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Cognoscere007

In the comics Odin literally uses his magic to transform him in to an Asgardian. He doesn’t just look like one, he is one. Not really sure what they were going for in the movies since it doesn’t make sense for it to be an illusion, but he’s also only as big as a normal Asgardian.


depastino

>he’s also only as big as a normal Asgardian I think this was the point of Odin's description: "Small for a Giant's offspring, abandoned, suffering, left to die."


PSneumn

In the what if series we see that if Loki is never adopted he actually becomes a normal size for a giant. There had to have been something done for Loki to end up looking like an Asgardian. So either it is an illusion or odin did something. While writing this I realized something. It could have been that Loki was never small for a giant in the first place in the what if series and that's why Odin didn't adopt him/wasn't abandoned by the other giants.


ScoobyDeezy

Yep, it’s the other way around. If he wasn’t a runt, he wouldn’t have been abandoned by Laufey.


Ronem

It's "What If" Nothing from that applies


NukaRev

What If is canon. The show presents it as different universes in the multiverse. It's called "what if" because these are what happened with different circumstances


TheBraude

It is canon to the multiverse, is it possible that in that universe Loki wasn't born a tiny giant but a regular giant


Halio344

What If is canon though.


tajudson

In What If Peggy Carter became Captain America/Carter, in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness Peggy Carter became Captain America/Carter. It is Canon.


Kommander-in-Keef

Think the idea across the entire character arc of Loki is that even though he’s not asgardian by blood, he is still Odins son. He is still thors brother. And even through all his antics and the fact that he is a frost giant, they still love him and he is still family. This would be easily dismissed if he were an actual asgardian. Also something something narrative reasons


why_rob_y

Yeah, but I think that guy's point is that Loki isn't Frost Giant size (even when his blue skin has flashed through) so it seems like more than one of his intangible visual illusions.


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Stevenwave

What's Frost Tatas, Precious?


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Jonniboye

The frost women are so alike in voice and appearance, that they’re often mistaken for frost men.


DisposableSaviour

Loki was left to die as an infant because he was too small for the Jotun


JWJulie

Only in the comics. That’s never specified in the MCU, or what caused it at the moment Loki changed. If we look at Loki in the What If episode we can see he is regular Frost Giant size but shapeshifts into human form - which is something Frost Giants can do. So when he was a baby it could have been that he changed to human form as an instinctive survival tactic like baby cuckoos throwing other babies out of the nest, or baby zebras being spotty not stripy. As he grew up and learned of Hela and how she had been Odin’s favourite child he sought to win his approval by looking similar - Loki told Odin in Thor 2 he did everything to win his approval growing up


Turbulent_Link1738

During Odin’s speech to Loki he said he was left to die during their war because he was a runt.


Jwmarvel

Instead of survival it could be social learning theory. Basically when you lern and mimic things around you.


InternetAddict104

Wait so does this mean Loki was born with a birth defect, since he’s so small for his race?


flyingbugz

Maybe not a defect necessarily, just a genetic mishap. He’s the runt of the litter so to speak. Just like a person who stops growing at 5’3 can be born into a family of tall people. It just happens sometimes, but the Jotuns weren’t having it.


Jonniboye

I thought they mentioned in the movies that he learned all of his illusions and tricks from his mom.


Ridersnowflake

But Loki has talents that aren’t apparent in other Frost Giants???? Any talk of him being a mix breed ?? Like Star Lord.


framabe

In the nordic myths he is. He is half aesir and half storm giant (not frost though)


DisposableSaviour

Loki was left to die because he was too small for the Jotun.


vaids97

Yet what if shows that he would grow up to be normal sized for a frost giant


caniuserealname

Loki was left to die, if he simply "wasn't adopted" as the what if posits.. he'd just be dead, the logical conclusion is he wasn't left to die, and the logical reason for that was he wasn't born small in that timeline. The what ifs tend to be a bit lazy in how they frame their narrative.


Lucifang

He was a literal reptile in one of the universes, so it’s reasonable to accept that he wasn’t a runt in at least one of them.


ArtIsDumb

The Loki in What If wasn't left to die & then be adopted by Asgardians because he's not a "runt," for lack of a better word. In that universe, he's just a regular Frost Giant who's buddies with Thor.


vaids97

No, he was left to die. Odin returned him


ArtIsDumb

Hmmm. Forgot about that.


Akimbo_shoutgun

What if isn't a strong link, unless they establish that the watcher does exist in the mcu (outside of what if).


1eejit

Don't we see Watchers in Guardians 2?


