Personality Once, Loki Laufeyson, son of Odin, was known as the God of Evil. Once, Loki stood as one of the most prominent villains upon Earth and Asgard, fueled by his hatred of his brother, Thor, and the favouritism shown him by their mutual father, Odin All-father. He brought chaos and strife where he went, and before his end, he heralded the destruction and breaking of Asgard. It was beyond even his plans, though, to break Asgard; he had meant to rule it, not destroy it. The very force that threatened the ruins of the Shining City then turned upon Loki, after he himself granted aid to the heroes who sought to defeat it. His death, however, would not be permanent. In return for services granted in the past, Loki had his name written out of the Book of Hel, allowing himself the chance of rebirth in place of true, lasting death.
Why did Loki do it? No one knows.
Claiming he missed his brother, Thor, son of Odin, the God of Thunder himself who Loki had tormented through most of his life, then wished the rebirth of Loki. Against the wishes of all in Asgard, he sought to bring Loki back to life.
And so he did.
When Loki was reborn, it turned out to be, quite literally, a fresh start. He came back as a child, a callow youth freed of the burden of memory and guilt. He remembered nothing of his past deeds save for what dreams and nightmares granted him, left only with a lingering sense of what came to pass. A blank slate, for all intents and purposes; a chance to grow up anew without the corruption of power and envy to twist him back to what he had once been. He came back as Loki had been at his very core. An unsullied God of Mischief.
Highly intelligent, capable of great feats of intellect and ability, Loki is also at once clever and in possession of far too much wit for his own well-being. He's a quick thinker, able to come up with plans of action virtually on the fly, and while his silver tongue isn't quite up to reputation just yet, he's still yet managed to talk himself out of trouble on more than the one occasion. (Though it's been known to get him in trouble just as often.) Well-spoken as he is and can be, it doesn't save Loki from inevitable bouts of smarminess, most often at the most inopportune times. He's still sarcastic, prone to cynicism, and every bit the trickster he had once been, though his mischief and trickery does not carry the malice it once had. The impetuousness of youth guides many of his actions, however wise or unwise they may be, and have earned him the title of 'troublemaker' anew. Fresh start that he's been given, he is still often caught up in a lie on frequent occasion; though not spoken with harmful intent, a white lie is still nevertheless a lie. In Loki's case, it's no more than a verbal reaction were some would bargain their way out of a tougher spot.
Perhaps it's why the people of Asgard and Midgard still deem him as untrustworthy, for no matter how much he may try, few regard him as anything other than the serpent he had been in his past life. He lies and he schemes still, he tricks and he brings trouble where he may, but though he does so, at the very core of his actions is the knowledge that it's for everyone's own good in the long run. For each seemingly malicious step taken, there is an unseen kernel of good in it. For each plot and plan made, each is catered, in its own way, to the good of Asgard and its people. It's not that Loki is unreliable, oh no. Give him a task and he'll see it through to the end, for certain, but he'll carry it out as Loki does: in his own way. Even if his methods tend to be frowned upon by pretty much everyone and anyone involved, still he carries them out however he can. He's learned through experience that though he may try to take the heroic and selfless route, the entire thing is either ill-suited for him, or he for it. For Loki, there is only truly the Loki way, and if it involves trickery and mischief and pulling the wool over everyone's eyes, then so be it. He'll stop at nothing to fulfill his agenda, even if in the end it means the end of Thor's life. The ends justify the means, though few else would see it so if they knew.
Unlike his predecessor, young Loki holds little spite for his elder half-brother. Rather, it's really quite the opposite. For once, perhaps, Thor is the one figure Loki truly admires, being the one who went out of his way to revive him and subsequently defend him, and being so, the one Loki truly wants to help, whatever the cost. And the cost is great indeed when he does set out on his great quest of helping, both in result and the troubles met along the way. It's for Thor's sake that Loki endures such things as Hell, and Hel, and the various pacts and promises made therein. It's for the greater good that Loki works, perhaps as a way to live up to his brother, or to prove himself. Maybe it's because of his fear of growing up into what he once was that he strives so. Because he possesses that much more empathy than his past self did, he feels, very closely, the guilt of betraying the Disir in his machinations, and even closer than that, the guilt of leading Thor to his death, a task never achieved by his elder self until now, and most ironically, something brought about through his desire to help.
