeling this in the wind, and the natural response is to start settling all the old scores,” Ewing confirms. “Which is where King Loki comes in.”

But why all this talk of King Loki, fans may very well wonder.

“[It] kind of begs the question...where’s the other Loki in all this?” the writer questions. “The one we’ve been following since issue #1? Hmmmmmmm.

“Watch this space, True Deceivers.”

More on Marvel.com: http://marvel.com/news/comics/23988/...#ixzz3QRGRXFTy

[Darkspellmaster]

Two thoughts on my mind over this. First, can kidLoki be punished for Loki's crimes in the past, answer, no but the Asguardians seemed to believe they could given the treatment of him through JIM. So in some ways, yes he was being punished for OldLoki's crimes. Now as for this one, the question to me isn't "Punishment" it's "making amends". Punishing Loki for past crimes is pointless at this point in time. Namely because every Loki that has been is a new Loki of new cycle. There's been various Loki's, can this one be made to be punished for all their crimes? Then again, he has paid for a number of his crimes if you look back in Thor's long run. (Stuck under a snake -several times, Chained to Sigyn was a punishment -she eventually got Odin to free him, Trapped in a tree -he was a spirit for a while, Locked in Hell for a bit -I think it had something to do with Pluto, I think they did the tree thing more then once, etc.) So Loki has been punished, the problem is that, as he pointed out, he can get out of those situations, they do nothing to him, nothing to change him. They don't make him face what he's done, and that's where I think this is going to be different.

Odin himself has changed since he's gone away. In the Tenth Realm, he acknowledged his love of both his sons and daughters, something he rarely has done in more recent years. Then there was the comments he made to Loki in issue 9 where he was talking to him about humility. He mentions that when he last saw Loki that he had grown, not just physically but emotionally as well. Odin put himself in exhile to consider and regroup himself, and no doubt had to face a lot of his own flaws, which is why he tells Loki he wants a word with him. My own suspcision is that Odin knows this Loki isn't the Kid, but rather a version of the Old one that's changing. Loki is, as he is now, probably as close to what he was like when he really was that age for the first time, and Odin wants to help him change his path and his own, in his own strange way. Old Odin would never allow Cul to stay in Asgardia, yet Cul is there. Now we have him telling Loki that he can change like you're changing Armor, which is something Old Loki did. He changed what he was he changed how he acted, but internally he didn't change. This Loki, our AoA Loki has that chance to change that. Odin's comments focus on the fact that he can change, but he needs to grow as well, he needs that humility. Something OldLoki lacked, something AoA does have, not in spades yet, but has the abilty to have that humility. He understands it because of KidLoki, and, while he may not outright mention that factor, he knows it's there. OldLoki would never have seen a mortal as an equal, apologize that often, or even believe he was in the wrong, AoA does and can.

Which is why I can't see Odin punishing him like he used to. They both have changed, grown, and as such I can't see Odin being nasty about this. I have a feeling he's going to want Loki to seek out a way to grow as a person. It will be harsh, and grueling, a challenge, but I think that Odin sends him to Jotenhiem, not as a banishment, but rather as a challenge to him. He needs to be in a place where he can come to terms with his actions. Staying in a tree or being banished won't do that. Being forced to look at his past, from the very start, where he set up his own being taken from Laufy would be a very big first step in this. I think, in part, that's why Odin's sending him there. It's a place to think, and a place to learn from your past. It's basically make or break time. And I think that Odin want's Loki to be what he want's to, but not be in the way. That's the only way I can say it. Also I have my suspicion that he's sending him there partly because he figures that if anyone can out wit the Frost Giant's it's Loki, with or without the ability to lie.

