Laufey (character)

Laufey is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted usually as an enemy of the Asgardian king Odin, father of Thor. He is the King of the Frost Giants, the biological father of Thor's adopted brother and archenemy, Loki. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Journey into Mystery #112 (January 1965), and was based on the goddess of the same name.

Laufey
Laufey as depicted in Thor vol. 3 #12 (January 2009). Art by Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales and Laura Martín.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Journey into Mystery #112 (January 1965)
Created by	Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist)
In-story information
Species	Frost Giant
Place of origin	Jotunheim
Team affiliations	Dark Council
Notable aliases	The King of the Frost Giants
Abilities	Superhuman strength and durability Cryokinesis Immortality Weapon proficiency

Colm Feore portrays Laufey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor (2011).

Publication history

Laufey was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Journey into Mystery #112 (January 1965).

Fictional character biography

In the early days of the universe, Laufey ruled Jotunheim, realm of the Frost Giants. When his son Loki was born a runt, an ashamed Laufey ordered the baby hidden.^[1]

After Odin invades Jotunheim and kills Laufey in battle, he discovers Loki and decides to adopt him.^[1][2] It is later revealed that Laufey survived the battle and was killed by a time-traveling future Loki.^[3]

In Thor (vol. 4), Minotaur and Malekith recover Laufey's skull and use Light Elf blood to resurrect him.^[4][5]

In All-New, All-Different Marvel, Laufey joins the Dark Council alongside Malekith, Minotaur, Ulik, and the Fire Demons.^[6]

In The War of the Realms, Laufey assists Malekith in invading the Nine Realms and eats Loki and the Casket of Ancient Winters. However, he is killed when Loki uses Heimdall's sword Hofund to cut his body open.^[7]

Powers, abilities, and equipment

Like all Frost Giants, Laufey possesses immense physical abilities and the ability to manipulate ice. As a Frost Giant, he is immune to cold temperatures, but is vulnerable to extreme heat.^[8] He has been seen wielding many weapons, including a giant war club, sword, an axe, and the Casket of Ancient Winters.^[9]

Other versions

An alternate universe variant of Laufey from Earth-22260 appears in What If...? Thor #1. This version adopted Thor and raised him alongside Loki after killing Odin.^[10]

In other media

Television

• Laufey appears in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. episode "Hulks on Ice", voiced by Enn Reitel.^[11][12]
• An alternate reality variant of Laufey appears in What If...?, with the second voiced by Andrew Morgado.^[13] In "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?", Odin found a baby Loki and returned it to Laufey. In the sequel "What If... Howard the Duck Got Hitched?", Laufey targeted Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis' unhatched child at the time when Loki was trying to pitch a ski resort plan to him. Laufey and his forces withdrew from pursuing the egg when it turned golden and took out Kaecilius, Malekith, and Thanos' group. Afterwards, Laufey relents by allowing Loki to have a ski resort established in Jotunheim.

Film

Laufey as he appears in Thor.

Laufey appears in Thor, portrayed by Colm Feore.^[14] This version previously came into conflict with Odin while seeking a new home for the Frost Giants, invading Earth in the process. Subsequently, Laufey was defeated and agreed to a truce with the Asgardians. In the present, Laufey breaks the truce and allies with Loki in an attempt to kill Odin before being betrayed and killed by him.

Video games

• Laufey appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by John DiMaggio.^{[citation needed]}
• Laufey appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel's Avengers.^[15]
• Laufey appears as a boss in Marvel Future Revolution.^[16]

Merchandise

• A figure of Laufey was released in the Marvel Minimates line, based on the Thor film.
• A figure of Laufey was released in Hasbro's 3.75" Thor: The Mighty Avenger tie-in toyline.

See also

References

1. Journey into Mystery #112 (Jan. 1965)
2. Thor vol. 2 #80 (Aug. 2004)
3. Thor vol. 3 #12 (Jan. 2009)
4. Thor vol. 4 #1-3 (2014). Marvel Comics.
5. Thor vol. 4 #8. Marvel Comics.
6. The Mighty Thor vol. 2 #1. Marvel Comics.
7. War of the Realms #1 - 6. Marvel Comics.
8. The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 Vol 3 (September 1989)
9. The Mighty Thor Vol 1 #346 (August 1984)
10. Marino, Kyle (September 28, 2021). "How Another What If...? Made Thor the Opposite of a Party Animal". CBR. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
11. "Laufey Voice - Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 6, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
12. Hughes, Joseph (October 26, 2013). "Hulk And The Agents Of S.M.A.S.H.: 'Hulks On Ice' [Interview]". Comics Alliance. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
13. Amin, Arezou (December 25, 2024). "What If...? Season 3 Episode 4 Recap: Keeping Up With the Ducks". Collider. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
14. Weintraub, Steve (December 10, 2010). "Colm Feore On Set Interview THOR; The King of the Frost Giants Reveals All!". Collider. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
15. "Characters | Asgard - secrets". Game Guides. May 11, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
16. ""Soon all of the realms will be frozen solid." Laufey issues a chilling warning to Omega Flight's heroes. #MARVELFutureRevolution". Marvel Future Revolution. Twitter. June 3, 2021.