Thor Was Originally The Villain, Not His Brother Loki

The conflict between Thor and Loki has been the stuff of legend in Marvel Comics and the MCU. While the two have managed to put their differences aside and even team up on occasion, Loki’s animosity toward his brother inevitably rears its ugly head.

Many believe Loki’s hatred stems from the fact that Thor is Odin’s natural son and that he has always been Asgard’s favorite warrior – while Loki is the adopted son of a Frost Giant and has long been considered the black sheep of the family. However, a glimpse into the Thor’s early days shows some of Loki’s anger toward Asgard’s golden child stems from a more understandable place.

In World War Hulks: Spider-Man & Thor, Thor flashes back to the days when Loki was first adopted by Odin, revealing how the Thunder God… was kind of a jerk to his brother. Whining that Loki “smells” and likes “strange giant food,” the young Thor ridicules his step-brother in front of his father, mocking Loki’s love of reading and his lack of interest in sports. When Odin points out that Thor never invited Loki to play with him, a reluctant Thor agrees to let Loki participate in one of his “play battles” – after Odin orders him to.

Thor and Loki end up getting into a wrestling match with two Asgardian youths and Thor tries to get Loki to ambush their opponents while he takes them head on. When Loki ends up leaving the field, however, Thor gets beaten up by the boys. Humiliated, the young thunder god tracks Loki to his tower room and throws his step brother out the window, smirking as Loki falls into the mud.

His vengeful behavior gets Thor a stern talking-to from Odin, who informs Thor that if he behaves like an “unworthy brute” to Loki over a simple feud, he would carry that behavior onto the actual battlefield and be an unworthy warrior. Chastising Thor for not being strong and wise, Odin exposes his son for the bully he has become. Shamed, Thor resolves to do better, although he apparently was not able to ever mend fences with his brother thanks to their childhood feud.

Of course, Thor would mature (somewhat) as he aged while Loki went on to do some reprehensible things that went way beyond just abandoning his brother during some playground games. Nevertheless, it’s telling that while Loki wasn’t the ideal step-brother, Thor was a complete bully to his sibling in their early days. Given all of this, it’s actually understandable that Loki would develop an early resentment toward Thor that would eventually transform into something far more dangerous and uglier. Thankfully, Loki seems to have matured himself after dying and getting resurrected multiple times… so perhaps it’s not too late for the brothers to bury the hatchet for good.

About The Author

Michael Jung
(700 Articles Published)

Michael Jung is a mild-mannered freelance writer-for-hire, actor, and professional storyteller with a keen interest in pop culture, education, nonprofit organizations, and unusual side hustles. His work has been featured in Screen Rant, ASU Now, Sell Books Fast, Study.com, and Free Arts among others. A graduate of Arizona State University with a PhD in 20^th Century American Literature, Michael has written novels, short stories, stage plays, screenplays, and how-to manuals.

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Michael’s background in storytelling draws him to find the most fascinating aspects of any topic and transform them into a narrative that informs and entertains the reader. Thanks to a life spent immersed in comic books and movies, Michael is always ready to infuse his articles with offbeat bits of trivia for an extra layer of fun. In his spare time, you can find him entertaining kids as Spider-Man or Darth Vader at birthday parties or scaring the heck out of them at haunted houses.

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