As for King Loki...I'm starting to wonder if his whole game is to actually erase himself. I know it's an odd gamble, but it somewhat makes sense. King Loki is the Loki everyone knows in Asgard. The one that they've all known of for years. I think that he hates what he is, we keep being told "Evil Loki, the bad one, the one that is no good." And yet he speeds up time. He keeps saying "I want my future" but what if that's a lie onto himself. He's telling the truth, but only half of it. We as readers only get to see what he wants us to see, and what he wants everyone to believe is that he's working for a bad outcome. What if he's speeding this all along so that this Loki doesn't have time to become bitter and become the darker self that he is now? What if his plans are to use this Loki, our Loki, as a means of altering different outcomes? I found it interesting that he went to talk to Doom when he was in Midgard of the future and the skull starts talking: "Listen. Remember. That which is called Ego-Death is coming to you. Be not weak. It is not Dying, It is not dying."

I assumed at first that the Skull is talking about Doom and what happens to him later. But now I'm starting to wonder if that Skull was talking about AoA Loki and the possibility that King Loki is trying to actually change what his own fate is? Why say "Ego-Death?" Why tell Doom that. I might have missed something, but any one else find the last lines of "It's not Dying" from that skull odd? Who is that Skull anyway? It's way to small to be a Frost giants, and why doesn't he want the skull to tell too many spoilers? What does the skull know? On top of this, King Loki claims he's there to see if his future is still there, but why say "as I left it"? It could be taken as he's hoping that it is still a mess, or it could be that he's wondering if anything he's doing is effecting change there as well as in the other realms.

By the way, who were the three women with Thor when King Loki mentioned him as ruler?

[Raye]

The three women are Thor's granddaughters, the Girls of Thunder. Frigg (blonde) Ellisiv (long darker blonde/red hair) and Atil (short red hair). We don't know much about their parents, they are never shown, and may be dead. But their last name is 'Wodendottir' so presumably Thor has a son he names Woden at some point, but then again, they could be his daughter's children.

And yeah, Odin has changed... at least in regards to his children, and primarily Loki. But I can't see him letting Loki off scott free. Just because his punishments have failed to get results in the past does not mean he should do nothing, that is even less likely to get results. and it's not all about trying to change Loki, there is the matter of simple justice here. But I do think Odin will have Loki do something to try and compensate for Kid Loki's death, rather than like, lock him away.

That reminded me. In the last interview he gave before the whole Last days thing hit, Ewing mentioned that in issue 9, if you looked at Odin there was a clue. So I looked.



Looking at this, the first thing I notice is Odin's eye, and the eyes of his ravens. If it was just HIS eye, it could just be a him magcking Lorelei and Sigurd's hearts into the eggs, but no, it's the ravens, too. Reminds me of this, from the 10th Realm:



See how the ravens eye crackles with energy, same as in that panel above? I think this is maybe how Odin sees more than others can see, and how he probably knows damn well who is in the body of his son. Or it could be him seeing the future, maybe seeing the story.

ALSO! His dialogue about Sigurd and Lorelei's punisment said that it would last "Until the day the sky falls and everything ends." so.... until Secret Wars. The incursions could be interpreted as the sky 'falling' and we know that everything goes blooey in the final one before Secret Wars, with only Battleworld remaining.

But another thing also struck me....


Look how similarly they are sitting, just flipped. i think that may just be coincidence, though.

[Darkspellmaster]

Raye, you're right! Oh man...odd thought then. Do you think that Odin's trying to out play King Loki? Also is there a possibility that it's not really Odin sitting on there but Loki? Probably not, but you never know with the guy that can walk through walls. After all he said the Freya wasn't there. (also may be a nod to the movie in some odd way, Or I'm over thinking.)

[Rosebunse]

I don't know, that almost seems too complicated. So, either Odin is King Loki, or King Loki is Odin? But how does it work? We saw them both together in King Loki's prison?

[Darkspellmaster]

I don't know, that almost seems too complicated. So, either Odin is King Loki, or King Loki is Odin? But how does it work? We saw them both together in King Loki's prison?

The Odin we see with Frejya is the real Odin, the one with the two eggs may be King Loki just posing as him. Though I doubt that's the case, although you can't count out things. I wish we knew if that Jar that Loki's holding is the three that holds the poetry god from Norse Myths, and that skull King Loki is holding in issue 7, did we ever get an answer of what, or who, that actually is? Can't be Verity, I can't see him doing that to her. So who's head is he holding?

