We might celebrate fictional holidays more than internationally recognized ones… such as today: Loki’s birthday!
Loki has a fluctuating collection of names and self-imposed titles. Whether you prefer to call him the God of Mischief, the trickster, or Prince of Asgard, you probably have an even lengthier list of loving insults you attribute to your favorite Marvel character. Regardless of your personal stance on his last name (our preference is Friggason), today is a universally special day for the Loki fandom: It’s the shapeshifter’s birthday.
According to Fandom, Loki’s birthday falls on December 17. We aren’t exactly sure how old the trickster is, given different versions of them exist in the comics; however, we can convert our favorite Odinsons’ Asgardian age to their Midgardian equivalent, thanks to fan-made conversion formulas. Therefore, his Marvel Cinematic Universe counterpart is 1053 years old today.
Sure, Loki is a jerk. In the MCU, he’s embarked on his heroic redemption arch to an extent, and he’s done some good deeds in their comic cameos; however, those are sparse. Regardless, we’re shameless Loki apologists, and it’s the character’s birthday.
Because of this glorious fact, we’re commemorating several of our favorite Loki moments, including the heroic, iconic, and nefarious moments. After all, the trickster himself would want us to celebrate all of his achievements, especially his mischievous accolades and deceptions.
Thor (2018) #1. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
1. Loki’s questionable pet sitting skills
Naturally, Loki has committed a plethora of conspicuous deeds, along with hundreds of murders— but that’s beside the point. And Loki’s pet sitting abilities are equally questionable.
During a brief period, Loki was essentially entrusted with looking after Hel-Wolf and Garm of Hel, but he released them instead and inevitably played match-maker between the two. Then, the two Hel-hounds had seven Hel-pups. Hela bequeathed the pups to Loki, seeing as he was responsible for their creation. Although he gave most of the pups away, he kept one, Thori.
Despite the thunderous name, Thori is mischievous like his former owner, seeing as he’s betrayed Loki once or twice before.
2. Get help
We’re nearly positive that everyone is familiar with the get help scene in Thor: Ragnarok. You know, the light-hearted scene that Chris Hemsworth thought of and that Tom Hiddleston also happens to love. We’re glad that we got some embarrassing childhood stories from our two favorite Odinsons before you-know-what happened in Avengers: Infinity War.
Ms. Marvel vol. 3 (2014) #12. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
3. A case of mistaken identity
Unless you’re strictly a Lady Loki stan who fiercely defends her and only her, the foundation of your Loki fandom revolves around insulting the trickster. It makes sense because Loki makes a lot of questionable decisions. After all, he is one of the most canonically choke-able characters both on-screen and in the comics.
Like we jokingly call Loki a smurf or a bridge troll, he gets a lot of flack from characters between panels, but regardless of how many times his villainy has afflicted the Nine Realms, Earthlings still have difficulty recognizing him. Whether he’s being mistaken for a hipster or a hipster Viking specifically, the confusion is definitely justified.
4. Loki and Friday the 13th
There might be a source to Loki’s tricks. While certain people believe the Norse God could be the reason some people celebrate April Fool’s Day, which makes sense given his inclination for tricks, other Nordic legends suggest Loki may have had some influence on Friday the 13th superstitions.
Loki’s hatred for Balder (Baldr or Baldur, depending on the specific text) isn’t just consolidated in the comics. In fact, it’s inspired by Norse mythology which dates back to the Nordic Friday the 13 celebrations. According to Mental Floss, the unwarranted 13th guest, Loki, convinced Hodr to shoot Baldr with an arrow. However, Hodr wasn’t aware that the guest coated the arrow with mistletoe, which was the only thing that could kill Baldr.
Loki: Agent of Asgard. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
5. When Loki officially joined the LGBTQ+ community
After years of being a long-time queer-coded villain, Al Ewing confirmed the character would take on a more heroic role in his then-upcoming comic run Loki: Agent of Asgard. Ewing confirmed via a Tumblr post that the reformed anti-hero is also bisexual and gender fluid, solidifying the trickster’s place in the LGBTQ+ community.
