Only Loki can make the world better through trickery. But the Asgardian god hasn’t always been so noble. Let’s dig into the Marvel character’s evolution from villain to chaos agent and beyond — and how that comics history could influence the Loki Disney+ sho…

Debuting in 1962s Journey Into Mystery #85, over the years the Marvel version of Thors deceitful brother has been responsible for villainy ranging from simply making life difficult to the complete annihilation of Asgard. Loki, the God of Mischief, became the God of Evil.
But, in timethanks to a little bit of influence from his heroic brotherLoki became an agent of chaos instead of evil. From supervillain to a Young Avenger, Agent of Asgard, and even the Sorcerer Supreme, Lokis journey in the comics has been anything but predictable.
Will the Loki in the Disney+ series share a similar fate? The Loki in Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War hinted that could be the case. Or is there a different story to tell in the Tom Hiddleston series?
Lets chart Lokis path in the comics from villain to anti-hero for an idea of where his journey in the MCU may take him next.
Lady Loki: The Goddess of Mischief
Lokis change of heart started at the end: Ragnarök destroyed Asgard and all its denizens. Shortly after Marvels first Civil War, Thor returned from the dead in J. Michael Straczynskis notable run. His new purpose? To rebuild Asgard and resurrect the fallen Asgardians hiding in the souls of mortals. Thor #5 (Vol. 3, 2007) saw the return of the God of Mischief, but this time as a woman.
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Loki viewed her rebirth as a new start, she said, as she was no longer bound by her destiny to bring about Ragnarök. Thor agreed to give Loki a chance. But Loki wouldnt be Loki if there werent manipulative machinations already in play. She had taken over Lady Sifs body, she later revealed, to keep Thor off-guard. She sowed discord in Asgard, resulting in Thors banishment, and Loki eventually reverted to his original form.
Defender of Asgard (Sort of)
In time, Lokis plots extended to manipulating Norman Osborn and his monstrous allies to attack the rebuilt Asgard. The shining city fell. With his plans finally exposed, Loki was exiled, but the God of Mischief declared he had never intended to bring his home to ruin.
I meant only for Asgard to rule in greatness as it has done in the past, he lamented in Siege #4 (2009). As a result, Loki lent power to Thor and the Avengers and turned the tide of the battle. He died at the hands of a demonic entity known as the Void, using his final words to apologize to Thor.
Kid Loki
Loki was reborn on Earth as a young boy and Thor brought him home to Asgard. There Kid Loki met the echo of his former self, who explained he had sought his own demise as part of a scheme from beyond the grave. The child Loki declined to play any part in his plan.
Kid Loki used his wits and his newfound (but carefully concealed) compassion to trick the rulers of hell, Mephisto and Hela, into an alliance against the invading Asgardian God of Fear. He gathered his own team and infiltrated the God of Fears domain in the culmination of his cunning plan. Loki rewrote the past and changed the God of Fears destiny so that Thor would have a chance to win against him. Thor died in the battle, but the God of Fear was defeated.
Meanwhile, Lokis former self had set his own plans with Mephisto in motion. The only way to stop the demon lord was for Kid Loki to give his life to the elder Loki. The selfless child paid the price, and the elder Loki returned to life in Kid Lokis body.
Young Avenger
Marvel NOW! brought the adolescent Loki to the Young Avengers. Loki joined the young heroes in their fight against an interdimensional parasite, but not without one of his selfish schemes in play. The young gods goal was to manipulate the reality-warping Wiccan (son of the Scarlet Witch), who used his magic to age Loki so that he once again had access to his powers.
The now teenaged God of Mischief realized that his own conscience was the real reason his powers had been lacking. He confessed to the Young Avengers about his hand in the death of Kid Loki and how he planned to control Wiccan and his power. His admission alleviated his guilt, and his magic was fully restored.
Once the interdimensional threat was defeated, Loki left the teamalthough he was fond of the Young Avengers, he didnt feel that he deserved their forgiveness.
An Agent of Asgard
Loki was ready to forge his own path and longed to be free of his wicked past. He became an agent under the purview of the All-Mother, a triumvirate ruling over the realm in Odins absence. In return for each successful mission, the All-Mother purged an ancient story of his crimes from Asgards memory.
But the old Loki, evil and powerful, mysteriously returned to scheme again, this time against this younger version of himself. His machinations resulted in Thor learning the horrible truth of what had happened to Kid Loki. Enraged, Thor brought his brother to Asgard for judgement, where he was shunned and banished.
The older Loki revealed himself as a future Loki who, unable to escape his title of God of Lies, was never accepted or trusted. He reverted to his villainous ways and sought to use his younger self to bring down Asgard. The current Loki, however, refused to let this become his fate. He realized that the God of Lies was also the God of Stories. He decided to tell a new tale instead.
The Sorcerer Supreme?
Loki was reborn again after choosing that new destiny. He stopped his future self from destroying Asgard and then returned as another version of himself after the end of the reality-altering Secret Wars.
“I have lived and died hundreds of times, he said in Vote Loki #1, retelling some version of what is Loki. This Loki wanted to run for presidentsimply for the entertainment value of a volatile campaign. (He also insisted he was helping a young reporter find her calling, but thats up for debate.)
While he would never be called President Loki, he would be given another title: Sorcerer Supreme. In 2015s Doctor Strange #381, the Vishanti bestowed the mantle on the Asgardian god even though Stephen Strange was the victor of their most recent magic tournament. They recognized the atonement in Lokis heart and believed a god, not a mortal, could best defend the Earth from a coming threat.
As always, his reputation earned distrust, even though Loki took the job as Earths protector seriously. He fulfilled his duty, battling alongside Strange and defeating the Void, the same demonic entity that once killed him. Loki then revealed the Vishantis edict had been one of his tricks all along. He wanted to teach Stephen how to break the rules, he said unconvincingly, although his true motive wasnt clear. Loki handed the mantleand the cloakof Sorcerer Supreme back to Dr. Strange.
Warrior of the Realms
The Asgardians trials and tribulations in recent years all led to one momentous battle, the War of the Realms (2019). After vanquishing nine realms, the dark elf Malekith set his sights on conquering Earth, the last one standing. With him was a horde of monsters to finish the job, including Laufey, King of the Frost Giants and father of Loki. Loki defended his mother Freyja against his attack until Laufey consumed his son in one bite. Loki was gone.
As the realm-shattering war ultimately neared its end, Earths heroes gathered for one last stand against the Frost Giants. Loki cut his way out of his fathers stomach, killing the merciless king, and ended the battle. Loki was reborn once againthis time as a hero.
What tale will the God of Stories tell next? And will any of these story points make their way into the Disney+ Loki series? Lets discuss what you think in the comments!
For more on Loki, catch up on the state of the Marvel multiverse, whether or not Loki has end credits scenes each week, and IGN’s picks for the 25 best Marvel villains in the MCU.
Kelly Knox is a freelance entertainment writer who also contributes to StarWars.com, DCComics.com, Nerdist, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox to talk Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, and comics.