In Loki episode four, “The Nexus Event,” we see the return of Jaimie Alexander as Asgardian warrior Sif. This character seemingly never goes away, despite having been written out of the MCU off-screen. (And later ignored in multiple later projects.) You just can’t keep this badass immortal warrior down.
Marvel Studios
In Loki, Sif shows up as part of a time loop meant to break Loki down, wherein he relives a painful moment repeatedly. One where Sif knocks him down a peg after he cuts off a huge portion of her hair. That moment is actually straight from Norse myth. In the ancient tales, Loki famously cut off Sif’s hair while she slept as a prank. This so angered Thor that he forced his trickster of a brother to forge a headpiece made of gold to replace Sif’s missing locks.
Marvel Comics
They also recreated this moment in Marvel Comics—specifically in Thor Annual #11, back in 1983. In the Marvel Universe, Loki cut off Sif’s golden hair in a moment of childish jealousy. All while she slept peacefully. Later, Loki made a deal with the dwarves Eitri and Brokk to fashion Sif new hair, fearing Sif would seek revenge. Since Loki never paid the dwarves, they caused Sif’s hair to turn black when placed on her head. This explains why the golden-haired Sif of legend has black hair in the comics.
But it’s been a minute since we’ve seen this character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here’s a refresher on the Asgardian warrior goddess Lady Sif, just as she makes her welcome return to the MCU. One which will continue in next year’s Thor: Love and Thunder. And hopefully, beyond.
Thor (2011)
Marvel Studios
In the first Thor film, Lady Sif was a constant companion of Thor and the Warriors Three. The group confronted the Frost Giants of Jotunheim on the perceived attack on Asgard, nearly starting a war. Sif came off as a lot more levelheaded than Thor and his pals, but was just as fierce a warrior. Her temper got the best of her sometimes.
Once Odin stripped Thor’s powers away and his exile on Earth began, she disobeyed the orders of the newly appointed King Loki and went to Earth to save her friend. Referred to by regular clueless Earth mortals as “ Xena,” she helped in the final battle against the Destroyer on Earth. Thanks to them, Thor returned to Asgard and Loki’s brief rule came to a close. For a short time, anyway. Loki always finds a way to come back, as we now know.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Marvel Studios
After the destruction of the Bifrost in Thor, the Nine Realms fell into chaos. Thor and his Asgardian warrior friends quelled insurrections and invasions on various worlds during this time. Sif fought against the Marauder space pirates on the planet of Vaneheim at the start of The Dark World.
Sif led the battle until Thor’s arrival, and in fact saved his bacon from a missile launch from one of the pirates. She later helped defend Asgard against the second Dark Elf invasion, and even freed Loki to better help his brother. Granted, she threatened to kill him should he betray Thor. The last time we saw Sif in the films, she and Volstagg delivered the Aether (a.k.a. the Reality Stone) to the Collector. This event paid off in Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Infinity War.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014-2015)
Marvel Television
Sif became one of the few big-screen MCU characters to appear on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She first appeared in the episode “Yes Men” in season one, where she came to Midgard to track down a fugitive Asgardian named Lorelei. (Midgard is Earth, don’t you know.) The two shared a long rivalry, which is why Sif received the job of returning her to Asgardian prison. Lorelei originally escaped during the prison break in Thor: The Dark World.
In the season two episode “Who You Really Are,” Sif wound up losing her memory when attacked by the Kree warrior Vin-Tak. By episode’s end, her memories got restored, and she returned to Asgard. Of course, it’s unclear if Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is even canon in the MCU. Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios remain iffy on this matter. So maybe this is a variant Sif? Our first variant Asgardian before Loki, perhaps.
Until episode four of Loki, that was the last time we saw Sif on-screen. Scheduling conflicts with her series Blindspot prevented Jaimie Alexander from appearing in Thor: Ragnarok. And it’s probably for the best, as she would have likely died by Hela’s hands in the film, along with the Warriors Three. They did not mention her name in the film, and Kevin Feige has said in interviews that “Loki probably banished her” before the events of Ragnarok. Loki probably figured that Sif would see through his Odin disguise before anyone else did. If anyone would discover his true identity in Asgard, it would probably be Lady Sif.
However, she is set to return in Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022. And then we’ll likely find out what this incredible warrior was up to all this time.