Thor and Loki’s Forgotten Brother is Marvel’s New God of Lies
Warning: contains spoilers for Thor #14!
Marvel Comics officially has a new God of Lies – the forgotten brother of Thor and Loki, Donald Blake, aka the Dragon. In recent issues, Blake has undergone a deadly campaign against Odin, the former All-Father of Asgard, targeting all those blessed by Odin’s magic. Blake’s rampage began after he became aware that he was a magical construct created to teach Thor humility rather than a real person, and in Thor #14, the heroes of Asgard (as well as Loki and Doctor Strange) join forces to defeat the Dragon, who is left in Loki’s charge after Thor recognizes Blake as a brother and chooses to spare his life.
First appearing in Journey into Mystery #83, Donald Blake was originally the human guise of Thor, becoming the God of Thunder when he struck his cane (a disguised form of Thor’s Hammer Mjolnir) against the ground. Blake has gone through many reimaginings and retcons in the years since, particularly since Thor gradually proved to be a character with little use for a secret identity, offering more narrative potential as a godly figure torn between the mythical Asgard and his mundane responsibilities on Earth. Thor #9 revealed that while not in use, Blake has been “stored” in a fake pocket reality modeled after suburbia, which he eventually realized wasn’t real. When Thor traded places with Blake to try and gain some perspective, his now unstable alter ego hit Asgard with a vengeance, leaving Thor trapped in a synthetic hell with no way of escape.
Thankfully, Thor #14 – from Donny Cates and Nic Klein – sees Thor transfer his soul into the Destroyer armor, uniting him with Odin and Asgard’s warriors in a brutal showdown with Blake. After an epic battle, Blake is defeated, but demands that Odin kill him, declaring that he’ll never allow himself to be imprisoned again. While Odin is ready to carry out the deed, Loki and Thor work together to stop him, recognizing Blake as their brother and, like Loki, someone who has suffered from being brought into their dysfunctional family. Nevertheless, Blake caused a huge amount of suffering and remains a dangerous villain, so Thor hands him over to Loki, who accepts the responsibility of dealing with the brother their father forgot.
Partially due to his popularity in the MCU – where he’s played by Tom Hiddleston – Marvel Comics has been shifting away from the idea of Loki as a villainous god of mischief, lies, or chaos, turning him into a more conflicted character often at odds with traditional superheroes while still working on the side of the angels. Al Ewing and Lee Garbett’s Loki: Agent of Asgard declared Loki the God of Stories, while Daniel Kibblesmith and Jan Bazaldua’s Loki argued he’s truly the God of Outcasts. Thor #14 doubles down on this change by having Loki officially renounce his title as the God of Lies, passing is to Blake. Unfortunately, Loki also bequeaths Blake the throne of the God of Lies – a horrifying torture taken from real Norse mythology.
Blake is chained in a dungeon, with a venomous serpent forever hovering above him, dripping its poison into his eyes. It’s a punishment Loki has suffered in the past – notably in Thor: The Trials of Loki – but one which, in mythology, he is destined only to escape at the every end of time, when he returns to face the gods in the final battle of Ragnarok. The moment shows that while Loki is no longer the God of Lies, he’s still capable of incredible cruelty, and establishes a perfect reason for Blake to hate his brothers even more should he ever get free.
It’s not the first time Thor and Loki have discovered a forgotten sibling – the relatively recent addition of their sister Angela shocked them both – but declaring Blake the new God of Lies gives an otherwise forgotten character a dark new role in Marvel Comics. All-Father Thor may not have known the exact torture Loki had in store, but should Donald Blake ever get free, he’ll have as justifiable a reason as any villain to resume his attack on Asgard, and he’ll do it as the God of Lies.
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