YOUR SAVIOR IS HERE! Greetings fair halfwits, and welcome to Loki comics reading guide!
Being burdened with glorious purpose, Loki Laufeyson has become one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel pantheon. From classic comics to modern movies, Loki has tormented Thor for ages (literally, if you go back to Norse mythology).
But now this mischievous god of lies and trickery has been tamed by Disney+. With season two of the Loki show coming this October, this is the perfect time to catch up with the scariest, funniest, and most dramatic moments from Loki’s comics history!
Loki Comics Recommendations:
- Journey into Mystery (1952) #85, Avengers (1963) #1
- Thor (1966) #357-366
- Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers (2004)
- Loki: Mistress of Mischief (2007), Siege (2009), Thor #617
- Thor: The Trials of Loki (2010)
- Journey Into Mystery (2011) #622-645
- Young Avengers (2013) #1-15
- Loki: Agent of Asgard (2014) #1-17
- Vote Loki (2016)
- Doctor Strange: God of Magic (2017) (“Loki: Sorcerer Supreme”)
- Loki: The God Who Fell to Earth (2019)
- Thor & Loki: Double Trouble (2021) #1-4
While classic Loki had some great stories from Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Walter Simonson, he was truly reinvigorated in the 2010s. Tom Hiddleston’s portrayal in the MCU and Kieron Gillen’s work on Journey into Mystery have completely changed the God of Mischief in the comics, transforming him into the complex character we love today. Gathered below are some of the finest stories from the history of Loki, including his many variants, his plots to thwart Thor, and his journey into becoming a semi-heroic character of his own.
For more related to Loki comics and the TV show, check out our other reading guides, including Thor, Kang, and the Young Avengers!
“What did you expect?”
Classic Loki (1960s-2010s)
The Marvel comics version of Loki was created in the 1960s as a simple villain for Thor. He quick rose to prominence as the Avengers’ first villain, similar to his trajectory in the MCU. But for much of his tenure, the classic Loki was very different from the character we know today. His best moments are in Walter Simonson’s Thor, including the time he turned Thor into a frog!
If you like big books, you can look for the new Loki Omnibus, which collects the first five years of Loki’s major comic appearances.
- Journey into Mystery (1952) #85
- Avengers (1963) #1
- Thor (1966) #348-366
- By Walter Simonson!
- Thor #348-353 (The Surtur Saga)
- X-Men: The Asgardian Wars
- Thor #357-359 (Loki’s love potion)
- Thor #364-366 (Frog Thor vs. Loki)
- Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers (2004)
- Loki (2004) #1-4
- Thor: The Trials of Loki (2010)
- Loki (2010) #1-4
Loki: Journey into Mystery (2010s)
Loki’s radical modern transformation started with J. Michael Straczynski’s Thor, where he rebirthed Loki in form of a woman. Although it was published in the Thor series, the Loki parts have been collected as “Loki: Mistress of Mischief.” This series led directly into Siege, a huge turning point in the history of Loki comics.
Kieron Gillen and Al Ewing relaunched Loki in the 2010s with their “Kid Loki trilogy.” Gillen started with a few issues of Thor, then led the charge with significant runs in Journey into Mystery and Young Avengers. Al Ewing picked up the story with Loki: Agent of Asgard, which led into the recent Defenders Beyond. Together, Gillen and Ewing’s work on Loki totally revitalized the character in the comics, allowing comics Loki to stand toe-to-toe with Tom Hiddleston’s phenomenal performance in the MCU.
- Loki: Mistress of Mischief (2007)
- Thor (2007) #5, 9-10, 12, 600-602; Dark Reign: The Cabal #1
- Loki takes on a woman’s form
- #12 is a very important Loki issue!
- Siege (2009), Siege: Loki #1, Thor #617-621
- Kieron Gillen’s Loki comics start here!
- Siege: Loki #1 and Thor #617 are very important Loki issues!
- Journey Into Mystery (2011) #622-645
- By Kieron Gillen!
- Prologue: Mighty Thor (2011) #1-6
- With #622-624: Fear Itself (2011) #1-3
- After #630: Fear Itself (2011) #7.2; The Fearless (2011) #6
- After #636: Exiled (2011) #1; New Mutants (2009) #42-43
- With #641-645: Mighty Thor (2011) 18-22
- Also published as a prose novel. Check out Luna’s book review here!
- Young Avengers (2013) #1-15
- By Kieron Gillen! Continues the Kid Loki story
- Continue with the Young Avengers reading guide!
- Loki: Agent of Asgard (2014) #1-17
- By Al Ewing!
- Loki becomes a secret agent? Loosely inspired the Disney+ series!
- Continues in Defenders Beyond (2022).
- Vote Loki (2016) #1-4
- Loki runs for president!?
- Doctor Strange: God of Magic (2017) (“Loki: Sorcerer Supreme”)
- Doctor Strange (2017) #381-385
- Loki becomes the Sorcerer Supreme???
- Asgardians of the Galaxy (2018) #1-7
- Features Kid Loki!
- Loki: The God Who Fell to Earth (2019)
- Loki (2019) #1-5, War of the Realms: Omega #1
- Features Kid Loki!
