- For the other comics titled "Role Reversal", see Role Reversal (146) and Role Reversal (590).
Loki reveals his reasons for helping Thor prevent Hel from destroying the world.
Cast[]
- The Order of the Stick
- Durkon Thundershield (as statue in illusion) ◀ ▶
- Thor ◀ ▶
- Loki ◀
Transcript[]
- Panel 1, Page 1
In the Astral Plane.
Loki: I don't know if she's even strong enough to make it to the next world if this doesn't work out.
Loki: And it's all my fault.
Thor: Loki, I know it hurts that she's mad at you, but you couldn't have known when you suggested the bet that it would turn out like this. She's still responsible for her own—
- Panel 2, Page 1
Loki: The bet? Between you and Hel? The bet turned out great!
Loki: My little girl is out here turning cosmic lemons into divine lemonade.
Thor: Huh?
- Panel 3, Page 1
Loki: I was just trying to spice things up with the bet! Especially once I knew we were doing yet another boring fantasy pastiche for this one.
Loki: Worst case, I thought it'd amp up her evil death goddess itch for the next one.
- Panel 4, Page 1
Loki: Not in my wildest dreams did I think she'd come up with a way to turn it into a positive, much less orchestrate a way to topple Odin himself!
Loki: I've never been so proud! Who knew she had that much hustle?
- Panel 5, Page 1
Thor: But…you're helping us stop her.
Loki: Yeah, 'cause the opportunity to stop the Snarl forever dropped in our lap!
Loki: It's the sort of thing you change plans for!
- Panel 6, Page 1
Loki: I should be helping slam dunk this clichéd world into the trash where it belongs so my daughter can ride a tidal wave of dead dwarves to victory.
Loki: This is my fault because I'm not supporting her now, and she doesn't even know why.
- Panel 7, Page 1
Thor: Then why don't you just go back in there and explain about the Dark One? Tell her why you voted the way you did.
Loki: Because I can't! Half a billion people down there believe I'm incapable of honesty. Do you think I can just go against that when it's inconvenient?
- Panel 8, Page 1
Thor: You're explaining it to me just fine.
Loki: There seems to be some doctrinal flexibility when it comes to rubbing things in your face, specifically.
- Panel 1, Page 2
Loki: She wouldn't believe me even if I told her. And she definitely wouldn't believe you.
Loki: Plus the way she's feeling now? I wouldn't put it past her to try to screw things up with the goblin just to spite the two of us.
- Panel 2, Page 2
Loki: Bottom line: The only reason I'm not on Hel's side is because of the chance—however slim—of ending the threat of the Snarl.
Loki: So if Hilgya's baby-daddy screws this up and that chance slips away? I will switch sides so fast you'll think it's halftime.
- Panel 3, Page 2
Loki: And if it's too late and she starves before the next creation?
Loki: The only thing you'll know for sure is that you'll never see me coming.
Loki flies off
- Panel 4, Page 2
Thor: *sigh*
Thor conjures a view of Durkon, still petrified.
Thor: Well, Durkon…now we're even, I guess.
- Panel 5, Page 2
Thor: Now it's time for me to put my faith in you.
Thor flies off.
D&D Context[]
- The conversation is taking place in the Astral Plane, and the black sphere they are leaving is the Outer Plane of the Gray Wastes (also known as Hades in older editions). This confirms Hel's alignment as Neutral Evil.[1]
Trivia[]
- This strip is the first time in the comic that a strip has used the same title for the third time. There are multiple instances of two strips with the same name.
- This is the latest appearance of Loki, trickster god of fire, has appeared in twenty strips. He first appeared #79, "The Heavens Moved".
- The title refers to Thor's line in the final panel, where he says now he has to put his faith in Durkon.
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Comic #1138, "Lesson Planar"