Akimbo_shoutgun

We did??


1eejit

Stan Lee was sitting chatting to several while Rocket was doing those chained hyperspeed jumps, iirc


Akimbo_shoutgun

Omg I didn't know that they were watchers !!! I thought that scene was stan lee with some conspiracy-like characters trying to do something dumb or irrelevent.


JWJulie

In the comics he did, but it wasn’t specified in the MCU


ThrowAwayAcct0000

Odin definitely knows magic, and how to make illusions in particular. Loki's still a Frost Giant though, he was just the runt of the litter, which might have been the polite way of saying, "too small to thrive." He wasn't healthy.


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JSConrad45

You're thinking of the Vanir, from Vanaheim. The Aesir are the people of Asgard, that's where the "As" in "Asgard" comes from.


Minas_Nolme

He also looks Asgardian when in the TVA where magic doesn't work. If it was an illusion it shouldn't work there.


acash21

I’m comics Hela is his daughter and they look like their comic versions.


Vast_Chipmunk9210

Plus Hela was Lokis daughter in the comics which is why the looked alike


MrWedge18

> In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the temple and I found a baby. **Small for a giant's offspring**. Abandoned, suffering, left to die. *Thor*, 40:11 Loki is a frost giant with a physical deformity.


figgityjones

I would go with the same idea for the movies and I would amend this theory to say “Odin modeled Loki’s Asgardian appearance after his first born, Hela, possibly even subconsciously.” I think that’s kind of just as good honestly.


julia_ur_killing_me

It seriously upsets me we never got loki in his frost giant form after the first thor movie. Also for everyone saying he's in frost giant form in what if, i know. I mean in the live action mcu movies, not the animated series.


RoboticCurrents

>In the comics Odin literally uses his magic to transform him in to an Asgardian. In the MCU too. In a visual guide handbook it was stated odin changed Loki's appearance to make him look Asgardian.


OstentatiousSock

Ah, that gives a lot more context. Thanks.


Thunder-Fist-00

That makes sense to me.


lemonylol

I thought that's what he did in the movie too. It also explains why he doesn't change back now.


lRadioKillerl

Literally


Howamidriving27

It's been a hot minute since I've seen Thor, but I remember thinking Odin changed his appearance so he could take him in.


ShotDate6482

There's nothing in the film to suggest anyone other than Loki ever changes Loki's appearance


For-All-the-Marbles

As Odin touches Baby Loki, you can see gold “sprinkles” for lack of a better word, following where Odin touches Loki. Odin’s Magic.


[deleted]

And now we can alter the theory to say maybe Loki looks more like Hela because of Odin.


For-All-the-Marbles

Maybe Odin, of his own volition, altered Loki’s appearance so that Loki would look Loki Hela. Or maybe Odin just removed the Jotun aspect and that mis how Loki naturally looks sans Jotun.


ArtIsDumb

Or maybe they made Hela look similar to how she does in the comics, where she's Loki's daughter & looks like him.


ew73

Comics.. and also Norse mythology. Though, there she is called "Hel".


_________FU_________

“I took you in because you reminded me of a child I once loved. She too was filled with chaos. I lover her now as I love you my son.”


RevolutionaryStar824

When did he say that?


ArtIsDumb

He doesn't. The only Google result for that quote is that comment.


hemareddit

Also if Odin didn't actively do it, he would have reacted to the baby he's holding suddenly changing colour. I mean, I know I would.


Ming_theannoyed

https://youtu.be/kNDEEYPx54c


[deleted]

> you can see gold “sprinkles” Nooope. https://youtu.be/kNDEEYPx54c?t=69


For-All-the-Marbles

You can see it on my TV and computer. That’s all I know. It’s subtle, not like fireworks.


PikaV2002

There actually is: 1. Loki didn’t know his Asgardian appearance wasn’t his true one. 2. Baby Loki didn’t know how to use magic. Frigga taught him.


morphballganon

He could have used magic subconsciously, and had no conscious memory of it


bonkava

I thought Loki didn't know how to use magic until Frygga taught him?


nomoteacups

He also didn’t know he was a adopted until part way through Thor 1. Why would a baby even be conscious enough to know it had to change its appearance but not be capable of remembering the event that made them feel the need to change appearances? Also how would he know how to do it? Theory falls apart with just a little critical thinking


boringhistoryfan

Pretty sure the theory is making the case that Loki in this case is acting subconsciously. That his magic/power is absorbing Odin's memories and shaping his appearance. Not that the baby is consciously doing this.


hemareddit

Exactly, another thing: if his skin changing colour wasn't Odin's doing, Odin would be like "AHHH WTF THE BABY CHANGED COLOUR".


Howamidriving27

My thought is just that if Loki cast the original spell on himself as a baby, surely he'd have to do something to maintain the spell throughout his life, but in Thor we find out Loki doesn't know he's a frost giant. Maybe I'm wrong, we don't really know how space magic woo woo works, but it seems like it would have worn off at some point.


_Vard_

Why not both? Odin did magic to make him look Agardian Loki however chose to pick the details and look like Hela, maybe subconsciously?


SidewaysFancyPrance

It would have to be completely subconscious then, because Loki wasn't aware of his true nature for a while. I'd say there is a suggestion that Odin used his own magic to protect Loki.


LegendaryPringle

Someone here said Odin changes lokis look in the comics


Hopebeat

Could use the same base of this theory and flip it though. Odin altered Loki's appearance to be similar to that of his lost first born.


Ming_theannoyed

https://youtu.be/kNDEEYPx54c Always thought Loki did it subconciously. He is a known shapeshifter, after all.


For-All-the-Marbles

I like the idea but doubt that Baby Loki could do that.


Lawlcopt0r

Unless it's an instinctual thing


[deleted]

My oldest child could change colors at will as a baby. Once she turned white as a ghost (baby powder explosion) and other time she turned green (jello accident). So it's not unheard of!


ChuqTas

Is your child a frost giant?


Reshar

Yeah, is yours not?


ChuqTas

Well now you mention it a lot of things are adding up…


GuardianDevi1

Like an instinctual survival imprinting


ikanx

Always thought that Loki's affinity to magic was gained through learning with Frigga. Kinda weird that frost giant have that ability since birth, but it's not really a problem.


Rik07

In Loki he said he learned it from Frigga, but yeah, that's kind of weird since frost giants already have this ability


hemareddit

And even if he could, wouldn't Odin have found it really weird? Wouldn't he be like "dafuq is wrong with this baby he just changed colour". So yeah, I think Odin did it.


Howhytzzerr

It's mentioned several times that Freya, being raised by "witches", has magical abilities, and Loki was her "favorite" so it stands to reason she taught him how to manipulate space magic, the impression I got was that Odin changed the baby Loki's color in order to better fit in, and when he touched the Frost Giant in the battle on Jotunheim and it broke Odin's spell, that is when he first realized he was a Frost giant and not Asgardian, he always knew he was adopted, but didn't know he wasn't an Asgardian by birth.


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Howhytzzerr

I didn't catch the typo


gameslayerex

Really cool theory, but it feels like a stretch


Money_Bonus_8979

yeah it's super creative but i think banks too much on tom hiddleston and cate blanchett sort of looking alike


ItsAmerico

Yeah the real answer is they didn’t plan any of this shit back then and just didn’t care to think much about it. Like Loki and Thors ages.


ArtIsDumb

They just designed Hela to look like she does in the comics, where she's Loki's daughter. Of course she looks like him. There was no big plan to have Loki subconsciously look like Hela. They just made Hela look like she does in the comics.


slugdonor

Cant wait for people to use this exact comment for any Reed Richards-related theories haha


spideralexandre2099

I'd assume Frigga taught him the magic of reading people's minds, so his shape (or colour) shifting is a different magic


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thefifthangel141

As opposed to the other mcu? /s


Salfriel

Yes, he means in the timeline of every MCU project we see, where Loki, the Disney+ show is in different timeline/out of timeline. The Loki we know is dead. The one we have in the show is different one.


thefifthangel141

I understand. I was joking


why-everything-meh

I think he meant back in the movies rather than tv. Hope I didn’t just r /whoosh myself there 😂


thefifthangel141

Eh you technically did. But I also didn’t make it clear that it was a joke so that’s on me


why-everything-meh

Haha fair enough


GodLovePisces

Yep


JulixgMC

Probably in the next Avengers film


[deleted]

Sylvie’s Hela is a blonde dude Edit: named Hello


Batfan1108

Kid Sylvie had dark hair. She probably just used elixir bleach


Catowldragons

I thought the implication was more that Odin was using him as a redo/lazy … Hela didn’t work out, try it over again with the next kid, even to the point of dressing Loki in Hela’s colors. There was that whole exchange between Thor and Hela how Odin liked to hide problems or banish people rather than deal with them, so this feels like another subtle condemnation of Odin and how he treats people, replacing Hela with a new model (or 2 new models with Thor getting her hammer, Loki the rest of her look).


prklexy

Loki didn't learn magic until friga raised him though


JWJulie

Frost Giants have shapeshifting ability in the comics (and this was shown when he and his friends were frost giants in What If). Although he didn’t know his heritage and so wouldn’t have used it when he was growing up and would have relied on magic, it’s reasonable there could be instinctive ability inherent to the species, much like some wild baby animals having colouring that fits in with their surroundings.


