MCU Theory: Loki’s Mother is Thor’s Sister, Hela

Loki’s mother has never been revealed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it’s possible that this character is actually Hela (Cate Blanchett), Thor’s biological sister. The first Thor movie revealed that Odin (Anthony Hopkins) secretly adopted Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and that Loki’s real father is actually the Frost Giant leader, Laufey (Colm Feore). His mother, on the other hand, was never shown or mentioned.

Thor: Ragnarok revealed that Odin’s family has even more secrets with the MCU debut of Hela, who served as the movie’s main antagonist. It was said that Hela was Odin’s first child, and a person who helped him oppose their enemies. Hela, who Odin may have intended to become his successor, eventually became a foe of Asgard and tried to take the throne for herself. Following Hela’s defeat and imprisonment, Odin did his best to purge her from Asgardian history, and also prevented his sons, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki, from learning the truth about her existence. In the movie, Hela reemerged as a threat and managed to challenge Thor in ways that previous villains never could.

In the end, the immensely powerful sorceress was killed by Surtur, but the cost of her death was the destruction of Asgard. Though Hela is dead, her battle with Thor has had tremendous consequences for the MCU, which are still be represented, considering that Asgard had to be rebuilt on Earth and Thor no longer has Mjolinir. It could be that Marvel will reveal in upcoming MCU installments that Hela had an even greater impact on the world and its characters than fans realize. Here’s why Hela, the Goddess of Death, could be the mother of Loki.

Loki’s Mother In Marvel Comics

Loki’s comic book origin story was established all the way back in Journey Into Mystery #112 in 1965. A story about Odin’s past put him in conflict with the giants of Jotunheim (who were later retconned into Frost Giants). During the battle between the Asgardians and the giants, Odin killed their leader, Laufey, in a duel. Afterward, Odin was surprised to discover that Laufey had a child named Loki hidden away in their fortress. He was the size of a normal human or Asgardian boy, and was considered a runt by Frost Giant standards. Though he was warned by one of his men that Loki could become evil, Odin took pity on the boy and decided that since he was a “regalprince, son of a kingly father“, that he should not be abandoned. For this reason, Odin decided to raise him as Thor’s half-brother.

Later comics expanded on this story; it was said that Loki’s mother was the Queen of the Frost Giants, Farbauti (a character who debuted after the first Thor film). When she gave birth to such a small child, he was considered a disgrace to their entire species. She supposedly killed herself after Loki’s birth, possibly due to shame, but Loki has speculated that she was actually murdered by Laufey out of anger.

Loki Doesn’t Seem To Be A Full-Blood Frost Giant

In the MCU version of the story, Loki is blue like all the other Frost Giants when he is found by Odin. But when Odin picks him up, his skin curiously becomes white. Many fans have chalked this up as an illusion created by Odin’s power to conceal Loki’s true appearance, as Loki’s blue skin does reveal itself in a few scenes. Loki’s skin changing color could simply be Odin’s doing, or the situation may be more complicated. It’s at least possible that Loki is not a full-blooded Frost Giant. If that were the case, that would mean that Loki’s size is more than just a genetic rarity. Loki’s mother may be of a different race entirely. Also, Queen Farbauti was left out of Loki’s MCU origin story, so it does seem plausible that his mother may not be the same character featured in the comics.

Loki Has A Lot In Common With Hela

Hela and Loki do share some physical similarities, such as their pale skin and black hair, but what they have in common goes a bit deeper than that. The Thor movies have shown that, as villains, both have a flare for the dramatic and are capable of weaving powerful spells. In fact, Hela and Loki are among the greatest magic-users in the MCU. But how did Loki get his magic powers? A deleted scene from Thor: The Dark World confirmed that it was Frigga (Rene Russo) who trained him. But, it may have taken more than just Frigga’s training to make him so good at sorcery. After all, Frigga is never shown to be as adept at casting magic spells as Loki.

Instead, Loki may have inherited his prowess in the magical arts, but the MCU’s Frost Giants don’t seem to have magical capabilities. Hela being his mother, however, would certainly make sense of his powers, considering all the destruction she caused in Thor: Ragnarok. Her understanding of magic in the MCU may only be rivaled by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) himself.

How Hela Could Be Loki’s Mother

The timeline of events in the history of the MCU doesn’t necessarily dispute that Hela could be Loki’s mother. Cate Blanchett has said that Hela was imprisoned for 5,000 years [via Cinema Blend], but this hasn’t been confirmed as canon in Thor: Ragnarok. The exact time was left ambiguous, though it is known that she was locked away for at least a thousand years. Thor is 1,500 years old, so that would put Loki somewhere around that age. Prior to Hela’s banishment, she may have met Laufey, had a child with him, and left him to be raised by the Frost Giants, perhaps because she didn’t want her son to be raised by Odin and his people. This would of course mean that Odin raised his grandson as his own child without even realizing it, and that Loki is in fact Thor’s biological half-nephew.

So far, Marvel hasn’t made a mystery of the identity of Thor’s mother, but it is something that could be explored in the future, presumably in the upcoming Disney+ series, Loki. Most Marvel projects are usually packed with at least one unexpected twist, and revealing that Hela is Loki’s mother would undoubtedly count as a massive surprise. Since the series will be the first MCU installment to be centered on the God of Mischief, this would be the perfect place for Marvel to delve into Loki’s past. Loki could meet a character capable of shedding some light on the circumstances of Loki’s birth. Plus, it has been stated that in the show, Loki will struggle with his “identity“. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that the version of Loki in the series never fought Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, so he may not be aware of how evil she was. Hearing about how his mother was treated by Odin could reinforce his opinions of his father and the Asgardians.

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