Warning: spoilers for Thor & Loki: Double Trouble #1 ahead!
Asgard is under the threat of ultimate destruction thanks to Thor and Loki's unending sibling rivalry. In a medium defined by its cyclical nature, Loki scheming to sabotage his brother is one of the great constants in superhero comics. Now, Marvel's latest showcasing of this classic dynamic reveals that Thor's self-absorption often plays a significant roll in enabling his brother's destructive manipulations, leading to a situation in which they're both equally responsible for summoning Asgard's doom.
Given that the two of them grew up vying for their father King Odin's attention, it's no surprise Thor and Loki's almost child-like competitiveness has lasted them well into adulthood. In an amusing way to convey their stunted maturity, Thor & Loki: Double Trouble (from Mariko Tamaki and the creative team Gurihiru) takes a look at the two Asgardian brothers' shenanigans through a highly exaggerated, cartoonish lens. The result is an endlessly entertaining comic that highlights in simplified terms the hilarious chemistry between these two classic Marvel characters.
The debut issue of Double Trouble starts off with Thor shamelessly appealing to an Asgardian crowd by showing off his amazing abilities and demonstrating his boundless power. Loki then shows up to interrupt the ego-driven display by stealing the crowd's attention with his usual mischief. After they break out into a tussle and lose their audience, Loki offers up a challenge for Thor. And it's here that given the multitude of times Loki's challenges have led to terrible, unforeseen outcomes, Thor should be wise enough by now to simply say no. But it turns out an appeal to the ego is a stronger incentive than logic as Thor accepts the proposition the moment Loki insinuates he's too scared to do it.
On the surface, Loki's task is a simple one: Thor must sneak into their father's vault and steal an instrument known as the Lur of Luramena. Naturally, as Thor sneaks in and takes the object, Loki makes several attempts at sabotaging his brother's victory. Still, these warning signs go unacknowledged as Thor pridefully succeeds in the mission and hands the Lur over to Loki. As anyone reading the comic could have guessed, Loki simply manipulated Thor into delivering the coveted instrument right to him. The moment he has it in his possession, Loki plays a tune with the Lur, which unleashes a gigantic serpent hell-bent on destroying Asgard. As the monster descends upon their world, Loki slyly notes to Thor, "This was teamwork, brother. I couldn't have done it without you."
Given the mainstream knowledge behind Thor and Loki's relationship, audiences are typically one step ahead of Loki's mischief by now. As a result, it's difficult not to acknowledge the absurdity of Thor constantly falling into the same traps Loki sets up for him time and again. Double Trouble is a breath of fresh air because it approaches the classic Thor/Loki dynamic with a lively, Looney Tunes-like sense of humor that feels right at home with their perpetual sibling rivalry. At this rate, Thor and Loki are both to blame for the evil serpent they worked together to bring into Asgard. The God of Thunder should know better, but if he did, we wouldn't have the pleasure of witnessing these hilarious hijinks.
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