[Rosebunse]

The Odin we see with Frejya is the real Odin, the one with the two eggs may be King Loki just posing as him. Though I doubt that's the case, although you can't count out things. I wish we knew if that Jar that Loki's holding is the three that holds the poetry god from Norse Myths, and that skull King Loki is holding in issue 7, did we ever get an answer of what, or who, that actually is? Can't be Verity, I can't see him doing that to her. So who's head is he holding?

I thought King Loki meant that he had been what was influencing Thor?

[Darkspellmaster]

I thought King Loki meant that he had been what was influencing Thor?

Oh you're right that was the jar that they had him in. My mistake. I was thinking of some things I read about a gods blood put in three jars that when you drank them you gained a clever tongue.

Argh, I still want to know what King Loki was looking for when he went back (forward) to midgard and met doom there. Did he know he would be there? And given that things aren't always going his way does that mean that even he doesn't know everything that can happen?

[Rosebunse]

Oh you're right that was the jar that they had him in. My mistake. I was thinking of some things I read about a gods blood put in three jars that when you drank them you gained a clever tongue.

Argh, I still want to know what King Loki was looking for when he went back (forward) to midgard and met doom there. Did he know he would be there? And given that things aren't always going his way does that mean that even he doesn't know everything that can happen?

I think he knew Doom would be there. He could have been watching Doom for weeks because he knew for sure Magneto would go to him for help.

[Darkspellmaster]

I think he knew Doom would be there. He could have been watching Doom for weeks because he knew for sure Magneto would go to him for help.

So he just followed Doom? I suppose given his "I can walk through the fourth wall" aspect of his character that's a possibility. Also what's curious is that he hasn't brought up female Thor, like at all. Did she even happen in his world? Is he speeding things up because of the coming secret wars?

[Rosebunse]

So he just followed Doom? I suppose given his "I can walk through the fourth wall" aspect of his character that's a possibility. Also what's curious is that he hasn't brought up female Thor, like at all. Did she even happen in his world? Is he speeding things up because of the coming secret wars?

Well, she hasn't really been around long enough for it to be a factor in his plans.

[Raye]

Heh, I just threw in the King Loki page because it was the same pose, more or less, but I was thinking it was you know, a long shot at best. Just figured I would include it for completeness sake. Is it a possibility? yeah. But I think it's a remote one.

I think the big clue Ewing was talking about probably was the eye thing, with the ravens, especially if you read the captions on the 10th Realm page. I think that's an additional nod that Odin knows already, is all, and is a little hint as to how.

And I still say King Loki is a character inserted into the story after the fact by the actual future Loki, like Kid Loki did with Leah in Cul's story. If that's the case, then Future Loki just has to write into Doom's bit of the story where he visited the future "and he met Loki there... blah blah blah" and boom, it all fits. The skull, just symbolic of Red Skull, I think, since it was a leadin to Axis.

[Rosebunse]

Definitely the skull was just for use as a symbol. There were probably skulls all over the landscape and King Loki just picked one up. My thing is, does King Loki know about the Incursions?

[Raye]

Hmm.... I was going to say that yes, obviously he did. But now i think about it... We have seen King Thor on not just one but two preview covers for Secret Wars.... Since it IS King Thor on those covers, and we also have the 616 Thor on there, it says a couple things both about Secret Wars and the nature of King Thor/Loki's future. It appears the incursions do not affect all the worlds at the same time. Which we knew already, I mean we have X-Men '92 alongside Old Man Logan. But this is a pretty extreme case, as King Thor's future is THOUSANDS of years in the future. And since I would assume one Earth can not participate in Secret Wars twice, once in the present and once in the future. Certainly other characters from the future, Cable and such, have not mentioned anything like the Incursions or Secret Wars. This indicates that, as is consistent with time travel in the MU so far, when King Loki traveled back, an alternate dimension was created. The question is, from an in-story perspective (the out of story reason is obvious, cus it would be cool to have all these different versions of characters together for a story) how do we explain the various alt-earths getting sucked into an incursion at such wildly different times?