Loki's Best Tricks

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THE GOD OF MISCHIEF. THE PRINCE OF LIES.

They don't call him the Trickster God for nothing. Ever since he debuted way back in 1962's JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #85, Loki has been using his gods-given abilities to wreak havoc throughout the Marvel Universe, especially when it comes to meddling with his adoptive people, the Asgardians. Of course, he's also been making trouble for the legions of heroes who have popped up on Midgard, AKA Earth.

We’re revisiting the mirthful mayhem and trickiest schemes that Loki has concocted in comics. Some of which fooled even him!

LEAF HIM ALONE! (JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #85)

In his very first appearance, Loki had been imprisoned in a tree by the Asgardians for being such a pain in the royal behind. His entrapment spell could be broken though, in the unlikely event that someone shed a tear for little ol’ Loki. Not interested in the spirit of the law, Loki figured out how to drop a leaf just as guardian god Heimdall walked by so that it would graze his eyeball, causing a tear to drop! Freed, Loki traveled to Midgard, turned humans into negative versions of themselves, hypnotized Thor, and pushed people onto train tracks to distract his brother!

THE AVENGERS “ACCIDENT” (AVENGERS #1)

Exiled on the Isle of Silence, Loki sought a way to trick Thor into a fight. So, he manipulated the Hulk whose exploits garnered the attention of Rick Jones and his Teen Brigade. The Brigade then sent a message to the Fantastic Four that Loki pushed to Thor instead. However, others like Ant-Man, the Wasp, and Iron Man also got word and all showed up to stop the Jade Giant’s mindless rampage.

Loki got what he wanted when All-Father Odin allowed his son to investigate the trickster's activities on the Isle, but also wound up creating the world's most powerful and prominent super-team in the Avengers, a group that has foiled his plans on numerous occasions.

HOPPING MAD (THOR #364-366)

To get Thor out of the picture for one of his many plots, Loki simply turned him into a frog! Loki, of course, had no idea that his amphibian-ized sibling would wind up in the middle of an epic war between frogs and rats in New York City’s Central Park. Even with a new physical form, Thor managed to transform himself into Throg, Frog of Thunder. It was in this form that the Odinson swooped in, grabbed Loki, and beat him up before finally returning to his normal appearance.

VENGEANCE WILL NOT BE HIS (ACTS OF VENGEANCE EVENT)

Still mad at himself for facilitating the creation of the Avengers, Loki decided to remedy that by destroying the team. To get that done, he disguised himself in a fancy suit and tricked Magneto, Kingpin, Doctor Doom, Mandarin, Red Skull, and the Wizard into attacking Midgard’s champions as well as other heroes.

Of course, this particular Super Villain group did not get along well. The appearance of a small army of Avengers finally put the nail in this plan's coffin, leading to a colossal failure on Loki’s part, but a highly entertaining late 80s event for fans!

DEATH DEFIER (JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #622)

In one of Loki's more horrific schemes, he convinced Norman Osborn to lay SIEGE to Asgard—then floating over the American Midwest—which resulted in a lot of dead gods, including himself. However, given his tendency towards chicanery, the Laufeyson made deals with the likes of Mephisto and Hela to keep his name out of the Book of the Dead, allowing him to be reborn in the body of an Earth boy, dubbed “Kid Loki.”

Though no one trusted him, Loki managed to connive his way toward peace among the (then) Nine Realms, but sacrificed his innocence to stop Mephisto from taking over as the King of Hell. A personally tragic moment, sure, but only Loki could do such a good job of screwing it up for himself.

Read through JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #645 for this wily, wild arc.

COMMANDER-IN-(MIS)CHIEF (VOTE LOKI #1)

Once upon a time, Loki ran for President of the United States. Daily Bugle reporter Nisa Contreras didn't buy this gimmick at all, and kept digging up the truth to deride Loki’s candidacy. Of course, this silver-tongued swindler had his own motives, but his baby-kissing campaign and overt criticism of Latveria did seem genuine.

“In Loki we BeLIEve.”

“AND YOU GET A STONE!” (INFINITY WARS #1)

Recently, Loki got it in his head to acquire all of the Infinity Stones and find out what existed below the God Quarry. To that end, he attempted—and failed—to endear himself to their then-current owner Gamora, wound up in an alternate reality, formed his own Cosmic Avenges with their own off-kilter Stones, and eventually stole the real ones which got him to where he wanted to go.

In an alternate plane, Loki learned the truth of his existence and gave up on his quest, returning the on and off-brand Soul Gems to the heroes before blowing off the final battle. Along the way, he realized that he had probably traveled back in time to prevent himself from going on this very journey in the first place. Leave it to the God of Lies to weave a plot so complicated that even he can't follow the threads.

SUPREMELY SNEAKY (DOCTOR STRANGE #381)

In an effort to prepare Doctor Stephen Strange for oncoming threats like Malekith's WAR OF THE REALMS and the arrival of the Celestials’ Final Host on Earth, Loki created an elaborate illusion wherein he defeated Strange and assumed the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. While Strange struggled to regain his place, the mischief-maker sought out a spell that would help return a great deal of magic to Midgard. Ultimately, both Strange and Loki were successful, though Strange remained unconvinced of the Asgardian's true motives. Although, Loki did have no problem forking back over the goods to the Master of the Mystic Arts.

Read through issue #385.

THE BACKSTABBING BARGAIN (MIGHTY THOR #5)

When Malekith began amassing allies for his WAR OF THE REALMS, All-Mother Freyja tasked Loki with joining up to pass back information as a spy for Asgard. Hearing that the Dark Elf intended to kill his mother, the trickster stabbed her himself and escaped back to the warmonger’s camp. Goddess Freyja eventually recovered, and Loki killed his resurrected father, Laufey, thus betraying Malekith’s Dark Council. However, the Mischievous One's machinations ultimately left him as the King of the Frost Giants, so the “benevolence” of his actions will always remain suspect.

FUTURE IMPERFECT (KING THOR #1)

In one particular future, Loki and Thor wound up being two of the few remaining beings in all of existence. To acquire the wildly powerful All-Black the Necrosword—actually the very first symbiote ever created by Knull—Loki turned himself into a worm and drove Living Planet Ego out of his gigantic mind by whispering constantly in his ear. Armed with the weapon, Loki flew off to kill Thor, but instead found himself impaled by Gorr, the God Butcher!

[RELATED: Who Is Gorr?]

Telling you more would be cheating, and that's more Loki's bag than ours!

Want to read more duplicitous Tales from Asgard? Head over to Marvel Unlimited and try our top Loki must-reads now.

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