I think the majority of us agree with the fact that Loki, one of the most complex and acclaimed MCU characters, deserved a better ending to his redemption arc. I have decided to write this post in order to spread some hope that this is not the last we’ve seen of the God of Mischief.
First of all, his death was not convincing nor fitting for a character that is known for dying and coming back in almost every movie he is in (and don’t forget about the comic books). If the directors intended to make his death believable, they should have made him use his powers, try to trick Thanos with his illusions or attempt to fake his own death again and ultimately fail. He should have had a good plan only for it to be disrupted by Thanos and the fact that he doesn’t even seem to try makes me think either Loki is not dead or he let Thanos kill him on purpose.
It’s interesting that neither Loki nor Doctor Strange seem to use the infinity stones they own against Thanos. Even Thanos acknowledges that Strange doesn’t “use his greatest weapon”. But we know that Strange made use of the time stone to see into the future and realised that he (and half the universe) had to die in order to win in the end (presumably). Maybe Loki knew this as well. Maybe his death was also necessary in order to reach that outcome and that’s why he let Thanos kill him.
“The Tesseract can show visions of the future, which may or may not come true. The people who have seen this power are the Red Skull, Eric Selvig, and Hawkeye […]” [source] Loki seemed to be looking at the tesseract very intently before saying “I assure you, brother, the sun will shine on us again” to Thor. The tesseract could have shown him a vision of a future in which Thanos is defeated and Loki’s brought back to life somehow, hence the optimism of his statement. Also, I’m 100% sure this line is foreshadowing, it’s too cryptic and striking.
Also, it’s odd that Loki just drops the tesseract on the floor and doesn’t even try to pick it up while Thanos is distracted, considering he seemed so unwilling to give it away only a moment before. I guess he was too busy doing… whatever it is he was doing while Thanos was beating the crap out of the Hulk and killing Heimdall. Because, really, where was he? If the Russos’ intention was to make us believe Loki was out of options and would finally meet his definitive end, it was not a good idea to have the audience lose sight of him for 4 whole minutes, especially since he’s a character who has faked his own death before and whose most distinctive traits are being mischievous and unpredictable.
When being asked about Loki’s death at Ace Con 2018, Tom Hiddleston said “I’ve known about that scene for two years. I met with Marvel in May 2016, and they were actually telling me the story of Ragnarok with concept arts and images. […] My whole journey through making Thor: Ragnarok I knew this was coming” [source] Tom knew about his Infinity War scene back in 2016 and yet he said this about Loki on September 2017: “He’s cunning and transformative and changeable and will do everything he can to survive. He’s the trickster. He’s the God of mischief.” [source]
Tom Hiddleston also had a reassuring message for fans who were worried about Loki before Infinity War was released: “Loki is the God of Mischief, the Lord of Misrule, an Agent of Chaos. Chaos isn’t something that’s threatening to Loki and everything’s fine.” [source]
Even Loki himself reminded us who he was right before being ‘killed’ by Thanos. “I, Loki, prince of Asgard, Odinson, the rightful king of Jotunheim, God of Mischief […]”. His last words “you will never be a god” also point out the fact that he is a god (and Thanos is not). This line sounds too cryptic as well, it’s almost like Loki is telling Thanos “I know something you don’t”.
It is also known some members of the cast filmed at least one scene in Durham Cathedral (2017), and Tom Hiddleston was supposedly among them. Although he has not been photographed, different people claimed to have spotted him on the set.
The scene(s) shot in the cathedral never made it into Infinity War. However, it is unclear whether this footage was shot for Avengers 4. It’s important to remember that this location was also used to film Thor’s vision in Age of Ultron, a vision which seemingly represented Hel. We also know that Loki’s death in Thor: The Dark World was originally intended to be real, although not definitive, as Thor was supposed to travel to Hel and retrieve Loki in Thor: Ragnarok. [source] Perhaps this idea has not been fully discarded, which would be a plausible explanation as to why Chris, Tessa and Tom were spotted filming in Durham. It could be assumed that Loki is truly dead this time, but not for good: Thor would go to Hel in order to bring him back from the dead, hopefully in Avengers 4, or in another Thor movie. You can read more about this on this Reddit thread.
It’s actually a fact that Loki will appear in the next Avengers movie, as these leaked photos of the A4 set confirm.
