Having read and watched countless Marvel stories throughout my life, it takes a lot to surprise and impress me when it comes to superhero storytelling. While What If… Loki Was Worthy?: A Loki and Valkyrie Story by Madeleine Roux might not have instantly risen to the top of my all-time favorites, it’s much more compelling than the average alternate universe tale involving magical heroes and villains. The combination of surprising twists, compelling dialogue, and imaginative fantasy writing kept me speeding through the book to see how it would all come together.
Without getting into heavy spoilers, the basic premise of the novel begins with Loki partnering with a scorned member of Asgard’s court to enact a bit of playful revenge against Thor and the royal family. While Loki intends to cause a bit of annoying but ultimately harmless mayhem, the plan (involving a certain Destroyer prominently featured in Thor (2011)) goes horribly wrong, ending in a bloody mess that has grievous ramifications for everyone from the King of Asgard down to one Tony Stark.
Speaking of Stark, this novel does a great job of blending the line between hero and villain, and giving lots of the supporting cast memorable moments and their own POV chapters. While Loki obviously gets the spotlight, we spend a good deal of time with Thor, Stark, Runa the Valkyrie, and others, including a few original characters that I would love to see show up again elsewhere. For Marvel enthusiasts there are also plenty of references to the wider world, including a fun conversation between Tony and a prominent member of the X-Men. But these moments never get in the way of the main story.
While I’ve never read any of Madeleine Roux’s other work, it’s clear she has a talent for vivid and engaging fantasy writing. The world of Thor and Loki has always been a tough one to crack in a storytelling universe that relies so heavily on science fiction elements, but Roux seamlessly blends the two together and crafts equally compelling chapters whether the action is taking place in Asgard, the streets of Manhattan, or other areas of the cosmos. The characters and other elements in this world definitely have shades of the MCU in the initial chapters, but Roux quickly reveals she has a ton of original ideas to make this version of the universe stand out on its own.
With so much Marvel content coming out every month, most people have to pick and choose which aspects of this franchise they engage with. It becomes even trickier when you divert away from the two mainstays, that is the world of the MCU and Marvel Comics. Why read a novel that’s not connected to either? Well, as much as I love devoting time to filling out my Marvel history by reading back issues or catching up on the latest MCU series, the first reason we should really engage with any of this stuff is when it’s telling an entertaining and perhaps even meaningful story. The good news is that this book—like potentially Loki himself—is worthy of your time and attention.
Rating: 4/5
Marvel: What If...Loki Was Worthy? (A Loki & Valkyrie Story) will be available on April 2, 2024.