“Glorious Purpose”: Loki’s Face-Off With Venom Puts A Whole New Spin On His Famous Avengers Quote

Spoilers for Venom #38!Loki just lured the future version of Venom, known as “Old Man Venom,” into some kind of trap, all while musing about the symbiote hero’s “glorious purpose,” in a direct reference to the Trickster’s legendary line from the original Avengers film. While it remains to be determined what Loki wants with Venom, the character’s appearance in his classic design suggests that his intentions are likely not benign.

Venom #38 – written by Torunn Grønbekk, with art by CAFU and Germán Peralta – features narration from a mysterious character, who is revealed on the very last page of the issue to be Loki, in his iconic green-and-yellow design, sporting his horned helmet and wicked smile.

While probing Venom’s mind in the issue’s final scene, narrator-Loki states that this version of Venom is driven only by “a purpose,” before adding “a glorious purpose” – in what is both a direct callback, and set-up for the climax of this current arc.

At His Lowest Moment, “Old Man Venom” Comes Face-To-Face With Loki

Venom #38 – Written By Torunn Grønbekk; Art By CAFU & Germán Peralta; Color By Frank D’Armata; Lettering By Clayton Cowles

“Old Man Venom” is a future version of Dylan Brock, the son of Eddie Brock, the symbiote’s most famous host. The story is part of the larger Venom War crossover event, which has made major changes to Marvel’s symbiote lore, and promises to have a lasting impact on the Venom character for years to come. The next issue of the series, Venom #39 is set to conclude the title’s Venom War tie-in arc – and the introduction of Loki into the mix is a major gamechanger, which promises to have huge implications for the outcome of the story.

In Venom #38, Dylan Brock makes the devastating decision to give up pieces of his humanity, including his memories of his first love, his mother, his friends, and even his own identity, in order to escape the realm of the being Chthon. There is little time to linger, however, as his quest continues, even as Dylan and the symbiote grapple with an inexplicable feeling of loss. It is in this state that Loki finds them – but why Loki is there, and what he wants with them, is for the next issue to reveal.

Venom #38 – Available Now From Marvel Comics

Peaking into Dylan’s mind in the final pages of Venom #38, Loki “finds no name. No mother. No friends. Only a purpose. Glorious purpose.” This has immediately prompted speculation among readers about whether this is simply a throwaway MCU reference, or if it could be a more meaningful connection across mediums. The Venom War, and this current Venom arc, have sprawled across spacetime – and with Marvel’s upcoming TVA series promising to bridge the game between Marvel’s comic book Universe and its Cinematic Universe like never before, it isn’t out of the question that Venom could be doing something similar.

In any case, it is a potent use of the phrase, as Old Man Venom has legitimately had everything stripped away from him except his heroic mission. The “glorious purpose” line in Venom #38 reflects Loki’s original use of the line in 2012’s Avengers, in which he described himself as “burdened glorious purpose.“ That is certainly the case here, as Dylan Brock has sacrificed everything he holds dear without hesitation, in order to serve the heroic higher calling that has catapulted him back and forth across the Marvel Universe and is timeline.

Which Version Of Loki Is Speaking Changes The Meaning Of His Repetition Of “Glorious Purpose”

Venom #39 – Written By Torunn Grønbekk; Art By CAFU; Available November 13 From Marvel Comics

By design, Loki’s appearance on the closing page of Venom #38 leaves the reader with more questions than answers. A greater understanding of his role in the story will come in the next issue, but for now, the solicitation for Venom #39 offers a hint at which version of Loki is confronting Venom, describing him as appearing in “his most evil form.” Given that Loki originally appeared, and dropped his “glorious purpose” quote as a villain 2012’s Avengers film, it is even more apropos that he would repeat it here.

The indication that this is an antagonistic version of Loki – as opposed to the heroic evolution of the character in the MCU, and the more benign version that has appeared in Marvel’s Immortal Thor lately – suggests that the character will be one more obstacle for Old Man Venom to overcome; hopefully, despite everything he lost in Venom #38, that burning “glorious purpose” that remains in him will be enough for him to overcome whatever Loki throws at him, so that he can prove himself to be the most heroic Venom in Marvel history.

Venom #38 is available now from Marvel Comics.