These photos suggest that Avengers 4 will recreate the Battle of New York. The widespread assumption that Loki’s presence in the pictures indicates a flashback is wrong, as we can see Scott and an older Tony in the company of Captain America, who is wearing his old costume (meaning he is Steve’s past self). Thor and Loki are also dressed as in the battle of New York and Loki is gagged. He has something that looks like the tesseract in his hand and this doesn’t add up to the events of the first Avengers movie, which could mean that time travel is involved. This alone doesn’t prove that Loki is alive in the current timeline, but maybe his death can be reversed if the Avengers alter the past. In any case, at least we can be sure that his past self will play a role in the movie.
Kevin Feige tweeted this letter dedicated to the fans after Infinity War was released. We can see Thanos’ gauntlet as well as a Loki keychain in the picture, next to the letter, which seems suspicious since Loki’s role in IW was pretty limited.
When it comes to Kevin Feige, it is also important to point out that he has barely spoken about Loki’s death. In fact, when asked specifically about Loki, he only said that the scene was emotional, as were some other scenes in the movie [source]. He seemed to avoid answering the question by beating about the bush and repeating the same thing over again. One would think that if this were Loki’s final scene, Feige would have something more to say, considering that Loki is a fan favorite and that Feige himself always seemed to appreciate the character.
In addition, Jeremy Conrad seems to believe Loki could come back and has hinted he will on several occasions. For those who don’t know who this man is, he’s a journalist and the founder of MCU Cosmic and he has proven himself to be a quite reliable source when it comes to information regarding the MCU. This is what he said on the matter at hand:
Then, he shared the link to a brief article about the possibility of Loki being brought back to life through time travel. You can read it here.
Two months later, this was Jeremy Conrad’s response when someone suggested Tom Hiddleston should be the next James Bond:
He basically hinted that Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is not over yet though when some users asked him to elaborate he didn’t answer. We all know that Avengers 4 is in post-production by now and this movie definitely won’t keep Tom busy so we can assume Jeremy Conrad is referring to the possibility of Loki being in other MCU movies yet to be announced.
Many of you may not know this but some weeks ago a man who claimed to have worked at Tom Hiddleston’s house tweeted that Tom has signed up for 4 more Marvel movies:
We should take this with a grain of salt but I personally think he might be telling the truth. Though I’ve chosen to hide his username because of the negative response he got for this tweet, this is not just an anonymous person hiding behind a computer screen, but someone who has personal information on his twitter profile, such as pictures, location, occupation (he is indeed a plumber and works in the UK) and he deleted the tweet once it started to gain some attention. He said he only wanted to share the good news but regretted tweeting about it because of the way Loki fans had reacted (some were calling him a liar). However, he insisted that he wasn’t lying and that we would see Loki in more movies. To be honest, I was really skeptical about this whole plumber thing at first but a few days after this, Jeremy Conrad insinuated that Tom Hiddleston won’t be James Bond because that would be incompatible with his role as Loki, so, even though 4 more films sound too good to be true, I think something might be going on with Tom’s contract.
At this point, it seems there is more evidence of Loki coming back than being permanently dead but, of course, nothing is confirmed yet. I’ve made a list of links just in case you want to read more theories about Loki’s death:
This is a very interesting thought, which makes my head hurt a little. I will think about it later. Meanwhile, just leaving it here…
Edith is just crazy, she began to go mad after the passing of her mother, then increasingly so after her father’s unfortunate (truly accidental) slip-and-fall death…Allerdale Hall is actually an asylum husband and wife, Thomas and Lucille Sharpe, run . Lucille is quite strict, more focused on running the place as one would a corrections facility and finds Edith’s behavior both irritating and disturbing; she’s in favor of lobotomizing the girl, but for now simply (slightly) over-medicates the girl with sedatives. Thomas is more focused on the potential for recovery and curing the patients; he promotes Edith’s flights of fancy and encourages her to write as therapy.
…Sounds like a potentially fascinating AU…
(Perhaps Alan is a childhood friend of Edith who aides in financing her stay/care there and occasionally visits??)
This is an idea I’ve had stuck in my head for a while and I’ve been meaning to post it here.
There are certain songs that always instantly remind me of Loki, at different stages in his character arc. So I thought I’d make a short playlist and share them with you guys :3
None of these are very obscure, I’m sure you’ve all heard them before, and there might be other songs out there that fit him better, but this is what always makes me think of him.
And instead of applying songs that fit him as a character in general, these I feel represent very specific beats in his arc, which I’ll explain throughout the post.
