Loki Laufeyson is the Norse God of Mischief and was once a frequent threat to the likes of his adopted brother, Thor, and the Mighty Avengers. In fact, Loki indirectly helped unite the original Avengers lineup in Avengers #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963.
Loki himself made his canonical Marvel Comics debut in Journey Into Mystery #85 in 1962 by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Larry Lieber. Since then, Loki has hatched many a scheme (to his own detriment). However, more recently, Loki has made some heroic efforts, but even these have sometimes failed and ultimately caused long-term problems for the God of Mischief.
10 His Failed Bid For The American Presidency
One of Loki’s (technically Ikol) most recent and well-known schemes was his bid for the American presidency. This was a long-term plan that involved Loki staging an attack on the two other presidential frontrunners, only to save them and garner a lot of support in the process.
Unfortunately for Loki, a reporter named Nisa Contreras dug into Loki’s presidential bid and uncovered the staged attack; that Loki was being financially backed by a cult, and that he was involved in the ongoing Latverian civil war. He was forced to drop out while claiming his whole scheme was to encourage someone like Contreras to expose political corruption. However, Contreras didn’t buy this explanation.
9 His First Major Attempt At Stealing Mjolnir From Thor
Loki’s canonical Marvel debut was in Journey into Mystery #85, and his opening bid as part of the Marvel Universe was an attempt at stealing Mjolnir from Thor. Despite involving several innocent persons in his attempt to confuse and frustrate the Mighty Thor, it ultimately proved fruitless.
Thor eventually chased after Loki and returned him to Asgard for justice. Years later, circumstances transpired that allowed Loki to finally lift Mjolnir.
8 Kid Loki Being Fooled By Ikol And Losing His Life In The Process
The youthful reincarnation of Loki known colloquially as “Kid Loki” tried to take things in a different direction from his past life. Kid Loki sought to do some good for the mortal realms, but he was at odds with another reincarnation of Loki called “Ikol.” During his earliest days, Ikol was just as mischievous as the original Loki.
During a conflict with the pantheon of deities known as the Fear Lords, Kid Loki was shown by Ikol that the only way to beat the Fear Lords was by erasing himself from existence, as the Fear Crown was within Kid Loki’s mind. Kid Loki accepted his fate as it was for the greater good. As a result, Kid Loki perished and Ikol took over his body.
7 Attempting To Stop The War Of The Realms And Being Eaten By Their Father
Ikol later turned over a new leaf himself and became the one true Loki after the demise of Kid Loki and King Loki. At the behest of his adopted mother, Frigga, Loki became part of Malekith the Accursed’s Dark Council. This cabal was intent on conquering the Ten Realms (there are ten in Marvel Comics), with Midgard being saved for last.
When Malekith’s armies came to Earth at the climax of the War of the Realms, Loki made his betrayal known, and he turned on the other factions in the Dark Council. In retaliation, Loki’s birth father, Laufey, ate Loki and seemingly killed the Mischief God.
6 Setting The War Of The Realms Into Motion By Tormenting Young Malekith
In reality, Loki survived being eaten by Laufey in the War of the Realms, and he ultimately carved his way out of his father’s stomach while killing the old Frost Giant in the process. However, Loki had a lot of time to reflect while being digested before making his escape. Looking back into his past lives, he came to a startling revelation.
Long ago, the Loki of that time instigated a brutal war on Svartalfheim, home of the Dark Elves. It was here that Malekith became the Accursed. He was scarred and brutalized by the war on Svartalfheim, and this war created the malice and animosity within Malekith that set him on the path to starting the War of the Realms.
5 Ushering In The Last Ragnarok And Dying In The Process
The original Loki (the Loki before Ikol or Kid Loki) was always destined to usher in Ragnarok and bring about the end of the gods of Asgard. However, Ragnarok is a cycle, and Thor sought to end this cycle before the most recent and final Ragnarok. Thor discovered the entities that benefited from the endless cycle of war and death experienced by the Asgardians: beings known as Those Who Sit Above In Shadow.
Thor tied the fate of these gods to the Last Ragnarok, and Those Who Sit Above In Shadow died after Loki instigated Ragnarok again. However, Loki and the rest of the Asgardians still died in the conflict, leaving Thor to later resurrect his people and establish a new Asgard outside Broxton, Oklahoma.
4 Pushing Thor Too Far With Juggernaut During “Acts Of Vengeance”
Loki was the one who orchestrated the meeting of villains that led to the “Acts of Vengeance” event, in which many of Marvel’s most nefarious villains coordinated brutal attacks on heroes across the Earth. For Loki’s part, he sent the Unstoppable Juggernaut to fight Thor.
Thor battled the Juggernaut, but he was afflicted with bouts of weakness thanks to a spell that Loki cast during the fight. After Thor and the Avengers managed to apprehend both Juggernaut and Loki, Thor killed Loki in a rage. However, the timeline was later manipulated, and Loki returned from the dead.
3 Heralding The Invasion Of The Dark Celestials And Almost Dying For It
Ironically, Loki is also responsible for the union of the current Avengers team. Loki heralded the arrival of the Dark Celestials, a cadre of corrupted Celestials intent on wiping out the beings of Earth. Loki seemed on board for the coming carnage, but he confided in Captain America during the final stages of the invasion.
Loki revealed that this was all part of a grander scheme. There needed to be a strong and united Avengers team for what was to come. This didn’t stop the Celestials from capturing Loki after this was all said and done, and they would have killed him if he wasn’t able to narrowly escape thanks to Old Man Phoenix (a Phoenix-possessed version of Wolverine from the far future).
2 The Death Of Loki During The Siege Of Asgard
The death of the original Loki came about during Norman Osborn’s siege of Asgard in Broxton, Oklahoma. Norman, then going by the moniker of Iron Patriot, rallied his Dark Avengers and the Hood’s army of evil to bring Asgard to its knees. Loki helped Norman plan and execute this siege, but even the God of Mischief has his limits.
Loki couldn’t stomach the misery and bloodshed that followed. He’d given the Hood the Norn Stones for a power boost, but he took them back during the course of the battle and used them in an attack on Norman. In retaliation, Osborn had the Sentry vaporize Loki.
1 Accidentally Creating The First Avengers Lineup
Still, Loki’s greatest failure must be accidentally uniting his most powerful enemies. The Avengers have stopped Loki’s schemes countless times over the years, and he only has himself to blame for helping the original Avengers form in the first place.
On a day unlike any other, Loki tricked the Hulk into going on a rampage that brought him into conflict with Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. Over the course of the fight, these four heroes managed to calm the Hulk, and the newly-formed Avengers discovered that Loki was behind it all. The Avengers went after Loki and he was forced to return to Asgard.
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