So, the summer movie season is almost upon us, and we’re getting a ton of comic-book related movies. That’s all well and good, but since we’re past the heroes that everyone knows, you may be intimidated going in. Take Thor, for instance. All you need to know about him is that he’s the God of Thunder, and swings around an awesome hammer. When it comes to villainy in Thor’s world, there is much more subtlety. Sure, you have your Frost Giants, and Ragnarok and all that looming over the heads of the Norse Gods all the time, but Thor’s opposite number is much closer to home, his half-brother, Loki. How can two boys raised together turn out so differently? What gave Loki the moniker of “God of Mischief”? That’s what this column is for, as I give you the Secret Origin of… Loki!
Loki’s tale begins with a tale of two fathers, Odin and Laufey. Odin, of course is the king of the Norse Gods, and father to Thor. Laufey on the other hand, is the king of the giant warriors of Jotunheim. The two monarchs came to blows over who has rightful rein over all of Asgard. The battle was as fierce as you might expect, but Odin was at a disadvantage, and he knew it.
"If only my inner monologue was less verbose!"
Odin, knowing actions speak louder than words, hurls his hammer into Laufey’s war club, shattering its hilt, rendering it useless. While an awesome move, worthy of a warrior of Odin’s caliber, his actions cause Laufey’s fellows to join the fray. It has suddenly shifted from a mano a mano match, to a decidedly one-sided affair. Odin isn’t without his own backup though, and he calls his own warriors to battle. I would try to describe to the battle, but I have to defer to the words of Stan Lee on this one.
In other words, it is ON!
The battle rages for what seems like days, until the forces of Laufey give up and attempt retreat. Odin is a bit of a bloodthirsty king though, and orders his warriors to not stop until the Warlord of Jotunheim is slain! The chase is on, but Laufey is the sort that would rather die in battle than retreat, so he has his wish granted. In the aftermath of the battle, one of Odin’s warriors finds a child, wrapped in blankets, hidden away. Odin, who was pretty wise even before he sacrificed his eye for knowledge, realizes that the baby is actually Loki, son of Laufey. Loki was hidden away because Laufey was ashamed of him for not being a giant like the rest of the denizens of Jotunheim. Odin, being ever the noble, decides that since Loki is of princely blood, there is only one thing he can do.
Apparently Odin can just bestow immortality. Good to know.
We skip ahead some years now into the boyhoods of Loki and Thor. We find the two half-brothers watching a warrior’s tournament. Thor is commenting that he knows the combatant, Uller, will win because he is more skilled than his opponent, Volsak. Loki is kind of annoyed that Thor is a know-it-all and makes a wager that Volsak will be victorious. The tournament goes on, and it look like Uller will indeed be the champion, until Loki decides to put the odds in his own favor.
"And if anyone asks why I'm posing like this, I'll say I'm vogueing!"
Loki’s actions cause Uller’s staff to disintegrate, and Volsak is indeed declared the winner. Unfortunately for Loki, his spell was pretty darned obvious, and before you know it, the authorities are after the boys. When they are inevitably caught, the blame all falls on Loki. This is just of course, but the reasoning behind it is not. It is just assumed that because Thor is Odin’s “real” son, he of course could have nothing to do with it. I’m not saying it’s cool for Loki to be evil, but I was raised constantly being told I’m not fit to lick my half-brother’s boots, I’d lash out a bit too. Anyway, since Thor is the golden boy, he insists that since he was with Loki, that they should share punishment. Taken aback by Thor’s gallantry, it is decided that there won’t be any punishment at all. Thor begs forgiveness, and then the boys are on their way. Thor takes Loki aside and they share a moment, but not in the way you might think.
I know Loki is in the wrong, but how pretentious is that "T" tunic of Thor's?
Thor and Loki do indeed go onto their horsemanship training, and when riding, Thor, having already forgotten the transgressions of the day, challenges Loki to race to the foot of the fabled Rainbow Bridge. Loki initially refuses due to the knowledge that Thor’s steed is the faster of the two. Thor goads Loki into by saying the skill of the rider is also a large factor. The race is heated, but it is becoming obvious that Thor is once again the better Norseman. He yells out for Loki to try harder, grinning all the while. For Loki, this is the last straw, and he makes himself a solemn vow…
If you look up "Overreaction" in the dictionary, you get this picture.
More time passes and Loki and Thor are on the fringes of adulthood. It seems that Ghan, a deadly Storm Giant has threatened Asgard, and Odin appoints Thor to lead a task force to stop the threat before it can be carried out. Loki is also on hand, bitterly wishing he was leader. In his twisted mind, Loki decides that since he can’t be leader, he must instead make sure Thor fails. The group encounters Ghan, and Thor enters the fray eagerly, while Loki stays in the background, planning his revenge…
"But first, I practice my light show for the upcoming Rave!"
As all of the battles in this tale seem to, it rages on. Thor and the task force finally assemble a catapult which contains a sleeping potion which will allow them to subdue the giant with ease. While successful, when they reach the giant, he is inexplicably not there. Thor didn’t get to be the God of Thunder by being completely ignorant though. He realizes that magic must be rearing its ugly head. But if Ghan possessed no magic, who could have accomplished such trickery? Now, remember when I said just a second ago that Thor wasn’t completely oblivious? He’s still a little slow on the uptake where his half-brother is concerned. Indeed, even as Loki volunteers to stay behind and search, Thor is trusting. When the warriors finally do part ways, we discover that Ghan is not really gone. Loki had just transformed him into an eagle. With the need for such tricks over, Ghan and Loki converse a bit…
"If you want to repay me now, shave that unsightly beard!"
And with that, Loki was well and truly on his way to earning the title of God of Evil. Throughout the years, Loki would continuously conspire to not only destroy his half-brother, but to seize the throne of Asgard for himself. Now we know how Loki because the mischievously devious cuss that he is today. It’s a bit tragic actually. If Loki was given the same compassion as Thor, he probably would not have turned out like he did. Let that be a lesson to us all, favoring one child over another can lead to depression, loneliness and a desire to destroy everything you hold dear!
That’s it for this week. This story was originally serialized in Journey Into Mystery #112-113 and #115. It is available in reprint form in the various Thor Masterworks and Essential volumes, and also on Marvel’s Digital Comics Unlimited, which is where I read it.
