It’s Not The End for Loki Yet. Here are Three of the Best Loki Stories
The best Loki stories are not in the MCU. (Image courtesy Marvel/FB)
These are rough times to be a comic book movie fan, whether you are a Marvel or DC fan. Still, DC never really got off the ground with their cinematic universe attempt, so it’s a bummer now to be a Marvel fan. All of the OG Avengers are gone, Kang has fizzled out as a follow-up threat to eclipse Thanos, Marvel is going to replace Kang or rename one of their upcoming Avengers film, and for the time being one of their most interesting characters, Loki is seemingly gone for good. So, what are the best Loki stories?
In the MCU, before there was Thanos, there was Loki, the first compelling, menacing, and sympathetic villain that the Avengers faced. As fans, we loved to hate Loki, maybe secretly understood his side of the story, and even though he was destined to lose, we also secretly rooted for him.
With the season 2 finale of the Loki streaming show, Hiddleston’s Loki seems to be off the table for an MCU appearance for the foreseeable future. Disney has either given up on creating compelling film characters based on the Marvel IPs or they stopped caring. Either way, the MCU now has a serious villain void in its films and streaming shows.
And missing how great Loki was as a character instead of celebrating the future of the MCU with new stories is probably not an envious place to be in for Disney currently.
Aside from Deadpool 3 and some Disney+ streaming shows, there will be no new MCU films until 2025. With the ending of Loki and Hiddleston’s seeming farewell to the character, that is a long time to wait for us Marvel fans.
In the meantime, I will list three of the best Loki stories that you can check out now. If you are a casual reader and only know Loki from the MCU, then you are missing out on some compelling Loki comics.
Loki’s End
Tom Hiddleston is an amazing actor – before he was cast as Loki, he starred in a 2008 BBC detective procedural and drama called Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh.
When Branagh got the directing gig for the first Thor film, he cast Hiddleston as Loki. Hiddleston auditioned for Thor and never had any intention or inclination to portray Loki – can you imagine a multiverse where Tom Hiddleston was Thor and never portrayed Loki?
Hiddleston has starred in a lot of TV shows and films, but his name will forever be tied to his portrayal of Loki. Ask any MCU fan and they will probably list Thanos, Killmonger, and Loki as the best and most compelling film villains.
If you’re reading this, then I probably don’t have to tell you about Hiddleston’s awesome portrayal of Loki. Like Thanos and Killmonger’s popularity in the MCU, it takes a great actor to use their aesthetic mannerisms to make such morally odious characters compelling to watch and sympathize with.
I wasn’t a fan of the Loki show – it is an avant-garde science-fiction show with Loki as the main character. The entire plotline of season 2 was Loki spending thousands of years going to college to learn how to fix the ruptured timeline. Only the last five minutes of the show, with Loki somberly alone sitting on his green throne/universe tree at the end of time, were truly compelling, and the only moment that trended online.
Anyway, while Loki is gone in the MCU, there are so many of his comic book stories that you can check out right now. Here are three of the best Loki stories, in no particular order.
Best Loki Stories
Vote Loki (2016)
Written by Christopher Hastings and featuring art by Langdon Foss, Vote Loki is a four-issue miniseries that was printed in the midst of the 2016 Presidential election that saw Donald Trump claim the presidency and the White House. So, if you are a casual reader, you might have been caught up in other things to notice the publication of the incredible comic book.
Vote Loki is the story of Loki attempting to become President of the United States. Long seen as the villain and scorned brother of Thor, the insecure Loki decides to use his charisma and mystical skill of deception to compel people to vote him into a position of power. Loki’s schemes create a cascade of consequences that involve the Avengers and even Dr. Doom.
This comic and story is a perfect vehicle for Loki because he is an insecure person looking for power and validation – and the running theory is that it is such people who usually aspire to claim power in life. The comic is also a mediation on the fact that human beings love being lied to and deceived to enjoy their delusions, stereotypes, and beliefs.
Human beings love being lied to by people who will tell them what they want to hear, like politicians. It’s one of the best Loki stories because it posits that Loki’s character has a lot in common with the average human. Elements of this comic were used as story ideas in the first season of Loki.
Get it now for $15.99 at Amazon.
Siege (2010)
In the comic book world of 2010, the Marvel heroes were undergoing a status quo change. Before this event, there were stories called Avengers: Assembled and House of M where the Scarlet Witch lost her sanity after accepting that she was in love with a synthetic man, Vision, and her children were not real. The events in these stories warped reality and helped disband the Avengers – this storyline also inspired WandaVision.
The comic book event Secret Invasion, which inspired the disastrous Disney+ show of the same name, also preceded this event. In that story, the shape-shifting Skrulls were hiding in place site, masquerading as heroes, and causing paranoia and division.
Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, gained significant power and authority in Siege. Osborn even manages to form his own Avengers team called the Dark Avengers. Osborn wears an Iron Man armor with red, white, and blue and calls himself Iron Patriot. (Yes, this story also inspired the MCU Iron Man films.)
However, it turns out that Osborn is being mentally manipulated by Loki! Loki manipulates Osborn into amassing a force of heroes to invade Asgard. While you may have to read some other stories to get the whole storyline, this comic is one of the best Loki stories ever.
It shows that whenever we have sympathy for Loki, and whenever we let our guards down about his true nature, he shows us why he earned the names “Trickster” and “God of Mischief.”
This story was written by Brian Michael Bendis and features art by Olivier Coipel.
Get it now for $7.99 at Amazon.
Loki: Agent of Asgard (2014)
In the comic book world, editors and creators love to change the status quo of characters and give them new things to do. Written by Al Ewing with art by Lee Garbett, this comic features a more lighter and fun characterization of Loki.
Without spoiling the comic, Loki essentially becomes an Asgardian spy in the style of James Bond and uses his skills of deception to aid in his mission. There is an incredible story where Loki has to break into Avengers headquarters that must be read to be believed!
This trade paperback collects all 17 issues of the stories and even features extra stories. Get it for $30.99 at Amazon now.
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Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including saving and investing in your own small business.