I hope you guys like it!
(And I am sorry for the last one.)
1. Thor
Monster – Imagine Dragons
Ever since I could remember, Everything inside of me, Just wanted to fit in (Oh oh oh oh) I was never one for pretenders, Everything I tried to be, Just wouldn’t settle in (Oh oh oh oh) If I told you what I was, Would you turn your back on me? And if I seem dangerous, Would you be scared? I get the feeling just because, Everything I touch isn’t dark enough If this problem lies in me
(Okay so after watching this video several years ago, I literally can not think of anything else except Loki whenever I hear this song. Specifically at that vulnerable stage when he first finds out about his true parentage. When he’s forced to question everything he has ever known about himself. When his entire world has been torn down and he has no idea what to do. He is placed in a very defensive state and his only coping mechanism is to push everyone away, because he assumes that people will view him as a monster now. And I mean, who can blame him? He was raised hearing horror stories about the Jotuns, the sworn enemies of Asgard, only to find out that he is one of them? His own brother swore to destroy every Jotun in existence. He was terrified and didn’t know what to do.
Augh, my poor baby!)
2. Avengers
Down With The Sickness – Disturbed
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing Broken your servant I kneel It seems what’s left of my human side is slowing changing In me Looking at my own reflection When suddenly it changes Violently it changes There is no turning back now You’ve woken up the demon in me
(After falling from Asgard, Loki is put through Hell. He is captured by Thanos, tortured into submission, all while the knowledge that his own family and people probably despise him, twist his mind into something unrecognizable. On top of being manipulated by the Tesseract, I might add. He is borderline driven mad, turned into a demented villain. And his only option is to revel in it.)
3. Thor: The Dark World
Animal I Have Become – Three Days Grace
I can’t escape this hell So many times I’ve tried But I’m still caged inside Somebody get me through this nightmare I can’t control myself
So what if you can see the darkest side of me? No one would ever change this animal I have become And help me believe it’s not the real me Somebody help me tame this animal
I can’t escape myself So many times I’ve lied But there’s still rage inside Somebody get me through this nightmare I can’t control myself
(After being captured and taken back to Asgard and thrown into the dungeons to rot for the rest of his life, Loki is forced to face what he has done, what he has turned into. His father, his brother, has shown that they think of him as only a villain. The only person who shows any hope for him, is his mother. And then, because of a petty mistake, he caused her to be killed. He loses all hope for himself, and is thrown into a dark, depressive pit that he believes he will never get out of.)
(Second Chance – Shinedown
Tell my mother, tell my father I have done the best I can To make them realize This is my life I hope they understand I’m not angry, I’m just saying Sometimes goodbye is a second chance )
(This was a close second in what song I was picking for this move. I believe this represents Loki at the end of the film. As Tom Hiddleston said, I hope he found some form of redemption in sacrificing his life* for Jane and Thor. Perhaps when he did, he was giving himself a chance to change things.
*Even though we know he faked his death, don’t forget that his death was supposed to be permanent in the original script. They only changed it when test audiences didn’t believe he was actually dead.)
4. Thor: Ragnarok*
(*Gagnarok)
(Yes I still don’t like this movie because of… EVERYTHING. Literally the only thing I can think of that this movie did okay was giving the Hulk character development, which I actually kind of appreciate in hindsight. But we’re not here for the Hulk, we’re here for Loki! [Unlike the filmmakers])
Carry On Wayward Son – Kansas
Once I rose above the noise and confusion Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion I was soaring ever higher But I flew too high Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man Though my mind could think I still was a mad man I hear the voices when I’m dreaming I can hear them say
(Loki has had time to be the King he always wanted to be, albeit while pretending to be Odin. He has had time to be alone and to hopefully work out some of the internal anguish and self loathing he feels. He will never be the same person he was at the beginning of Thor 1, but perhaps now he found some inner peace with himself.
But even after getting everything he wants, is it enough? Does it make him truly happy?)
5. Avengers: Infinity War
O Death – Jen Titus
Ooh Death, Oooh Death, Ooh Death, Won’t you spare me over for another year?
(…sorry, not sorry.)
Those first three are spot on! I’m unfamiliar with the last two songs (and in denial about both movies) so I’m going to leave that in the middle. But I agree with the first three. I also canon ‘Two worlds’ from ‘Disturbed’ of his overall character…
Create a mess 