Yes, since his rebirth, much has changed for Loki and his life. While some may not be so enthusiastic about his return, he nevertheless does his best with what he's given. As Loki himself put it:
[CANON] Loki Laufeyson | Marvel Comics | not reserved | 2/3
Once, Loki Laufeyson, son of Odin, was known as the God of Evil. Once, Loki stood as one of the most prominent villains upon Earth and Asgard, fueled by his hatred of his brother, Thor, and the favouritism shown him by their mutual father, Odin All-father. He brought chaos and strife where he went, and before his end, he heralded the destruction and breaking of Asgard. It was beyond even his plans, though, to break Asgard; he had meant to rule it, not destroy it. The very force that threatened the ruins of the Shining City then turned upon Loki, after he himself granted aid to the heroes who sought to defeat it. His death, however, would not be permanent. In return for services granted in the past, Loki had his name written out of the Book of Hel, allowing himself the chance of rebirth in place of true, lasting death.
Claiming he missed his brother, Thor, son of Odin, the God of Thunder himself who Loki had tormented through most of his life, then wished the rebirth of Loki. Against the wishes of all in Asgard, he sought to bring Loki back to life.
And so he did.
When Loki was reborn, it turned out to be, quite literally, a fresh start. He came back as a child, a callow youth freed of the burden of memory and guilt. He remembered nothing of his past deeds save for what dreams and nightmares granted him, left only with a lingering sense of what came to pass. A blank slate, for all intents and purposes; a chance to grow up anew without the corruption of power and envy to twist him back to what he had once been. He came back as Loki had been at his very core. An unsullied God of Mischief.
Highly intelligent, capable of great feats of intellect and ability, Loki is also at once clever and in possession of far too much wit for his own well-being. He's a quick thinker, able to come up with plans of action virtually on the fly, and while his silver tongue isn't quite up to reputation just yet, he's still yet managed to talk himself out of trouble on more than the one occasion. (Though it's been known to get him in trouble just as often.) Well-spoken as he is and can be, it doesn't save Loki from inevitable bouts of smarminess, most often at the most inopportune times. He's still sarcastic, prone to cynicism, and every bit the trickster he had once been, though his mischief and trickery does not carry the malice it once had. The impetuousness of youth guides many of his actions, however wise or unwise they may be, and have earned him the title of 'troublemaker' anew. Fresh start that he's been given, he is still often caught up in a lie on frequent occasion; though not spoken with harmful intent, a white lie is still nevertheless a lie. In Loki's case, it's no more than a verbal reaction were some would bargain their way out of a tougher spot.
Perhaps it's why the people of Asgard and Midgard still deem him as untrustworthy, for no matter how much he may try, few regard him as anything other than the serpent he had been in his past life. He lies and he schemes still, he tricks and he brings trouble where he may, but though he does so, at the very core of his actions is the knowledge that it's for everyone's own good in the long run. For each seemingly malicious step taken, there is an unseen kernel of good in it. For each plot and plan made, each is catered, in its own way, to the good of Asgard and its people. It's not that Loki is unreliable, oh no. Give him a task and he'll see it through to the end, for certain, but he'll carry it out as Loki does: in his own way. Even if his methods tend to be frowned upon by pretty much everyone and anyone involved, still he carries them out however he can. He's learned through experience that though he may try to take the heroic and selfless route, the entire thing is either ill-suited for him, or he for it. For Loki, there is only truly the Loki way, and if it involves trickery and mischief and pulling the wool over everyone's eyes, then so be it. He'll stop at nothing to fulfill his agenda, even if in the end it means the end of Thor's life. The ends justify the means, though few else would see it so if they knew.
Unlike his predecessor, young Loki holds little spite for his elder half-brother. Rather, it's really quite the opposite. For once, perhaps, Thor is the one figure Loki truly admires, being the one who went out of his way to revive him and subsequently defend him, and being so, the one Loki truly wants to help, whatever the cost. And the cost is great indeed when he does set out on his great quest of helping, both in result and the troubles met along the way. It's for Thor's sake that Loki endures such things as Hell, and Hel, and the various pacts and promises made therein. It's for the greater good that Loki works, perhaps as a way to live up to his brother, or to prove himself. Maybe it's because of his fear of growing up into what he once was that he strives so. Because he possesses that much more empathy than his past self did, he feels, very closely, the guilt of betraying the Disir in his machinations, and even closer than that, the guilt of leading Thor to his death, a task never achieved by his elder self until now, and most ironically, something brought about through his desire to help.
Yes, since his rebirth, much has changed for Loki and his life. While some may not be so enthusiastic about his return, he nevertheless does his best with what he's given. As Loki himself put it: