A popular character that shouldn’t exist any longer is making a surprising return to the Marvel Universe. That return could have major consequences for the future of the Marvel Universe.
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SPOILERS for Asgardians of the Galaxy #1 by Cullen Bunn, Matteo Lolli, and Federico Blee follow.
Asgardians of the Galaxy is a new series spinning out of the events of Infinity Wars. The series sees a motley crew of characters who usually play supporting roles in Thor stories banding together to stop the plans of Nebula.
Angela, Thor’s half-sister, leads the team. Skurge the Executioner, Thunderstrike, Throg the Frog of Thunder, and the Destroyer are also part of the group. But it turns out that there’s another member of the team hidden within the Destroyer armor, and he may be the one manipulating the team.
It seems that Angela is the only member of this Asgardians team who knows that inside the Destroyer armor is Loki:
Not just any Loki, but Kid Loki, a version of Loki that should no longer exist.
If you’re not up-to-date on Loki’s strange history, Kid Loki’s existence dates back to Marvel’s Siege event in 2010. Loki, then still an adult, manipulated Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers into attacking Asgard. Loki underestimated how dangerous the Sentry and his alter ego, Void, could be an was forced to sacrifice himself to save the city.
Ever the trickster, Loki had prepared for such a turn of events. Loki had managed to remove his name from the Book of Hel, allowing him to be reborn rather than sent to the realm of the dead. Thor found his brother’s soul in a child’s body and restored part of his memory.
Kid Loki was determined to write his own story rather than fall into the same role as his previous incarnation. He his best to defend Asgard during the Fear Itself event in 2011. Later he was confronted by a manifestation of his old self with his old power. The manifestation revealed that this new Loki was doing exactly what he wanted by preserving the playground he so enjoyed playing in. Loki tried to subdue this other side of himself, transforming the shadow of his former self into a magpie he named Ikol.
Kid Loki made a final sacrifice to stop one of Mephisto’s plans. For reasons too complicated to explain here (go read Journey Into Mystery by Kieron Gillen for more), the only way to stop Mephisto was to allow Ikol to erase Kid Loki’s mind and take control of his body
Kid Loki made that sacrifice. While doing so, he reminded Ikol that he couldn’t undo what Kid Loki had done. That echo of Kid Loki and the guilt over his demise would become a part of Ikol, now once again Loki, forever.
That has held true for years. Though Kid Loki died, the current Loki has still acted for the greater good rather than returning to his villainous ways. His motives are frequently misunderstood and his methods less than overtly heroic, but he’s still been fighting on the side of the angels.
But Kid Loki did die. How he has managed to return as an independent being with his own body remains a mystery. Could it be tied to Loki’s quest for answers about his own history and memories in Infinity Wars?
What do you think of Kid Loki’s return? Let us know in the comments!
Asgardians of the Galaxy #1 goes on sale Sept. 5th.
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Image Credit: Marvel Comics
