Ranking Loki's Greatest MCU Moments

When watching a movie, you're typically not supposed to like the villain. And you're really not supposed to love them either. But that's not the case at all for one of the biggest baddies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — Loki, the God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston).

We first met Loki in the original "Thor" film where he was the main antagonist, but he took things up a notch in "The Avengers," where his villainy was amplified due to his possession of the Mind Stone. The trickster god then walked the fine line between villain and hero in Phase 2 and beyond, as he always kept his own interests at the forefront but couldn't fight his feelings for his brother, which often put him on the side of good. Hiddleston was so tremendous and convincing as Loki that his role in the MCU was extended, thanks to the love of fans. Per Den of Geek, Loki was supposed to die for good in "Thor: The Dark World," but the fandom wasn't quite ready to give him up, so his story continued on. 

Thankfully, the extension of his arc gave us some of the greatest moments in MCU history, and Loki doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. And in celebration of our favorite MCU antihero, we've ranked the God of Mischief's best moments below, so take a walk down Loki Lane with us, and see where your favorite lands.

After finding that he's immune to the touch of Frost Giants in "Thor," Loki realizes he's not what he thought he was. Desperate for answers, he goes down into Odin's vault and grabs the Casket of Ancient Winters, which turns his skin blue. It's this moment when his father finally reveals who Loki really is, and it's a devastating scene. Odin (Anthony Hopkins) admits that he took Loki from Jotunheim after the battle with the Frost Giants, as the trickster god was abandoned by his biological father, King Laufey.

While in the vault, Odin tells Loki the story of his adoption, noting that he'd been ditched due to his small size. As Loki learns of his true parentage, he's overcome with emotion and accuses his father of taking him for ulterior motives. Odin then reveals he thought adopting Loki would help Asgard and Jotunheim unite in the future, only furthering Loki's devastation. It's one of the most challenging moments Loki ever faces in the MCU, but it's also one of the most crucial as it kickstarts his villainous trajectory.

Loki and his dad don't exactly have the best relationship, but the God of Mischief is much closer with his adoptive mom, Frigga (Rene Russo). Unfortunately, the goddess meets her end in "Thor: The Dark World," as Loki is being held in Asgard's dungeon. When a guard informs Loki of his mother's death, the god responds with a brief nod, walks away from his cell window, and clenches his fist ... using his power to send all the furniture in the room flying into the walls.

Later, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) comes to his brother's cell, where it appears as if everything is fine. However, Loki has created an illusion to make it look like he's unaffected by his mother's death. When Thor tells him to drop the act, the scene in the cell dissipates, showing the real Loki sitting on the ground with destroyed furniture everywhere. He's truly affected by Frigga's death, and it's absolutely gutting him. It's a special moment for Loki, as we get to see him with a semblance of a soul. He really does have a heart, as much as he might try to fight it.

One of the best scenes in "The Avengers" comes when Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Loki have a rather intense conversation. After Loki is captured in Berlin, he's taken to the Helicarrier, where he's placed in a top-of-the-line cell, which we find out was designed for the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in case he needs to be contained. And it's here that Natasha plays Loki like a fiddle, getting all the information out of him to figure out his ultimate plan — releasing the Hulk.

Despite getting played, Loki's comments to Natasha are quite horrifying. He brings up deplorable events from her past, noting all the red in her ledger, and calls her a rather nasty name. Additionally, he describes how he'll make one of her best friends — Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) — kill her while he's still under mind control. His words are so harsh that Natasha calls him a "monster." It's definitely not one of Loki's most upstanding moments, but it's an important one that shows just how ruthless and cruel he can be.

Loki's death in "Avengers: Infinity War" was permanent. It didn't seem like we'd ever see the trickster god again, which was a major bummer considering how beloved he was by the MCU fandom. Thankfully, in "Avengers: Endgame," we were treated to more Loki during the Time Heist. 

As Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), and the Hulk travel back to 2012, they end up altering the past thanks to Loki's interference. When the heroes show up during the events of "The Avengers," Loki has already been taken into custody by his brother and is waiting around while Thor and Tony are dealing with Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford). At this point, future Scott gives past Tony a minor arrhythmia, which causes a whole lot of commotion. Future Tony is able to get the Tesseract during the mayhem, but a past Hulk knocks it out of his hands accidentally, putting the coveted blue cube right at Loki's feet. 

It's a short Loki scene, but it's one of the most important as it brings the character back — or at least some version of him. And Loki stealing the Tesseract sets up his Disney+ series, a whole new adventure for the God of Mischief that couldn't have happened without that little "Endgame" moment.

