Loki Replaces Thor With The Leader Of The X-Men
The ’80s was a wild decade for comics, and no one knows that better than the X-Men. The Dark Phoenix Saga, Days of Future Past, God Loves, Man Kills—all storylines integral to the very fabric of the X-Men, and all occurred during the decade of Reagan and acid-wash jeans. There were so many big events that smaller storylines like The Asgardian Wars fall through the cracks of history—which is a shame because Storm getting Thor’s powers due to Loki’s trickery is some X-Men comic book craziness that deserves to be remembered.
In The Asgardian Wars, during a period when the X-Men’s Storm had lost her powers, Loki gave her the power of Thor.
The story takes place across New Mutants Special Edition #1 and X-Men Annual #9 and features the cast of both books as they’re transported to Asgard, thanks to Loki’s desire to make X-Men member Storm the new Goddess of Thunder.
Storm had previously lost her powers during an earlier storyline thanks to a blast from a weapon built by the mutant Forge and wielded by anti-mutant activist Henry Gyrich. The powerless Ororo Munroe, having lived most of her life with the ability to manipulate the weather, was desperate to get her powers back—something the devious Loki took advantage of.
Loki, being Loki, pulls the old “If someone else harms the X-Men based on my orders it doesn’t count” schtick…
The crossover event starts when Loki tries to impress the greater gods or “They Who Sit Above In Shadow” by creating peace on Earth. To achieve this, the God of Mischief creates a fountain of fire in rural Canada that grants powers to people based on their natural talents.
The “gift” is an illusion like most of Loki’s schemes, and after the X-Men and fellow mutant group Alpha Flight investigate the fountain, they discover that the flames really take away the imagination and dreams of anyone who uses it while also slowly killing them.
Apparently, the upper-echelon deities don’t appreciate the trickster’s scheme and not only put an end to it but also forbid Loki from harming the X-Men. Loki, being Loki, pulls the old “If someone else harms the X-Men based on my orders it doesn’t count” schtick and sends the Enchantress to kidnap Storm and capture the X-Men. Unfortunately, the Enchantress thinks all mutants look alike and accidentally brings The New Mutants to Asgard along with Storm.
Upon being taken to Asgard against their will, the New Mutant Magik—younger sister to the X-Men member Colossus—tries to teleport her and her friends to safety but only succeeds in scattering her fellow mutants across Asgard to places unknown.
Meanwhile, Loki gets to work brainwashing Storm into leaving the X-Men and staying in Asgard as the new Thor and ruling by his side. Back on Earth, Kitty Pryde has a nightmare about the New Mutants facing danger in Asgard and convinces the X-Men’s leader, Cyclops, to go there and rescue them.
The X-Men use magic lightning that was given to them at some earlier point—say it with us now, “because…comics”—to travel to Asgard and attempt to rescue the New Mutants and Storm. After some shenanigans involving werewolves and the construction of a new magic hammer Loki ordered for Storm, the X-Men arrive at the Hall of Heroes, where Loki is about to make Storm the new goddess of thunder.
Unfortunately, Loki did too good of a job manipulating Storm, and she picks up the hammer, instantly receiving new weather powers to replace her old ones, much to the dismay of the X-Men.
The Asgardian Wars is a fun little crossover and stands as yet another reminder that if fans like the MCU, they should check out the actual Marvel comics.
As with every story like this ever written, Storm comes to her senses after hurting someone close to her—in this case, Wolverine—which forces her to confront her new evil nature. Loki—his plan now in tatters—makes a last-ditch effort to avoid a beatdown from the X-Men. Loki offers the X-Men and their younger counterparts the opportunity to remain in Asgard and live in paradise forever.
Of course, being the jerk that he is, Loki attaches a caveat to his offer: if even one mutant takes him up on the offer, they all have to stay.
Realizing what a bad deal Loki is offering them, the X-Men decline and return to Earth with a once-again powerless Storm in tow. Luckily, Storm would get her powers back a few years later through the same method in which she lost them, a device built by the mutant Forge.
The Asgardian Wars is a fun little crossover and stands as yet another reminder that if fans like the MCU, they should check out the actual Marvel comics. Nothing Kevin Feige cooks up will ever rival the original text in terms of sheer awesomeness. For that, you need to crack open a comic book.
