Loki has pulled off incredible feats in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, wielding magic, weapons and guile to achieve his mischievous ends. But over 5 films and 3 episodes of his solo series, he has demonstrated a wide array of superpowers, some iconic to his character, some only used once, but all clear demonstrations of his godhood.
The still ongoing series Loki has unveiled its hidden villain, a female version of the trickster who goes by the name Sylvie. The episode clarifies that the two variant gods have radically different backgrounds, personalities and even power sets. As the pair banters, Sylvie gives Loki a brief lesson on how to use her power, which draws attention to the powers Loki can already use and those he may gain in the future.
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The power most associated with the MCU's Loki comes straight from Norse mythology. Loki can change his form to disguise his appearance using magic. His shapeshifting can change his appearance, voice, and clothing, he can also extend the illusion to the room around him. In Thor 2: The Dark World, Loki goes on an extended physical comedy routine while walking a long hallway with his brother, taking on the form of a random guard, Thor's ally Lady Sif, and even Captain America. His disguises can last long periods, he briefly took over Asgard by taking the form of Odin and holding the throne until Thor uncovered his deceit. In most scenarios, shapeshifting seems to be the God of Mischief's go-to strategy, but it's far from his only magic power.
Loki also regularly demonstrates the ability to create illusory duplicates of himself, effortlessly generating any number of perfect copies. He has routinely used this ability to trick enemies into traps, to slip away unnoticed or to project a duplicate far away to communicate with others. This trick and his shapeshifting ability both fall under the larger umbrella of illusory magic.
Loki was trained in magic by his adoptive mother Frigga, and as the series has gone on, the list of what he can do with magic seems to have broadened. Loki can seemingly conjure illusory objects, but he can also magically transport real objects. In the most recent episode of Loki he was able to hide the TVA's handheld time travel device magically so well that Sylvie had no method of finding it. In the conclusion of the episode, he also uses something akin to telekinesis to stop a building from landing on the two of them.
Loki seems to be able to use magic on a general scale, meaning that while superheroes like Thor or Hulk have specifically enumerated powers, Loki is more comparable to Doctor Strange, who can do a wide variety of things based on his magic knowledge. Over the years, shapeshifting and illusory duplicates has given way to telekinesis, blasts of green energy, and handheld fireworks. This implies that Loki's list of skills could grow as he learns new tricks, backed up by the fact that Sylvie spends a moment of the episode teaching Loki about her gift.
Sylvie uses her magic to enchant others, taking control of their minds and bending them to her will, a dark note in the show's often comedic tone. She explains that this requires delving into the memory of her target and forging a unique fantasy to convince the target to do as she wishes. This revelation contains many interesting elements of confluence between Sylvie's power and Loki's. Loki placed a spell on Odin between the conclusion of Thor 2 and the beginning of Thor 3 which could be best described as hypnosis. Loki has also been able to access the memory of others, specifically Valkyrie, whose mind he delved into during a fist fight in Thor: Ragnarok. Sylvie's enchantment ability is powerful, but based on her description, it could be read as a combination of illusion and memory scrubbing, placing it within Loki's grasp.
Loki is best known for his magical tricks, but the most recent episode of the series gave him another chance to show off his physical power. As a Jotun, Loki is substantially stronger and more durable than any given human. He was trained by his adopted family on Asgard in combat as well as in magic. He typically favors his daggers, but he seems to be capable with a variety of weapons and magical tools. In The Avengers, Loki battles Captain America in a one-on-one fight and repeatedly gains the upper hand. Loki does not use magic to best Steve Rogers, he holds his own against one of the best martial artists in the Marvel universe with nothing but his spear and his strength. He is also extremely survivable, the classic "Puny God" scene from The Avengers drives that point home. Even though Loki was defeated by the Hulk's onslaught, a lesser man would have been destroyed by half that much punishment.
The God of Mischief has proven himself as a combatant and a magician, but his most commendable accomplishments are his imperious schemes. Loki has used trickery to place himself on the throne of Asgard twice and though both times were short lived, he was able to outwit or outmaneuver the entire kingdom two separate times. He often possesses knowledge beyond that of the highest minds in Asgard, such as his reputed ability to find portals between worlds in Thor: The Dark World. He is capable of convincing strangers to join or aid him, with or without the tools he's used in the past. There are many powers that are often attributed to Loki, but are actually the ability of magical items he's wielding at the time, such as the mind stone, Odin's Gungnir spear or the Tesseract, but he has gradually revealed more magical abilities of his own.
Loki has demonstrated all of the same powers in the comics, but he also holds a couple that fans haven't seen in the films. Loki is said to be capable of molecular rearrangement, granting power to others, and wielding the elements with magic. His magic is even more variable in the comics, as he can essentially do whatever he needs to do with a spell. Loki's magical mischief in the comics would grant him a far greater field of powers in the films. Taking the comics as an inspiration, fans may see Loki learn to turn people into animals, encase his enemies in ice, summon demons, or much more.
Loki's powers are as unique as one would expect from the God of Mischief. His power is partially inherited but partially trained. He is a magician who prefers to win through deceit, but an immense physical threat and a skilled warrior. He is considered the greatest sorcerer in all of Asgard, and he is only improving. Illusion, hypnosis, telepathy, astral projection, telekinesis, energy blasts, teleportation, and perfect shapeshifting can all be achieved with a thought. Even with all of that the God of Mischief could grow even more powerful as his story continues.
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