Loki's Most Meta Comics Moment Just Came Full Circle
The Asgardian God of Stories Loki, last seen at the end of Al Ewing's Loki: Agent of Asgard series, is set to return in Thor #24 a special 750th issue celebration by Marvel Comics that will bring Ewing back to writing Loki and lead directly into his upcoming Defenders: Beyond mini-series. While Loki has continued to exist in the main Earth-616 continuity, this specific God of Stories Loki has not been seen since the end of Loki: Agent of Asgard, and his return to Marvel is one of his most meta moments yet.
Loki is a wildly complex character who has gone through dozens of retcons and reimaginings, but one of the most beloved variants of the classic God of Mischief is the Loki seen in Journey into Mystery, Young Avengers, and then Loki: Agent of Asgard. This Loki was first called Ikol, and came into being by killing the reformed Kid Loki. Eventually, Ikol comes to terms with his sins, and becomes Loki again, before working for the All-Mothers of Asgardia to atone for his many crimes in Loki: Agent of Asgard. This series ended with Loki becoming the God of Stories, later exiting through a magical 4th wall-breaking door labeled "Next," seemingly disappearing into a void of time and space.
An eagle-eyed fan on Twitter @cyberpunkwarlok noticed that the God of Stories Loki's big return to the 616-Universe is a massive meta inside joke by writer and creator Al Ewing. In a series of preview images shared by Marvel Loki can be seen walking through a doorway, but this is not just any doorway, it is the exact same doorway that he exited at the end of Loki: Agent of Asgard. Fan @cyberpunkwarlok notices that this self-referential art is 8 whole years in the making, posting comparison shots between the last panel of Loki: Agent of Asgard and Loki's return in Thor #24. This God of Stories Loki story, written by Al Ewing with art by Lee Garbett, clearly shows that Ewing knows fans of Loki: Agent of Asgard have been craving more content of this specific Loki variant, with this being the first time that Ewing and Garbett have collaborated since the ending of the series.
This preview image introduces way more questions than it answers, establishing that the Loki in Vote Loki who returned after Earth-616 was restored following the Incursions is not the same as the God of Stories Loki, and that this Loki has been either waiting in the wings to return or has been having adventures of his own behind the scenes. At the end of Loki: Agent of Asgard he proclaims that he is not interested in watching the universe end due to the Incursion, so wishes to skip forward in time until after the Incursions have been solved and the universe is back to "normal," so perhaps this is the time that he chose to return to, and no time has passed for him at all? Excitingly, Marvel also confirms that this will not be a standalone story but will be the spinning off point for Al Ewing's upcoming Defenders: Beyond which will feature an all-new lineup of heroes, including Loki, who are assembled by the spirit of the recently deceased Stephen Strange to fight for their universe against adversaries like the classic villain The Beyonder.
It seems that Ewing and Marvel have heard fans' pleas, as this Loki variant (or is he the Earth-616 canon Loki?) will be returning for not just one story, but a whole mini-series, which will hopefully explore what happened to him after the end of Loki: Agent of Asgard, if anything. Make sure to get Thor #24 by Marvel Comics when it debuts on April 27th to see this Loki variant's gran return.