Loki’s Powers: What are they exactly?

With the launch of Loki, it’s safe to say that Disney+ has another major hit on its hands. At the same time, there are a lot of questions that come out of such a show. Time-traveling has that kind of effect on stories. But it’s more than that. The questions persist as to what kind of powers this iteration of Loki actually has. Being deprived of the Tesseract has certainly impacted his abilities. So, Loki’s Powers: what are they exactly?

Since this Loki variant was split off from the main timeline at the end of the first Avengers film, that means his powers and abilities are largely the same. That being said, there are a few subtle differences to this version of Loki than the one fans got to know and love through Phases 2 and 3. This new Loki is something much different than anyone has seen before.

Loki the Frost Giant

Loki was born a Frost Giant, though he hides his true heritage pretty well. This gives him a wide array of natural abilities. That includes heightened strength, reflexes, speed, stamina, agility, and durability. He’s put these skills on display more than a few times in hand-to-hand combatant situations like Thor and Thor: Ragnarok. If it ever comes up, being a Frost Giant also makes him highly resistant to extreme cold.

Frigga’s most powerful Padawan

As the wife of Odin and mother of Thor and Loki, Frigga’s own mystical abilities got lost in the shuffle. That’s due in no small part to never really getting to display them on the big screen. But her son has shown those skills off many times. Frigga taught him the ways of Asgardian sorcery, making him almost as powerful as her. This deep connection was why Frigga’s death impacted Loki so deeply.

The variety of skills Frigga taught her son is impressive, to say the least. The big ones are illusion projection and shapeshifting, though these spells can play into other tricks. Duplication casting, presence concealment, and more are all part of the same skill set. But he has also shown himself to be somewhat telepathic and telekinetic, though the extent of those specific abilities has never been explored.

Loki is exactly as smart as he thinks he is

Loki is a genius in every sense of the word. It’s a fact he is more than happy to rub Thor’s face. Loki is crafty, deceptive, and manipulative, not to mention he’s a master tactician. The God of Mischief has outsmarted Thor on many occasions, though that’s not really impressive. Unfortunately for Loki, Thanos was still smarter and owned him at every turn. Still, he is smarter than most beings he faces.

New Loki, new life

The variant Loki at play in the new series never went through the emotional journey that came after The Avengers in 2012. He was pulled out of the timestream at a point when he was still the selfish and conniving Loki. But having the rest of the main Loki’s life laid out for him by the TVA had a profound impact on him. What kind of hero or villain the variant becomes by the end of the series could cause some interesting changes to his powers.

Mystical abilities are often based on confidence and willpower. That has certainly proven to be true with Doctor Strange. If Loki is subject to the same issues, then a massive change in his mindset will inevitably impact his abilities. He might experience some changes to his powers, possibly even for the better as new skills become accessible.