Every Loki Variant, Ranked

Loki is one of the first major Marvel Comics villains, appearing for the first time in Journey into Mystery #85 in 1962, and then serving as the catalyst for The Avengers forming as a team in Avengers #1 in 1963. Based on the classic Norse god of mischief, Loki has spent much of his existence as one of the main villains in Thor comics, although he has also served as a thorn in the side of many other Marvel heroes over the years. However, in the early 2000s, after the “Civil War” storyline ended, Marvel changed up Loki and made him a lot more interesting with new variants that allowed him to become an antihero, and at times, a genuine Marvel Comics hero.

There have been several variants of Loki in Marvel Comics over the years. Some have been deadlier than others, and many are incredibly interesting and much more than just the villain most fans know him to be. This only includes the Loki variants from the comics and does not include those from the MCU or animated cartoons, but there are still plenty to choose from — and they all have their charms.

7) Alligator Loki

Alligator Loki appeared for the first time in his own comic book, Alligator Loki Infinity Comic #1, in 2022. The character became incredibly popular after appearing in the Loki series on Disney+, and his comic book series ran for an impressive 48 issues before ending early in 2025. He first appears through a portal when he attacks Thor, but soon becomes Thor’s pet and friend in the comics.

As in the Disney+ series, Alligator Loki has the same basic traits as the regular Loki, but he has a much more childish personality, pulling pranks and seeming more like Jeff the Land Shark than the supervillain fans have grown to love. That said, the best Alligator Loki appearances also include Jeff, as they have a great rivalry.

6) Ultimate Loki Odinson

The original run of Ultimate Marvel Comics saw the company trying to update the characters as if they had been created at that time. It was a way to clean up the confusing continuity for new readers and make them more relatable for kids just starting to discover comics. However, it was also a way for Marvel to make the comics more realistic. Deaths here were supposed to matter, and the origins were less fantastical. This made the entire addition of Thor interesting, as no one knew what he was supposed to be in this world. However, it also made Loki just as interesting as he continued to be a thorn in his brother’s side.

Loki used his reality-shuffling abilities to make people think he was a regular human. He then convinced SHIELD that Thor was an escaped mental patient — not an actual superhero or god. He then used his role as the god of mischief to try to start World War III and made Thor’s life a living hell throughout his run. However, in the end, he wasn’t as interesting as the regular Loki. The more recent Ultimates line turned Loki into a horrible character, an overweight, cruel, and mostly lazy King of Asgard until Thor finally regained control.

5) Ikol (King Loki)

King Loki is an interesting variant because he is the Loki who won. This is a Loki from the future who worked to manipulate Kid Loki to do what he wanted to ensure he remained King in as many timelines as possible. Teen Loki even called himself Ikol for a while, believing this was his fate. This was an interesting look at what could have happened if Loki turned fully evil when he worked as an Agent of Asgard alongside the All-Mother of Asgardia, as she had wished.

This was a tragic Loki, as he initially became a genuine hero, only to have the world and other heroes refuse to trust him, always referring to his past. He finally snapped after this rejection and caused the annihilation of Earth and the death of all humanity. He became the King of Asgard and ruled with terror, as this was the cruelest and most devious variant of Loki in Marvel Comics history. However, as with most versions, he ended up dying a hero to save the world and rekindle the sun after helping Thor defeat Gorr the God Butcher.

4) Teen Loki

Teen Loki is Kid Loki aged up, but the increase in age took something away from the character. Kid Loki tried to help train Wiccan in magic to help him better control the powerful urge to become the Demiurge. However, Kid Loki’s magical powers were limited by his age. As a result, he asked Wiccan to use his powers to age him up so he could have stronger magic, and it turned him into a teen/young adult.

This eventually moved him away from the Young Avengers, which was disappointing. Instead, Marvel Comics began its Loki: Agent of Asgard series, which saw him become a super-spy for the Asgardians, helping to atone for all his past sins. Marvel was clearly trying to make Loki more of a hero/antihero in the comics to match his MCU version, but it was still a step down from his fantastic run as Kid Loki in Young Avengers. This did, however, lead to several interesting storylines, including President Loki and the God of Stories.

3) Prime Loki

This is the original Loki, who existed mostly up to Ragnarok and the creation of Lady Loki. This Loki was the main villain who appeared in The Avengers #1 and helped cause that superteam to form, and the Loki who has tried to kill Thor more times than most fans can count. He wasn’t a hero, and whenever he did do good, it was almost always for selfish reasons. He was a bad guy on the level of Doctor Doom or Kang, always there to make things hard on the heroes.

However, this also mostly made him one-dimensional in many of his appearances. Despite that, Loki is an iconic Marvel Comics villain and was for decades before the company began to experiment with him as a hero or antihero. He was always a fan-favorite villain, whether in Thor comics or others, and that is why he was such a popular choice for the Marvel Cinematic Universe when it launched.

2) Lady Loki

In 2004, Ragnarok finally happened, and all the Asgardians died while Thor went into cosmic hibernation. Marvel did this right before Civil War, which kept Thor from being a wrinkle in those plans. After Civil War ended, Thor was resurrected and began bringing back the former Asgardians one at a time. However, he had no plans to bring back Loki since he couldn’t trust his brother, so Loki found a unique way back. He returned as a woman.

Loki stole Sif’s body and returned when he tricked Thor into resurrecting him by pretending to be his former lover. As Lady Loki, the character claimed to want to start fresh and do better, but soon began to manipulate Thor and the Asgardians, just as Loki did before. Lady Loki eventually teamed with Norman Osborn’s Cabal. This is where Loki finally turned the corner by sacrificing herself to save Asgard and the world in Siege.

1) Kid Loki

Kid Loki is one of the best Loki variants ever introduced in Marvel Comics because it took the long-time Marvel villain and helped make him one of the most interesting characters in the new era of comic book stories. Kid Loki showed up after Loki sacrificed himself in Siege, and the resurrected former villain quickly joined the Young Avengers team, which was one of Marvel’s best storylines in comics when released. Just like adult Loki, no one could trust Kid Loki, but he proved he was on the side of good when the chips were down.

There is a similarity between Kid Loki and someone like Damian Wayne in DC. Both are arrogant kids who feel they are the most important characters in their story and think they know what is best for everyone around them. When Kid Loki first appeared, it wasn’t as interesting when Thor brought him to Asgard, and no one there trusted him. However, once he was added to the Young Avengers lineup, he became one of the best Loki variants Marvel ever created.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

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