Al Ewing and Martín Cóccolo have made sure to kick off their run on Immortal Thor as big as possible. Immortal Thor #1 showed that Ewing and Cóccolo are going to be continuing the epic storytelling for the God of Thunder that there predecessors did. While Thor is the obvious star Ewing and Cóccolo also appear to have big plans for Loki’s role in their creative run. That was confirmed with this week’s Immortal Thor #2 where we saw a big shift in what title Loki will be going by.
With Immortal Thor #1, Ewing and Cóccolo began their run by having Loki reveal they are no longer the ruler of Jotunheim, leaving the Frost Giants to their own devices. Loki would then use their charm to have Thor happily accept Loki back into Asgard as family. To make their grand return to Asgard as big as possible Loki repaired the Rainbow Bridge. This is a major gift for Thor, who held heavy guilt for destroying it while he was infected by Hulk’s gamma radiation in Thor #26. Loki would then change their title from the God of Mischief to be known as the God and Goddess of Stories with the title Skald of the Realms.
That new title did not last long for Loki as shown in this week’s Immortal Thor #2. In the lead up, Thor exhausted all his power as All-Father and the God of Thunder to send Toranos, also known as the Utgard-Thor from the Utgard-Realm, into the Yawning Void. This show of power did defeat Toranos. Thor would then use his remaining power to repair the damage caused by Toranos and make the people of Earth forget the fight took place.
Because of how he pushed his powers to their absolute limit Thor was faced with going into All-Sleep state in order to replenish his powers. Fighting off the effects of All-Sleep, Thor retreated to the Gray Area of the Moon, where all that left was the ruins of the Inhumans former palace. There Thor found Loki, who quickly realized Thor was about to fall into the All-Sleep state. To ensure they had the full trust of Thor Loki wanted their brother to answer three questions honestly, including if Thor would trust them if Loki became his enemy. While fighting off the effects of All-Sleep, Thor honestly answered that he completely trusted Loki.
With that Loki adopts a completely new form. With this new form Loki throws the Skald of the Realms title to the side. In its place Loki adopts the new title of Teller of the Tales. Staying true to his Trickster ways, Loki used his new form to create a test of Thor’s trust. Which Thor shouldn’t be surprised by given who Loki has always been even when they are on the same side.
The timing of Loki’s transformation can be a game changer for multiple reasons. Immediately, with this new form Loki could be a big help in protecting Thor while he goes through the All-Sleep state. The ending of Immortal Thor #2 puts into question if Loki, the Teller of the Tales, will help Thor. Given how Loki tested their brother before this transformation this is likely another test of Thor’s trust.
Loki being a true ally for Thor is something the God of Thunder and All-Father need right now. Because as we saw with the battle against Toranos, Thor will need all the powerful allies he can get against the overwhelming might of Those Who Sit Above in Shadow that live on Utgard. Thor won’t be able to push his powers to its limits against every Elder God like he did against Toranos. And with Utgard-Loki lurking around the corner this change for Loki could be what Thor needs to fight back.
That said, the solicitation for Immortal Thor #3 it appears that Loki will be testing their brother by having Thor go through a test on an unknown planet. This test could play into the even bigger development we see teased for December’s Immortal Thor #5 where we see the God of Thunder create his own Thor Corps, which Loki is featured a part of on the cover. With that in mind Loki’s transformation to Teller of the Tales could be what leads us to this future with the Thor Corps. We’ll just have to wait and see on that.
