Warning: Spoilers for Power Girl #11!
Summary
I could be wrong, but it looks likeDC Comicsis about to get its own version ofLoki, and I say that knowing how much we all love Marvel’s version of the Norse legend. Even those who don’t follow Loki’s journey in the comics have likely found themselves enamored with Tom Hiddleston’s portrayal in the MCU. He’s a likable chap, but I think DC has a chance to do better.
DC fans had better get familiar with the name Axel Gust, because I think DC is priming him to be their next Loki, starting with the reveal that he’s from Asgard inPower Girl#11 by Leah Williams and Adriana Melo. If you haven’t been following the latestPower Girlseries, the title character has beenpursued romantically by the mysterious Axel, who grows more complicated by the panel.
This new issue makes him all the more complicated when it turns out thatAxel Gust claims Asgard as his home. Axel’s presence in Power Girl’s series is well established, but there’s no telling where this character could go — but it’s very possible that he could be DC’s Loki equivalent (if not the real deal).
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What Is Axel Gust’s Connection to Asgard?
Axel Gust makes his on-panel debut inPower Girl#1by Williams, Eduardo Pansica, Júlio Ferreira, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Becca Carey, first meeting Power Girl’scowboy-esque secret identity, Paige Stetler. First, Axel tries to recruit Paige for an organization that he can’t tell her about, making her immediately suspect him to be a CIA operative. In fairness, many of Axel’s on-panel appearances hint at him being some sort ofJames Bond super-spy of a love interest. In any case, their professional interest in each other quickly turns into flirting, particularly in text and call exchanges over the proceeding issues.
Axel Gust may be a new character, but Asgard has been a part of the DCU in one way or another for decades. Recently, Asgard played a significant role in the Infinite Frontier-eraWonder Womanrun that began withWonder Woman#770 by Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad, Travis Moore, Tamra Bonvillain, and Pat Brosseau.
The flirtations finally culminate in Paige and Axel’s first date at the aquarium inPower Girl#11. Their romantic outing gets interrupted, of course, by a supervillain named Aquus. Axel and Paige are too distracted to avert the crisis, leaving Natasha Irons' Steel to do all the dirty work, but it gives the couple the opportunity to accidentally leak their secret identities to each other. Naturally, Power Girl has questions whenAxel starts emitting magic from his palms, so he opens the door to a place he calls home and a place that could provide some answers to both Paige and her fans: Asgard.
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There is a lot that this next issue is going to need to explain for things to make sense, but now’s as good a time as any to start speculating. While this plot and character development could go in several directions, all signs seem to point to Axel being Loki himself — or, at least, his trickster equivalent. After all, how many magic users happen to live in Asgard? Either Axel is Loki masquerading on Earth trying to have some fun, or he’s related to Loki in some shape or form. Either way, the foundation ofDC Comicscould get rocked if the DCU gets a new character as deceptively powerful asLoki.
POWER GIRL #11 (2024)