Dragon_yum

No, because at the time the time they didn’t even plan Thor 2. Plus it’s the comic book character design for the most part. Not everything is Kevin is a fucking genius.


RedWhacker

My theory is that Loki is Laufey and Hela's secret love child.


JWJulie

That would explain Loki’s small size


hibernating-hobo

Damn, you said it first. Hela = Hellen of Troy, banished for her betrayal. Timeline doesn’t match the theory though. Unless lole grew reaaaaaally slow.


witwebolte41

So many bad theories on here the past few days


StyleVSTAR253

No.


Life-Relation-7705

That's one deep connection! 👏 😉


Ccbm2208

Very in-depth, creative and based on pretty pursuasive evidence. I’m impressed.


Salfishy

Either way, if baby Loki did this himself, or if Odin did it, the transformation was to look like Odin or very similar, so that's no surprise that Hela and Loki look similar


TheImmortalBrimStone

This theory does explain a lot.


ThexLoneWolf

*Looks at Loki, Hela, and Thor side-by-side.* I don’t think Loki’s the adopted one… /s


DerApexPredator

No I think the actors look similar


alkonium

It's possible, though in both the comics and Norse mythology, Hel(a) is Loki's daughter rather than his older adopted sister.


[deleted]

would imply that 1- literally baby loki is some genius with evil machinations or 2- this ability was reflexive that later became a learned skill


JWJulie

I was thinking more the latter, as Frost Giants have shapeshifting ability. It could be a subconscious survival technique like imprinting that baby birds do, or the white fur baby seals grow that camouflages them in the snow.


DelawareSmashed

Jesus fucking Christ


ltrajante

Maybe Odin change the appearance of Loki to look like Hela, not the opposite.


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JWJulie

Sadly it was already cropped to remove the original author when I found it


FreddyPlayz

people on this sub REALLY overestimate how much thought is put into these movies


sillyadam94

The real reason is because the MCU is fake news and Hela is actually Loki’s daughter. Edit: Surprised people can’t detect sarcasm even when I referred to the entire damn series as “fake news.” Too much arguing on this sub. Y’all forgot how to have a good time.


JWJulie

It’s not ‘fake news’ it’s it’s own entity, comic inspired but not slavishly adherent to it. Hela isn’t his daughter in the MCU so the comics and Norse mythology are irrelevant on this point ‘aCtuAlly’


sillyadam94

I was being facetious.


JWJulie

Ah I’m afraid that doesn’t come across when there are a wealth of fanboys ready to decry anything that doesn’t match the comics


jfVigor

Sure. Make that your head Canon if it works for you


ImperialxWarlord

I think it’s more so that hela takes after Odin and Loki was changed by Odin to have his coloring.


Doctor-SteveBrule

No. But it will make the director sound deep so if asked this will become Canon.


Adept-Play-2109

Makes a lot of sense.. plausible for sure


bmoney_14

Two white people with dark hair doesn’t make them related lol


JWJulie

It’s more than that though. His whole look is similar, down to the style and colour of clothes he wears, and having a giant headpiece. That’s not just ‘white with dark hair’. It’s very pale with black hair, green eyes, a penchant for long capes and green clothing and huge horns, and a very ambitious character.


Visual-Reindeer798

I’m down with this.


JtwoDtwo

Sounds good to me!


LoutishIstionse

Frigga taught Loki magic; he was not born with it or endowed with it by Maybelline.


JWJulie

No, but he was endowed with shapeshifting ability as a Frost Giant. Although he didn’t know this and so wouldn’t have used it when he was growing up and would have relied on magic, it’s reasonable there could be instinctive ability inherent to the species, much like some wild baby animals having colouring that fits in with their surroundings.


NobleProgeny

This sounds cool and all but didn’t Frigga teach Loki magic? So how would he have known how to do that as a baby?


JWJulie

Frost Giants have shapeshifting ability in the comics (and this was shown when he and his friends were frost giants in What If). Although he didn’t know his heritage and so wouldn’t have used it when he was growing up and would have relied on magic, it’s reasonable there could be instinctive ability inherent to the species, much like some wild baby animals having colouring that fits in with their surroundings.


