Thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor and Loki have become household names, despite being gods from a pantheon people worshipped nearly a thousand years ago.
In the movies, the two of them, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston respectively, look young and in the prime of their lives, but how old are they really supposed to be?
In Avengers: Infinity War, Thor reveals that he’s 1500 years old. Using some easy math and assuming the average lifespan of humans is about 73 years, that age can be translated into human years.
The result is that Thor’s 1500 Asgardian years equals about 22 human years. Loki’s age is more disputed.
This article will dive more deeply into both Thor and Loki’s ages and what those ages mean relative to the human aging process.
It’ll also pinpoint which of the famous Asgardians is the oldest.
Also, see How Did Thor Lose His Eye? to learn more.
When and How Does Thor Reveal His Age in the MCU?
Thor reveals his age to Rocket Raccoon in Avengers: Infinity War after Rocket asks him whether he is up to the task of fighting Thanos. Thor responds,
“You know, I’m 1500 years old. I’ve killed twice as many enemies as that, and every one of them would have rather killed me. But none succeeded.”
The scene is a powerful one in which Thor recounts losing his brother, father, sister, mother, and best friend. He’s in a dark place, and Rocket isn’t sure he’s in the right headspace to fight Thanos.
Thor gives his response, a rousing speech full of bravado and pride. He ends it by saying that Thanos is only the most recent person to try to kill him and that “He will be the latest to feel my vengeance. Fate wills it so.”
After an unimpressed Rocket asks, “And what if you’re wrong?” Thor, teary-eyed, responds by saying that he has nothing left to lose, even if he is wrong about his ability to beat Thanos.
It’s such an emotional scene that many MCU fans completely overlooked the mention of Thor’s impressive age.
Luckily, those fans who missed it the first time around can watch the scene on Youtube:
Also see Do Norwegians Still Believe in Thor? to learn more.
Does Thor Reveal His Age in Norse Mythology?
The original Norse myths never state Thor’s or Loki’s ages; however, most people agree that the gods were much older than humans.
Asgardians were not immortal in the myths, but with few exceptions, most gods weren’t fated to die until the battle of Ragnarok, or the twilight of the gods. [1]
Unlike gods in many other pantheons, however, Asgardian gods weren’t naturally able to stay young and healthy.
Instead, they retained their health and vitality by eating magical apples from the goddess Idunn’s (or Idun) apple tree.
In one notable tale, a giant, Thjazi, transforms himself into an eagle and tricks Odin, Thor, and Loki into giving him their dinner.
Chaos ensues, and eventually, Loki ends up hanging on for dear life as the eagle Thjazi flies him high into the sky.
Thjazi only agrees to release Loki safely back onto the ground after Loki promises him that he will find a way to bring Idunn and her apples to the giant.
When Loki finally captures Idunn and takes her and her apples to the giant, all of the gods in Asgard begin to age rapidly.
They are all close to death by the time Loki steals Idunn back from Thjazi and brings her and her fruits back to Asgard, albeit in a different form than when they’d left.
Is Thor Young or Old for an Asgardian?
Although he is 1500 years old, Thor is comparatively young for an Asgardian; his age equates to about 22 in human years. That makes him older than a young adult but much younger than middle-aged.
An article on Distractify based their calculations of Thor’s and Loki’s ages on the fact that Asgardians usually live about 5,000 years, which Loki mentions in the first Thor film. [2]
Using their calculations, they relate Thor’s age to approximately 30 years old. However, they don’t explain their math.
According to a MedicineNet article, the average life expectancy in 2021 is 72.81 years old (approximately 73 years old). [3]
If Thor has lived 1500 of his 5000 possible years, that means he’s lived 30% of his life (which is most likely where Distractify got their 30-year-old figure).
However, 30% of the average lifespan of a human (73 years) is 21.9 or approximately 22 years old.
That means Thor is old enough to drink, smoke, vote, and go to war, but he still has a lot of life experience left to gain.
Also, see Can Thor Fly in Norse Mythology? to learn more.
Is Thor or Loki Older?
Most fans agree that Thor is older than Loki, but there are disputes about Loki’s actual age.
Many people think he’s around 1056 years old, based on the Thor flashback scene of Odin finding baby Loki in Tonsberg, Norway 965 A. D.
However, other fans think the two gods are practically the same age.
This second group of fans isn’t just being argumentative. There’s cinematic evidence to back up this belief, as well.
In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor talks to Bruce Banner and Valkyrie about how Loki has tried to kill him many times throughout his life.
He tells the story of how Loki shapeshifted into a snake, and when Thor picked him up, he changed back into himself and stabbed him. Thor finishes his story by saying, “We were eight at the time.”
This simple sentence indicates that both boys were eight years old, meaning they’re approximately the same age.
Both the Tonsberg, Norway and the snake story scenes are also available on Youtube:
Since both of these things could arguably point to Loki’s age, and neither the original Norse myths nor the Marvel comics mention a definitive age, it’s up to each fan to decide how old they believe Loki is.
In human years, though, the discrepancy is much smaller.
A 1056-year-old Loki would be around 16 human years old. A Loki approximately the same age as Thor would be nearly 22 in human years.
Final Thoughts
While Loki’s age is up for debate, the MCU clearly states that Thor’s age is 1500, making him about 22 in human years.