In the wake of the Siege of Asgard, the question on everyone’s mind is… "Why did Loki do it?" Why did Loki bring his wrath down on Asgard only to sacrifice himself to save it in the end?
During the Siege, seven Magpies flew throughout the Nine Worlds to deliver a message, dropping out one by one until the last remaining bird arrived at its destination: the ruined Asgard. Within, the youthful Loki is bristling at being called a troll on the Internet. He is accosted by an old warrior who picks a fight with him but Thor arrives to settle the matter and speak with his young brother. They speak of Loki’s new StarkPhone (which Thor knows about from listening unwillingly to his comrade-in-arms boast about his technology) and Odin’s disagreement with Thor’s decisions while ruling Asgard. They return to the city where the Warriors Three, tasked with being Loki’s bodyguards, are instead pondering means of destroying him in secret. When the mischievous godling reaches his rooms, he discovers the magpie—which bursts asunder, revealing a golden key. The key unlocks a box which contains another key, which leads to an elven bard whose song summons a demon that sends him to learn what Volstagg mutters in his sleep, which turns out to be the directions for locating a dragon who speaks the Old Tongue. The final message, "You must look for the answer in the final question" brings him to the chronicle of the Siege of Asgard and its final question "Why did Loki do it?" As he ponders the riddle, he falls into the period at the bottom of the question mark where he encounters the magpie—and the spirit of the elder Loki, who has a message for his younger incarnation. Young Loki tells him that his predecessor only died because somehow he needed to die; the elder explains that as God of Chaos he had become too predictable. So he died that a young fresh Loki would be born, free to create his own future. And now the elder warns of peril to the Aesir and the new Loki must help them meets it with no power but his wits—and his mentor, in the form of the magpie Ikol (spell it backwards). Later Loki is summoned to the feast where violence breaks out between Thor and Odin over whether to defend Earth or abandon it. Odin punishes his son and orders his people to the World Tree where he reassembles the Rainbow Bridge and the Aesir march off to a reconstituted Asgard. Loki expresses confidence that someone will ensure that all will be well….