In "The Dark World," Thor, Loki, and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) find themselves on the desolate Svartalfheim, battling Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), Kurse (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and their posse of Dark Elves. The three heroes are somewhat outmatched, especially since Malekith now possesses the Ether. As the Elves try to escape, Thor and Loki do their best to stop them, but it's not without sacrifice.

Loki spots Thor being beaten to a pulp by Kurse and comes to intervene. Just as it looks like Thor is about to meet his end, Loki comes up behind the Dark Elf and stabs him straight through with a sword, saving his brother's life. Unfortunately, within seconds, Kurse grabs Loki and impales him with the very same sword. Always one to get the last laugh, Loki secretly plants a grenade on his foe — sucking Kurse into a black hole — before falling to the ground, mortally wounded.

We're then treated to a tearjerker of a scene, where Thor says farewell to his dying brother. Okay, sure, we know now that Loki faked his death, but it still bears the same weight. Loki easily could've let his brother die that day but opted to save him in one of his most heroic MCU moments.

Shortly after Thor breaks Loki out of his Asgardian prison cell in "The Dark World," the two travel down the halls of their castle. While walking down a long corridor, Loki suggests that he and his brother try not to look so conspicuous, so he changes form. At first, Loki pretends to be guard as he walks alongside his brother. He then reverts to his true self and transforms Thor into Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander).

After returning the God of Thunder to his normal form, the trickster turns into one of Thor's "new companions." Loki has now morphed into Steve Rogers, and he delivers a hilarious speech about patriotism. (Evans cameoed in the film and did a remarkable job pretending to be Loki, who was pretending to be him.) Loki-Cap jokes about his costume being a "bit much" and says that it's too tight. "I can feel the righteousness surging," he continues with his fist in the air. "Hey! You wanna have a rousing discussion about truth? Honor? Patriotism? God bless America!" Sure, it's a Loki scene without much Tom Hiddleston, but it still rules.

One of Loki's greatest moments is also one of the simplest. In "Thor: Ragnarok," Loki joins the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) in his box to watch the Contest of Champions — an otherworldly gladiator competition. While Loki knows that his brother will be competing, he has no idea who his opponent is. It turns out it's the Hulk, a guy that Loki doesn't necessarily have a great history with. The last time the two had seen each other came in "The Avengers" finale — but more on that later.

When the Hulk enters the arena, Loki's immediate response is to turn around and run out of the box. "I have to get off this planet," he says, looking terrified. However, the Grandmaster keeps him in his private room to watch the fight, and Loki's facial expressions throughout the battle are absolutely hilarious. Thor even points to the box and tells Hulk that Loki is still alive, and when he's identified, the trickster god looks absolutely mortified. While Loki plays second fiddle in the scene, he definitely steals the show and has one of his funniest moments ever while sitting on the couch in terror.

At the beginning of "Thor: Ragnarok," Thor and Loki are on a journey to find their father on Earth. They visit a demolished old folks home, where Loki says he left Odin, and shortly after, a portal opens beneath his feet and pulls him in. Thor then discovers a business card belonging to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and decides to pay a visit to the magician's Sanctum Sanctorum to find his missing brother and father.

Here, Doctor Strange reveals that he captured Loki because the god is a potential threat, but when he realizes the trickster and Thor are on Earth to locate their dad, he agrees to let Loki go. So, Strange opens up a portal, and out falls a frustrated Loki, who unceremoniously plummets to the floor. Clearly unhappy, that's when the trickster god yells, "I have been falling ... for 30 minutes!" It's one of Loki's funniest lines, made even more hilarious when he tries to murder Doctor Strange, only for the mystic to magically send him off to Norway with the flick of his wrist.

In "Thor: Ragnarok," Loki and Thor walk the fine line between being enemies and allies. The duo share playful banter throughout the film, but one of their best moments comes as they prepare to escape Sakaar. 

As they take an elevator ride to steal one of the Grandmaster's aircrafts, the pair discuss going their separate ways, with Thor noting that his brother might still have some good in him. Thor then suggests that they pull the "get help" routine when the elevator opens, as he anticipates encountering some of the Grandmaster's guards. Loki fights back against the idea and says he's not going to do it. But when the elevator door opens, there's an injured-looking Loki leaning on his brother, with Thor yelling "get help" at a group of looming guards. 

The two limp forward as Thor continues to cry for help ... and then launches Loki at the guards, knocking the bad guys down like bowling pins. It's one of Loki and Thor's best MCU moments together, no matter how humiliating it might've been for the former.

