Getting to Know Loki and the Time Variance Authority: A Comprehensive Comics List
In Marvel Studios’ LOKI, the unpredictable villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) resumes his role as the God of Mischief in a new series that takes place after the events of AVENGERS: ENDGAME. He gets involved with the Time Variance Authority (TVA), and mischief ensues. Kate Herron directs, with Michael Waldron as head writer. The series debuts on Disney+ on June 9, 2021. To help you prep, I’ve gathered together some Loki comic books for you to explore more of Loki’s stories.
Trust me though, don’t believe a word he says. Read on!
Thor: The Trials of Loki
- Thor’s archenemy and Marvel’s most fickle villain take center stage! He is the lie-smith. He is the shape-shifter. He is the fire that sears—the God of Mischief and Trickery, Loki. First, meet the festive, beloved young man that made the Asgardians laugh – until the first time he committed murder. Then, discover the rotted roots of his twisted, unrelenting contempt for the Asgardians – and learn the chilling truth of why Loki will never be stopped! Collecting LOKI (2010) #1-4.
The Trials of Loki aren’t about the Marvel superheroes or antiheroes as we know them. The Trials of Loki tell the story of the Norse deity, Loki, and his struggle to fit in with his adopted Asgardian family. His brothers Thor and Baldr and his adopted parents Odin and Frigg recognize Loki as someone who should not be trusted. It’s a tragic story in so much Loki is resigned to the fact that he is who his reputation says. He cannot help but betray, lie, and murder his way into seclusion and expulsion. As the Gods fall, you (Loki) ascend. I thoroughly enjoyed The Trials of Loki. It’s a realistic telling of the mythology of Loki rather than the villain he is known in the comics.
King Thor
- Collects King Thor (2019) #1-4. Jason Aaron reunites with Esad Ribić to conclude the epic saga in one last chapter with the almighty lord of Asgard! THOR: GOD OF THUNDER! Seven years ago, Aaron and Ribić introduced the Thor of the distant future — All-Father of a broken realm and a dying universe — as he stood in battle against Gorr, the Butcher of Gods, wielder All-Black the Necrosword. But now that heinous blade has returned, in the hands of Thor’s greatest enemy: his adopted brother, Loki! So it’s time for one final, world-ending showdown — but even worse is still to come as the ultimate end of all things grows near. A who’s who of Aaron’s past THOR collaborators, along with a few surprise guests, contribute to bringing down the curtain on a glorious era in thunderous style!
Thor battles Gorr, the god butcher. With Thor on the ropes, Loki jumps in not to save his brother but to kill him before Gorr takes all the glory. Gorr wields the necrosword, the All-Black. In the end, Thor grants his daughters the power of Thor and the worthiness to carry Mjolnir. This arc wraps up Jason Aaron’s mind-blowing run of Thor with his partner in crime artist Esad Ribić. I cannot recommend Arron’s Thor enough. Its deep, philosophical story explores the depth of what it means to be the King of Asgard.
Loki: The God Who Fell to Earth
- Collects Loki (2019) #1-5, material from War of the Realms: Omega (2019) #1. Loki is – Earth’s Mightiest Hero?! After dying a grisly death in WAR OF THE REALMS, the reborn Trickster learned a valuable lesson in warmongering: Don’t get caught. But now Loki has a whole new set of responsibilities — and his brother Thor isn’t about to let him walk away from them. So, restless with his new duties, Loki seeks out the advice of the closest thing Midgard has to a king — Tony Stark, the invincible Iron Man! Close enough, right? But it turns out that Shellhead isn’t too happy to see Loki because of all that stuff he did in the past. So now the God of Mischief/Stories/Evil/Chaos has to outsmart the cleverest man on Earth — or die (again) trying. Meanwhile, could Thor be hatching a mischievous plot of his own?
Loki: The God Who Fell to Earth is such a clever, witty story. Writer Danial Kibblesmith almost makes you like Loki for a teeny minute. Almost.
Vote Loki
- Loki is many things: god, trickster, brother, son, villain, even hero. Now he wants to add one more title to the list: President of the United States! That’s right, the God of Lies wants to be the ruler of the free world! But is this just another scheme? One fact is inevitable: With Loki’s winning smile and silver tongue on the campaign trail, this election just got a lot more interesting! He’ll soon have the American people eating out of the palm of his hand, but can would-be President Laufeyson sway the media? And what will be his response when the heroes of Earth launch their attack ad? A crisis in Latveria offers Loki the chance to demonstrate his foreign policy…but indeed, he wouldn’t cause a national catastrophe just for some good press? Would he? COLLECTING: VOTE LOKI 1-4; MATERIAL FROM JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY 85, AVENGERS (1963) 300.
Vote Loki was entertaining and a little scary looking back to 2016 when this was published and that election year. It took a little longer to settle into the story, but by the second issue, it smoothed out. Rumor has it that this series will play a more prominent role in the Loki Disney Plus series than the others I’ve listed.
Time Variance Authority
The Time Variance Authority (TVA) is a vast bureaucracy concerned with monitoring all realities that exist throughout the multiverse and keeping temporal interference to a minimum. They operate from the Null-Time Zone dimension, in which time cannot be interfered with. The TVA has a working relationship with time travelers such as Kang the Conqueror while controlling an area 2-3 times as large as Kang’s temporal empire. Most TVA employees are cloned from the same genetic stalk to reduce disputes and improve efficiency. However, they do recruit new promising candidates such as Justice Peace.
For More on the Time Variance Authority read the comics below:
Fantastic Four Annual Vol. 1 #27
Links to Read More Stories about Loki
Loki: Agent of Asgard – The Complete Collection
A Little About Me
My name is Eric Onkenhout, I live in Massachusetts, and Star Wars is my jam and has been since I was 6 or 7. Besides Star Wars, I also enjoy Marvel and Game of Thrones. I love to write, whether it’s fiction, reviews, or journalistic articles. I also enjoy long walks on the beach!
As far as movies, books, comic books, or tv shows, I tend to gravitate towards good writing regardless of the genre. I have a Bachelor’s degree in English-Creative Writing; I like sports like hockey, football, and soccer.