- Thor & Loki: Double Trouble (2021) #1-4
- Alternate canon kid-friendly story featuring Thor, Loki, Jane Thor, and Lady Loki!
- Defenders: Beyond (2022) #1-5
- Continues from Loki: Agent of Asgard (2014)
- Loki becomes the God of Stories!
- Embraces Loki’s genderfluidity!
- Loki (2023) #1-4
- Embraces Loki’s genderfluidity!
Extra reading:
- Original Sin (2014) #5.1-5.5 (“Thor & Loki: The Tenth Realm”)
- Ms. Marvel: Crushed (2015)
- War of the Realms (2019)
- King Thor (2020)
- What If…? Dark: Loki (2023) #1
- What If…Loki Was Worthy? (2024) (novel)
Loki variants!
With the popularity of Loki’s 2021 Disney+ series and the upcoming second season, now is the best time to brush up on the history of Sylvie Lushton and Lady Loki in the comics! Because of Loki’s shapeshifting abilities and genderfluidity, “Lady Loki” is simply Loki in woman form. Meanwhile, Sylvie’s history is totally different from the MCU, but her stories are still worth a look if you’re interested!
Plus, check out the Alligator Loki comics reading guide!
- Alligator Loki
- Alligator Loki Infinity Comic (2022) #1-24
- It’s Jeff Infinity Comic (2021) #23-24
- Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal Infinity Comic (2022) #6
- Lady Loki
- Loki: Mistress of Mischief (2007)
- Mighty Avengers (2007) #21-29
- Siege (2009)
- A-Force (2015) #1-5
- Loki (2023) #1-4
- Sylvie Lushton
- Dark Reign: Young Avengers (2009) #1-5
- Age of Heroes (2010) #2
- Avengers Academy (2010) #34-37
- Fearless Defenders (2013) #9, 11
- Avengers Undercover (2014) #6-10
- Illuminati (2015) #1-7
Loki in Multimedia
Of course, the world’s love for Loki has transcended beyond the comic page. From old school cartoons to modern video games, here is everything you need for more Loki lore in live action, animation, and video games!
Loki in Movies and TV Shows:
- Marvel Studios
- Thor (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- What If…? (2021) S1 E3, E7, E9
- Loki (2021) S1 E1-6; S2 E1-6
Extra watching:
- Marvel Superheroes: The Mighty Thor (1966) S1 E1-6, E9-11
- Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981) S1 E10
- Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2008)
- Marvel Super Hero Squad Show (2009) S1 E13, E20; S2 E5, E10
- Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet (2010)
- Marvel Super Heroes: What The–?! (2009) S1 E18, E43, E48, E55
- Promotionals S1 E6
- Specials S1 E2, E25, E31
- Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2010) S1 E9, E19-21; S2 E15
- Hulk vs. Thor (2009)
- Avengers Micro Episodes: Thor (2010) S1 E1-4
- Thor: Tales of Asgard (2011)
- Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (2013) S1 E19; S2 E20
- Ultimate Spider-Man (2012) S1 E9, E20; S2 E12; S3 E1-2
- Marvel’s Avengers Assemble (2013) S1 E10; S2 E3, E10; S3 E15; S4 E13, E17-18, E21-25
- Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (2014) S1 E1-15, E21-22, E26, E40-41, E44-51
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) S1 E13-19; S2 E13, E20-26
- Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Frost Fight (2015)
- Marvel Funko Short (2016) S1 E1; S2 E2, E4
- Marvel Super Hero Adventures (2017) S1 E2; S3 E9
- Marvel Future Avengers (2017) S1 E19-21, E24-26; S2 E13
- Marvel Rising: Ultimate Comics (2019) S1 E1
Loki in Video Games:
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006)
- Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011)
- Marvel: Avengers Alliance (2012)
- Avengers Initiative (2012)
- Marvel: Avengers Alliance Tactics
- Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth (2012)
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (2013)
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload (2013) S1 E1-5
- LEGO Marvel’s Avengers (2016)
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (2017)
- LEGO Marvel Avengers: Loki in Training (2021)
- Marvel Puzzle Quest (2013)
- Features Alligator Loki!
- Marvel Heroes (2013)
- Marvel Future Fight (2015)
- Marvel Mighty Heroes (2015)
- Marvel Contest of Champions (2016)
- Marvel Avengers Academy (2016)
- Marvel Strike Force (2018)
- Features Teen Loki and Sylvie!
- Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (2019)
- Marvel Super War (2019)
- Marvel’s Avengers (2020)
- Marvel Duel (2020)
- Features Kid Loki!
- Future Revolution: Midgardia (2021)
And that’s our guide to Loki comics! Which Loki variant is your favorite? What are your theories for Loki season two? Let me know on Twitter @vinwriteswords and remember to follow the site @MyCosmicCircus for more Marvel mischief coming soon! For more information about Marvel’s Loki, visit the official page.
Also check out our full list of comics reading guides here, including Thor, Kang, and the Young Avengers below!
Kang the Conqueror Comics Reading Guide
Young Avengers Comics Reading Guide
Book Review: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee
All images courtesy of Marvel/Disney.