After Thor defeats the demonic Surtur (Clancy Brown) in the opening of "Thor: Ragnarok," he heads back to Asgard and finds quite the surprise. Loki is busy impersonating Odin, and he's orchestrated a play for all the Asgardians to watch. As Odin, Loki sits back, eats grapes, and laughs as actor Loki (Matt Damon) and actor Thor (Luke Hemsworth) perform a scene from "Thor: The Dark World." It's the emotional moment where Thor watches his brother die in his arms, but the performances from Damon and Hemsworth make the scene hilarious.

As Loki continues to impersonate his father, he nearly spits up his drink when he sees his brother has returned and mumbles, "Oh s**t." Funnier still, the trickster tries to keep up the charade even though Thor is wise to his scheme. Eventually, Loki yields and reveals his true self ... after Thor threatens him with Mjolnir. And while the scene is relatively free of Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins' performance as Loki pretending to be Odin makes this moment absolutely hysterical.

After Loki's plan to attack a Berlin museum and steal some iridium goes smoothly, he reveals himself to the world in all his glory. The God of Mischief swaps outfits for his iconic green and gold garb and demands the attention of the hundreds of citizens around him, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Kneel!" Eventually, they all comply, and he delivers another iconic Loki speech.

"Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state?" he asks the crowd. Loki then explains that all humans really "crave subjugation." In other words, he's doing them a favor by conquering the Earth, explaining, "In the end, you will always kneel." But then, he's challenged by an elderly man (Kenneth Tigar) who stands up and says, "Not to men like you." "There are no men like me," Loki replies. In one of the movie's most poignant lines, the man responds, "There are always men like you."

Loki then has his butt handed to him when Captain America, Iron Man, and Black Widow show up to the party and end his charade. He surrenders and is escorted to the Helicarrier ... which is all a part of his master plan.

Loki was the villain in the original "Thor" film, but we truly see his potential as the big bad when he takes on the superhero gang in "The Avengers." From the get-go, it's clear this is a villain who's evolved, and his possession of the Mind Stone only makes him that more dangerous. When he arrives at the SHIELD base on Earth, the threat he possesses is immediately evident and a crucial moment in Loki's story.

After flashing the creepiest of smiles, Loki doesn't hesitate to begin his killing spree, disintegrating several SHIELD agents with his scepter. He further shows his unparalleled power by putting Hawkeye and Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) under his mind control before running off with the Tesseract. And just before the SHIELD compound collapses in on itself, Loki has a brief exchange with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), where he delivers one of his most famous MCU lines. "I am Loki, of Asgard," he says menacingly. "And I am burdened with glorious purpose."

In this opening scene, Loki also utters some of his more famous lines, including "an ant has no quarrel with a boot" and "I come with glad tidings," making this moment in "The Avengers" one of his most memorable.

In the opening scene of "Avengers: Infinity War," we witness the aftermath of a devastating attack by Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his sycophantic children. They've slaughtered half of the remaining Asgardians, and we watch as the Mad Titan tortures Thor, demanding that Loki give up the Tesseract or see his brother die. Loki tells his former boss that he can "kill away," but he can't handle Thor's screams and tells Thanos to stop. He then presents the warlord with the Tesseract and offers to help the Mad Titan after hearing he's heading to Earth.

It's all a ruse from Loki, who attempts to stab Thanos in the neck ... a move that would ultimately be his last. Thanos thwarts the attack, grabs Loki by the neck, and lifts him into the air. As he's choking, Loki whispers, "You will never be a god," and Thanos swiftly snaps his neck. Unlike the other times we'd seemingly watched Loki die in the past, this one was for real, and it was a devastating blow, especially given that he'd just referred to himself as an "Odinson." It was the perfect ending for this version of the character and proved he still had good left inside of him.

Loki definitely gave the Avengers a run for their money in their first team-up flick. Unfortunately for the trickster, the group eventually mastered working together as a team, which led to his significant loss in the finale. 

In the third act, before he officially accepts defeat, Loki crash-lands into the Avengers Tower after being blown off a small ship by one of Hawkeye's arrows. Within seconds, the Hulk lunges toward Loki before the latter stops him with a speech. "Enough!" Loki yells at the Hulk. "You are all of you beneath me. I am a god, you dull creature. And I will not be bullied by..." 

And then the Hulk grabs him by his ankles and slams him back and forth — over and over again. The impacts are so tremendous that Loki's body tears apart the floor, and he finds himself lodged in the ground when the Hulk has had enough. He can only manage to let out a few squeals when his assailant walks away, as the Hulk calls him a "puny god."

This Loki moment was one of the most buzzed-about scenes after "The Avengers" debuted in theaters in 2012. It might not have been the best moment for the character personally, but it was definitely a fan-favorite.