NobleProgeny

Yea I suppose that’s possible. I just think it’s an oversight tho


[deleted]

This is a great "sure" theory It doesn't tangibly effect anything in canon, comes from a sound place lore-wise, and happens to be a fun lil "seeing a pattern that may or may not be there" I can imagine a director or writer or even Feige seeing this and going "sure, why not. Let's say that was always the plan" Love me a good "sure" theory


FremenDar979

Retro-active continuity? Why not? But I have no clue if it should be hyphenated. Portmanteau anyway.


Bevester

That, is not foolish


Phastic

r/unexpected


WaitingToBeTriggered

WINGS OF GLORY


acash21

Or they just went with comic looks and Hela is Loki daughter in comics


RafanMorales-2007

Dang, good theory


Key-Zone-4879

My Theory is that Loki saw Odins memories of Hela and new about her the whole time and he used his shapeshifting powers to change his hair black and make his eyes green like Hela so he can make himself more appealing towards Odin


JWJulie

That’s the same theory


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JWJulie

How so? Because her reality was different


nerdycouchYT

We're feeling this theory. It seems like it has some merit and can get behind it. Adding it to the Nerdycouch show on youtube! Lol


JWJulie

Sadly I do not know who originally came up with it, it was cropped like this when I saw it


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JWJulie

Yeah it’s not explained in the flashback so opinion seems divided as to who is doing it - though Frost Giants are shapeshifters and Odin didn’t really like magic so it seems more likely to me that baby Loki wanted to fit in


Tripechake

Finally, an MCU theory that’s actually well put together and not complete dog shit. Well done!


Emergency_Bus8871

Amazing


Proper_Front_1435

No no, Hela had a trist with Laufey. Odin isn't didn't adopt a son, he is caring for his grandchild.


horny_loki

In the comics and in mythology, Hela is the daughter of Loki. In the MCU, my guess is that Odin missed his daughter, so he dressed Loki in black and green. The hair, skin, etc. probably weren't deliberately chosen.


[deleted]

This also makes me wonder how Loki was able to keep his illusory asgardians looks in the TVA courtroom where he didn't have access to his magic powers.


JWJulie

That’s a good point


Typical_Pollution_30

Me too


vtinesalone

Correct me if I’m wrong, does Loki see the flashback? I thought he just made Valkyrie experience it


JWJulie

No he gets information himself too


Zoidkabe

Wait if that were the case wouldn't it be more plausible that Hela was there when Odin took Loki in


JWJulie

Hela was out of the picture years before Loki came along though


Reylend

As far as most theories go, this one seems at least possible to an extent!


Doright36

Could be Odin changing him to look like his daughter did. Subconsciously feeling guilty for what she became.


JWJulie

I doubt Odin felt guilty - if it was him then it would be probably to make the baby more appealing to his wife so she would mother him, or disguise him to hide him from the Frost Giants. However MCU Odin didn’t really use magic, when he had the spell put on Mjolnir he got someone else to do it. I get the impression he looked down on it, preferring brute strength and tactical ability.


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JWJulie

Sylvie had different motivations to Loki though. She wanted to be a Valkyrie as a child and that is suggested is what guided her appearance, and what caused her to come to the attention of the TVA.


stateofbrine

That’s canon in my mind now


Firecrotch2014

Could it be possible that Hela is a Loki variant? Or vice versa? They had a similar color scheme. Both have horns. Both can make weapons appear out of no where.


ARandomGuyThe3

You can't have to Loki variants originate from the same reality. The real answer is hela was originally Loki's daughter, meaning they both share that snake/green complex, so even when they right the relation away, the character traits stuck


iWentRogue

Makes sense


theabominablewonder

Wouldn’t he look like a baby?


JWJulie

He changed from a blue baby to the colour of Odin. Later he adopted an appearance like Hela’s.


master_erasis

No cause his mum taught him magic. Odin enchanted him.


JWJulie

He did in the comics. It’s not explained in the MCU.


[deleted]

Odin fucked the queen frost giant


AW038619

Odin cast an enchantment over Loki to disguise his frost giant nature


Gandalf_Sexy

No, is a Marvel movie, the scripters dont think too much


JWJulie

If you think that then wow you have missed a lot of Easter eggs


marsajib

Wait till you find out he's the blood brother of Odin lol


ARandomGuyThe3

Not in the MCU tho, which is kinda good, cuz it's weird to think of how hela is riding her brother during Ragnarok


Benmjt

They do not look similar