Needless to see, we accept Loki as our bi and genderfluid savior.
Thor (2007) #7. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
6. Lady Loki
Just like her eyebrows, Lady Loki’s comic book appearances are seldom, which naturally makes her comic book appearances iconic by default. From co-opting Sif’s body and posing as the Scarlet Witch herself, Lady Loki has the same hankering for mischief like any of the gender fluid God’s forms (especially since Loki took on
Although it’s Loki’s birthday today, we tend to celebrate Lady Loki’s achievements and existence year-round.
7. His complicated cinematic history with the Hulk
The Hulk and Loki have come a long way in MCU terms. In The Avengers, Hulk tossed the puny God around a bit — and he deserved it. Some of us might have even immortalized the moment by buying a Hulk Smashing Loki Funko.
Before the trickster went on a bone-crushing monologue in Infinity War, he implicitly made amends with the green giant by paralleling the memorable, “We have a Hulk” line from the first Avengers film.
Loki: Agent of Asgard #8. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
8. The mythical crossover we needed
Obviously, Loki’s comic and film incarnations are based off the shapeshifter’s complicated Norse mythology. Some comic runs are more loosely based off the God of Mischief’s mythological past, whereas others incorporate other fantasy elements into Loki’s narrative.
However, some comics added other fantasy elements to his comic panels. After refraining from lying, stealing, and overall trickery, Loki took on the ultimate embodiment of do-goodery, a unicorn.
9. “Oh dear, is she dead?”
After we’ve all had to experience Loki fake his death multiple times and actually die (and kill a younger version of himself so he can take on his own form), we could use some banter. That’s why Loki’s Asgardian sarcasm from Thor: The Dark World made it to the list.
Though he might have feigned that he didn’t care about Jane Foster’s well-being, Loki did inevitably protect her and literally shield her body from the Dark Elves later in the film.
Infinity Countdown Prime, page 11. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
10. The time he casually got stabbed in the face and brushed it off
Somehow, Loki’s MCU counterpart couldn’t recover from a neck injury, but Loki in Infinity Countdown Prime managed to survive Wolverine turning the trickster’s face and eye into a makeshift kebab.
To be fair, with or without context, Loki deserved getting stabbed in the face. With context, Loki did slice up Logan’s face first. Without context, Loki is one of the most stab-able and punch-able characters in comic book history. (As Loki stans, it’s acceptable that we simultaneously love and hate him.)
The Mighty Thor (1966) #364. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
11. When he turned his brother into a frog
The side comment in Thor: Ragnarok about Loki turning Thor into a frog was a real side arch in the comics. In The Mighty Thor (1966) #364, Loki transformed Thor into a croaking amphibian. After evading a congregate of alligators, recruiting an army of civilian frogs, and reconnecting with Mjolnir, the thunderous frog officially became the Mighty Throg.
The Mighty Thor (1966) #365. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
Granted, this was only temporary and this wasn’t the only version of Throg either. Regardless of what form Loki transforms into (or his brother for that matter), there are abounding noteworthy Loki moments in mythology, comics, and films to celebrate today.
In case you need some suggestions to celebrate Loki’s birthday today, we have a few ideas:
- Spend the day editing out Loki’s death scene in Infinity War so that it’s as if it never actually happened. (You might have to factor in some more time if you need to actually learn how to make video edits.)
- Pull a prank on a friend or family member (just don’t stab them, please).
- Frame Tom Hiddleston’s tweet foreshadowing our favorite Frost Giant’s televised debut (in live-action form, obviously).
- Bake your Loki Funkos a cake, after all, it does give you an excuse to treat your palate. If you don’t have any Loki Funko Pops, print off your favorite picture of Loki instead and throw them a celebratory party.
- Live by the WWJGD (What Would Jeff Goldblum Do?) motto, and search your favorite Loki-related tags.
- Read a comic that has features the God of Mischief.
Did we leave out your favorite Loki moment, or do you just have a unique plan for the trickster’s birthday? Let us know in the comments section!