Announced earlier this year, Loki is getting a new four-issue limited series written by Dan Watters and drawn by Germán Peralta that promises to take Loki across the Marvel Universe. When ancient, powerful weapons Loki built are scattered across the Ten Realms, the God of Stories sets off to recover them. Of course, where Loki goes, mischief is sure to follow. This series will bring exciting new characters into the fold while delivering shocking twists as Loki journeys across the realms.

Loki remains as prominent as ever. With a major presence on film and television screens thanks to the MCU, he's consistently on the public conscience. In the comics, he's continually pushed into new, exciting directions. CBR spoke with Watters about stepping into the Marvel Universe and what goes into writing a character as developed as Loki. Watters and Marvel also shared an exclusive look at some pages from Loki #1 and the cover for Loki #3.

Loki overlooks a ship at dock

CBR: This is your first time writing for Marvel! In the series' press release, you mention that you plan to take Loki "all the way around the Marvel Universe and back again." What parts of the Marvel Universe were you most excited to explore?

Dan Watters: As much of it as I could, within reason. My love for writing in these sorts of universes comes down to how much history they have [and] the dense web of storytelling you have underfoot whenever you start adding a new bit to the tapestry. It means you can wield these deliciously outlandish places, characters, and histories without having to overexplain or justify anything. Magic, sci-fi, multiverses, and street-level pulp all already exist side by side and hand in hand here, and the audience has bought into this going in. It means you can get away with more right from page 1. And writing is, in no small part, the art of getting away with stuff.

Loki is currently the God of Stories. What do you think is the significance of there being a God of Stories, and how do you think it fits Loki?

I'll admit, I get a little bit nervous telling stories about stories. Just because I think those roads are very well-trodden. As storytellers, we want to talk about what interests us, and -- almost by definition -- we are people for whom stories are a primary interest. So I worry it can get a bit navel-gazey when these are meant to be the devices that let us talk about all the important things like birth and death and, primarily, the bits in between.

But Loki being a god of stories also means, to my mind, they get to be the god of all the bits in between. A god of stories is a god of life. [The] thing is, worse things happen to people more often in stories. They are where characters are pushed out of their comfort zones, forced to adapt and change or fail and suffer and die. That's what Loki is god of now. Their role hasn't changed in an expansive way. It's all just mischief from a different direction and hopefully, (for all our sakes) towards a different end.

Loki enjoying breakfast at a cafe when Thor arrives

A character like Loki exists in stories beyond the Marvel Universe. How does Loki's mythological history impact how you approach the character?

Yeah, a lot. I knew the Norse myths before I knew the comics, and Loki in those stories was always great fun yet extremely strange. He always seemed to be turning himself into a bird or a mare or doing something horrible for no real reason, even though it was mainly him who seemed to suffer the consequences or had to try and put it right.

I think it's fun to have a version of Loki like ours and try [to] square together all the stories that have been told about them into one version of the character. All the myths, to my mind, are true. They just might be Loki's version of "true," which can mean something quite different than it does to the rest of us.

This is going to be a 4-issue limited series. Can you talk a bit about that format and how it shaped the story?

Volume length is always going to play a big part in the story you tell and the way you tell it. There's something about the breathlessness of a shorter book which I always enjoy. It's the novella over the sprawling novel. In this instance, it easily nailed down for us how many places we were going to send Loki and how long we were going to stay in them. It sets our rhythm and tempo.

Loki arriving through a portal

You're joined by artist Germán Peralta for this series. What has that creative process been like?

I can't say enough good things about Germán. There are creators you just click with, and I feel that here. He's sent so many pages that are laugh-out-loud funny, heart-wrenching, or terrifying, depending on what the scene calls for, and every background character oozes personality. I very much hope we get to make more books together and soon.

Loki cycles between villain, anti-hero, and hero. What do you think makes this cycle so enduring for them?

I think that's exactly what Loki is. It's what makes them -- an ancient shapeshifter born of frost giants and raised by gods -- one of the most human characters around. They can be cruel or kind, friend or foe, loving or scornful, utterly depending on their mood, which is all a bit like us a lot of the time, though we don't like to admit it. Loki's pretty much in it for themselves but always has people they truly care about. These sorts of ambiguous places and grey moral areas are exactly what I think we write stories to try [to] grapple with. How could a god of stories really be any other way?

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Loki opening large doors to reveal Frost Giants

Where did the inspiration for this story come from? It feels almost reminiscent of the Labors of Hercules.

Ha! I hadn't really thought about Hercules, but I guess I was sort of pushing for mythic with the backbone of the story, at least, so it makes sense. As above, I wanted to bring the oddness of Norse myth to the forefront and see which places those could join the Marvel Universe in ways I hadn't seen before.

Loki amidst a battlefield

Aside from the character himself, what is the one thing you think every Loki story absolutely must have?

A sprinkle of chaos, a fistful of magic, and some very long knives to stick into the backs of the characters around him.

Loki #1 goes on sale on June 7th.