First introduced to the Thor, the Norse trickster god Loki has played a central role in Marvel's vast world in many capacities, from villain to hero to somewhere in between.
Many were pleased to see the fan-favorite character get his own show with Loki, and while his appearances up until that point had been varied, not all of them contributed equally to his character and story development. Loki's MCU appearances are ranked by how influential a movie or show has been on his character arc, as well as how much of an impact he had on their narratives.
Avengers: Infinity War
Though worst things to happen to Loki play out onscreen, as the original version of the character was killed by Thanos, his role in the movie was surprisingly minimal.
Loki's appearance in Infinity War was important because it served to show just how powerful Thanos was, as the Titan overpowered him in spite of his attempted trickery, but though it sowed the seeds of his Endgame return, seeing Loki dispatched so quickly made for an underwhelming end to a beloved figure.
What If...?
After audiences were introduced to so many variants of Loki in his Disney+ show, his alternate appearances in What If...? didn't have quite the same impact as they might've otherwise.
Even though Loki appeared in multiple episodes, it was only during "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?" that viewers saw a new side of his personality, as this more laidback iteration of the character was raised as a Frost Giant and became best friends with Thor. Despite this fun concept, Loki in What If...? had no real bearing on the plot outside of story beats recounted from his earlier MCU appearances.
Thor: Ragnarok
Thor: Ragnarok took its titular hero in a different direction than his previous solo movies, leaning into the comedy of the character, and subsequently Loki's characterization was effected too.
Exploring the brothers' connection as Loki moved away from his more villainous schemes, Ragnarok nevertheless saw Thor confront Loki in his long-held disguise as Odin on Asgard, before the pair later worked together in the fight against Hela. Although the movie had some great Loki moments, the character did take a backseat in the story as compared to the first two Thors'.
Avengers: Endgame
When compared to his mythological counterpart, Loki is perhaps one of the most faithful Marvel interpretations of a Norse figure, largely because Marvel makes use of his repeated trickery.
This core tenet of Loki's personality gets the chance to shine once more in Avengers: Endgame, when the 2012 version of the character escapes with the Tesseract during the Avengers' time heist. This scene not only set up the Loki series, but also kickstarts the journey that would later establish the MCU's multiverse, the consequences of which are still playing out.
Thor: The Dark World
It may be ed as one of the less successful MCU movies, but Thor: The Dark World was important for its development of Loki's character beyond his status as Thor's brother and the Avengers' nemesis.
The film dealt with the repercussions of Loki's attack on Earth, but it also highlighted Loki's complex relationships, not only with Thor but with Frigga and Odin as well. Although at the movie's conclusion Loki tricks his brother once more, the story shows new glimpses of their compatibility when working together too.
The Avengers
There's an argument to be made that The Avengers.
Loki's team up with the Chitauri in this movie demonstrated how far he was willing to go in order to gain power, while his use of a new weapon (the sceptre) took his trickery to new levels. Even as The Avengers gave audiences their first glimpse of Thanos and battles on the horizon, Loki held his own as an appropriately challenging combatant who still retained his individuality.
Loki
The God of Mischief ended up in a tricky position at the end of Loki season 1, separated from Sylvie and transported to a new timeline where he was not recognized, as the MCU's multiverse came into being, but even before this major revelation, Loki acted as a thoughtful (yet wacky) exploration of its title character.
Even though the show focused on the 2012 time variant of Loki, this version was shown footage of what befell his main MCU timeline self, a choice which bridged the gap between the two forms, and allowed viewers to feel they were seeing the continuation of a familiar story. The series showed Loki's inherent chaotic nature, but also explored identity in new ways, keeping the character fresh even after a decade in the MCU.
Thor
Loki had his MCU origins in Thor, and even after all of the changes he's been through since then, the movie remains an insightful introduction to the character, summarizing his personality and desires.
Above all else, Thor established that the royal family of Asgard had a difficult history, in both Thor and Loki's competition and Loki's desire for approval from Odin. Loki's master plan in Thor sets up a recurring device for the character, that he uses his trickery for self-serving purposes, and is often unconcerned with the consequences. In Thor, Loki proved himself to be a person whose grand plans often masked his more personal conflicts, and he would continue to use such plots for years to come.
