Loki of Jotunheim

While we're still on the subject of Loki's (we'll say "alleged") death in Avengers: Infinity War, there's one particular aspect of it that I think is worth discussing. It's actually a major aspect of his overall depiction in the MCU that a lot of fans would like to see the movies address again. I'm talking about Loki's Frost Giant appearance.

As established in the first Thor film, Loki isn't Thor's biological brother, but an adoptive brother who was born as a Frost Giant in the realm of Jotunheim. This means that in his natural form, he has blue skin and red eyes. Coincidentally, his supposed death scene in Infinity War was lit heavily with blue light and Thanos strangling him left Loki with bloodshot eyes. This led many viewers to wonder if the shape-shifting God of Mischief had reverted back into his Frost Giant form because the spell disguising him as an Asgardian wore off as he died.

It's understood now that this wasn't the case, but it does leave us wondering more than ever about the nature of Loki's dual appearance and where it fits into the MCU.

The first Thor is the only film to ever show Loki as a Frost Giant, and the first full reveal of it is a huge moment in that story. What's more, Thor never sees him in that form at any point in the film. Fans have been itching to see Frost Giant Loki again ever since, and who can blame them? It would be a great dramatic peak for Thor and Loki's relationship to have the God of Thunder finally see what his brother really looks like, and it would make Loki's arc feel more complete too since seeing himself in that form the first time was what made him fall from grace.

Some viewers have even cited his remaining in Asgardian form after death as proof that he didn't really die. Others just find it frustrating, sometimes to the point that they wonder if the screenwriters have forgotten about Loki's Frost Giant origins. I'm no expert, but based on what I've seen in the MCU so far, here's my take on everything.

For starters, the screenwriters haven't forgotten about Loki's origins. He introduces himself at one point in both Thor: The Dark World and Infinity War as someone from Jotunheim, and not only does Thor: Ragnarok show his real father Laufey depicted in a ceiling mural, but it also shows a stage play about Loki where a child actor covered head-to-toe in blue paint portrays him as a baby. I'll even offer that maybe Infinity War gave Loki blue lighting and bloodshot eyes for his presumed death as a subtle nod to the fact that he's a Frost Giant.

As for him not turning back into a Frost Giant when he dies, I don't think it's that simple. The only times we see him turn back into one in Thor is whenever he touches another Frost Giant or the Casket of Ancient Winters, and even then the transformation is brief. We also get a flashback where his adoptive father Odin finds him as a baby on Jotunheim and then Loki changes into an Asgardian. Frost Giants don't seem to have any appearance-altering powers, and we learn in The Dark World that Loki received his illusion powers from Odin's wife Frigga later in life. Because of this, we can assume that Odin was the one who originally transformed him into an Asgardian.

And I think that word is the key here: "transformed." I don't think Odin cast a mere disguise over Loki; I think he actually altered Loki's physicality, much like he transformed Thor from an Asgardian into a human while banishing him to Earth in the first film. Loki's Asgardian appearance was a deep-rooted, mostly permanent change that became his default form once it was cast, and Odin was the one who cast it. If Odin's death in Ragnarok didn't make Loki automatically turn back into a Frost Giant, then Loki's death probably wouldn't make that happen either.

Whether or not Loki's still alive, there are plenty of ways that the MCU can show him as a Frost Giant again. I personally like the thought of Thanos using the Reality Stone to taunt Thor with various illusions of his little brother, including one of Loki in his original form. The question is just whether or not the MCU will bother to show that side of Loki again. The character's last appearance will be in Avengers 4, however large or small his role will be, and since that film will most likely have a ton of more important storylines to juggle, it might just decide to close the books on Loki even faster than Infinity War did. He did resolve everything that he needed to in that film, after all.

I'll still hope for Frost Giant Loki to make a final cameo in Avengers 4, just because the films do keep reminding us of his origins, but as a Loki fan, I'm pretty sure he'll always leave us wanting more no matter what the MCU does with him.