There were a lot of surprising deaths in Avengers: Infinity War, but while fans are hopeful that most of those killed by Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film will be reversed Loki‘s death early in the film seemed pretty final. Now, a new fan theory is questioning that finality by proposing how the God of Mischief may have survived.
In Infinity War, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is one of the first casualties of the Mad Titan, his neck snapped after the God of Mischief attempts to double cross and kill him. According to one Redditor, however, it may have been just another example of Loki cheating death. According to a post in Reddit’s “Fan Theories” sub, Loki’s actions in the opening moments of Infinity War are very out of character for the trickster and seem to be signal that it wasn’t the real Loki.
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“Loki has a strong tendency towards self-preservation, and he knows Thanos. So, his actions at the beginning of [Infinity War] are very out of character. Conclusion: The Loki who is killed by Thanos is not actually Loki,” the theory states in part. It goes on to note that the Loki who dies is an illusion created by the real Loki who is likely hiding somewhere on the ship. It also notes that Loki is suspiciously clean as compared to everyone else on the ship — including Thor — as well as questions why Loki simply attacked and didn’t wait longer.
“Loki wouldn’t sacrifice himself unless he thought he actually had a chance, and he had to know he didn’t,” the theory concludes.
It’s not a bad theory and, as the Redditor says Loki does have a history of faking his own death, but while it’s something that could work in the MCU fans shouldn’t hold their breath. Hiddleston himself has spoken about Loki’s story overall in the MCU and how his death in Infinity War not only closes out the character’s arc but drives home just how dangerous a villain Thanos is.
“When I came to shoot the scene in Infinity War, I think it’s very powerful he calls himself an Odinson, and that closes the whole journey of Loki and what he can do,” Hiddleston said last month at ACE Comic Con in Seattle. “It [Loki’s death] set the stakes up emotionally. It takes the stakes up dramatically. You know that Thanos is someone who’s more dangerous than anyone we’ve seen before.”
Beyond Hiddleston’s comments, even Infinity War and Avengers 4 co-writer Christopher Markus has commented that Avengers 4 might not undo the deaths of Infinity War.
“[Avengers 4] doesn’t do what you think it does,” Markus said earlier this year. “It’s a different movie than you think it is…Also…[the deaths are] real. I just want to tell you it’s real, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you will be able to move on to the next stage of grief.”
So, what do you think? Do you think Loki could have faked his own death yet again or is the God of Mischief really and truly gone? Let us know your thoughts in comments.
Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp are now playing in theaters. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.
