Avengers: Infinity War started with a bang when Thanos killed both Heimdall and Loki. We never expected to say goodbye to the God of Mischief, and while fans have theorised that he once again faked his death, the events of Loki have made it clear that the trickster's story really did end there.
Loki's final words were "You will never be a God," but what was really going through the Asgardian's mind while the Mad Titan choked the life out of him?
"I think that whole scene is overwhelmingly terrifying for both Thor and Loki," Hiddleston tells ComicBook.com. "He's seen Thor in some tight spots before but he's always trusted his brother will find a way out of it. In that moment, he knows that if he doesn't do anything, his brother will die at Thanos' hand. When he first starts speaking, I think he's just stalling for time. He's improvising."
"Then I think he realized, I've only got one shot at this and it might not work but at least I'll have saved my brother and I'll go down swinging," the actor says of Loki's attempt to kill the villain. "I always found it very touching that when he's listing, he's introducing himself, he says, 'I, Loki, of Jotunheim, Prince of Asgard, God of Mischief, Odison...' and he calls himself an Odinson."
"Really, those movies, up until that point, have been, especially from Loki's perspective, have been 'Who gets to call themself an Odinson?' The fact that he addresses himself in that way and looks at Thor, I found really touching," Hiddleston continued. "So, yeah, I think in that moment, what's going through Loki's mind: 'Damn, didn't work,' I guess."
It was certainly a big moment for the God of Mischief, and one that has clearly had an effect on the version of Loki we see in his Disney+ series. Something tells us The Avengers villain is going to do whatever it takes to escape his fate at the hands of Thanos, and we wouldn't be surprised if he has revenge on his mind.
What do you think about Hiddleston's take on Loki's final thoughts in the MCU?
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a recap of Loki's best moments in the MCU!
10. Saving Thor
Loki was somewhat redeemed in Thor: The Dark World following Frigga's death, and later sacrificed himself after taking a blow that was meant for his brother.
The villain died in Thor's arms, moments after killing Kurse and ensuring that the God of Thunder and Jane Foster would be able to bring an end to Malekith's plan. It was a heartbreaking moment, and one that only doesn't place higher because a post-credits scene would reveal that Loki faked his demise!
While Thor was battling Malekith, the God of Mischief returned to Asgard, banished Odin to Earth, and took his place on Asgard's throne.
We're obviously pleased that Loki survived, but it does lessen some of the impact of this scene.
9. One On One With Black Widow
The Avengers brought the word "quim" back into our vocabulary and saw Tom Hiddleston at his best as the God of Mischief berated and seemingly outsmarted Black Widow.
The tension in this scene was out of this world, with Hiddleston's spittle hitting the glass that separated him and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. However, something we really loved about this scene was the way Natasha Romanoff actually managed to outsmart Loki and use his hatred for humans against him.
Realising The Hulk was key to Loki's plan, she leaps into action immediately, and Hiddleston sold this moment perfectly.
It feels like this helped a lot in laying the groundwork for Loki to become one of the MCU's best villains, though it was this next moment that really shocked fans...
8. Killing Agent Coulson
By the time The Avengers had rolled around, Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson had become beloved among comic book fans. He may have been a newly created character, but there was just something about him that resonated with all of us.
So, of course, Joss Whedon killed him off in the most brutal way possible here!
While it looked like Coulson had managed to take the God of Mischief down using tech created from the remains of The Destroyer, it was all an illusion, and Loki proceeded to use the spectre to stab the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent through the back.
Marvel Television may have resurrected Coulson in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but we're still not convinced that's canon, and it makes this moment hurt no less!
7. A Brotherly Moment
Taika Waititi saved the Thor franchise with 2018's Thor: Ragnarok, and the way the filmmaker handled the God of Mischief's relationship with his brother really struck a chord with fans.
As they take an elevator ride together, Thor and Loki reflect on their past experiences, with the villain (now more of an anti-hero) learning the God of Thunder has, in fact, always cared for him. However, what really stings Loki here is that it's become apparent that Thor has pretty much gone past caring now with those multiple betrayals proving to be too much.
Loki clearly feels guilt, confusion, and a whole host of other emotions, and this helps explain his actions both later in this movie and Avengers: Infinity War (we'll get to that).
The fact this was followed by a brilliant team-up just makes it an even bigger highlight.
6. "Kneel!"
Loki was still in full villain mode in The Avengers, something emphasised by this scene in Germany.
The God of Mischief was less about, well, mischief, and more about tyranny as he invaded Earth shortly after making a deal with Thanos. Ordering those around him to "kneel," Loki believes humans "crave subjugation," and clearly feels that he's doing the right thing by conquering Midgard.
When an elderly man stands up and makes it clear he'll never bow before a tyrant (clearly, he survived World War II and Nazi Germany), Loki is about to wipe him out before Captain America intervenes.
It's a great moment, and one that felt far grander in scale at the time than it does now the MCU has expanded beyond our wildest dreams.
5. Thor Vs. Loki
Thor served as a solid introduction for both the God of Thunder and Loki, and Marvel Studios wasted no time in exploring the character's villainous side here.
After playing a role in Thor being banished to Earth, Loki takes the throne of Asgard for himself and later sends The Destroyer to Earth in a bid to kill his brother and The Warriors Three. It's hard to escape the feeling he's at least somewhat conflicted, though, and that was our first glimpse that there was more to this character than might meet the eye.
This personal, exciting final battle was truly glorious, and helped add a lot of depth to Loki.
The later reveal that he'd faked his death and would be the lead villain in The Avengers was simply the cherry on top of an already delicious cake.
4. Maybe's He's Not Too Bad After All
We've alluded to the impact Frigga's death had on Loki, but it was this moment in Thor: The Dark World that really peeled back some of the character's more complex layers.
Despite putting on a brave face, when Loki drops the illusion and we see the state he's really in - not to mention the grief he feels at his mother's demise after their earlier exchange - was really something special.
Yes, this wasn't one of the best Marvel Studios movies, but for Loki, it helped lay the groundwork for future stories.
Despite his heinous actions in The Avengers, this made us realise that the God of Mischief wasn't really all that bad, and that inside, he was more damaged than any of us previously thought.
3. Making The Ultimate Sacrifice
While Loki clearly couldn't still be fully trusted (he had taken the Tesseract from Asgard before it was destroyed), when Thor: Ragnarok ended and Avengers: Infinity War began, the trickster had clearly resolved many of the issues he'd had with his brother.
As a result, it was no great surprise when Loki really did make the ultimate sacrifice when he came face-to-face with Thanos again.
Clearly stalling for time in the hope Thor could save the day, Loki attempted to betray and kill the Mad Titan, but found himself overpowered by the Infinity Stone-wielding villain. As a result, Loki died after being choked to death by Thanos, but not before getting one final shot in:
"You will never be a God."
2. Ragnarok
Once again, it seemed Loki had proved himself untrustworthy, betraying Thor and proving his brother right.
However, that aforementioned conversation in the elevator clearly struck a chord with the God of Mischief, so his return to Asgard alongside those forces from The Grandmaster's arena was an utterly delightful moment.
Yes, Loki took the opportunity to revel in his arrival (declaring himself Asgard's "savior"), but this was still a big moment for him, and one that again helped take him from villain to hero...mostly. Throw in the sight of him wearing that classic helmet as he kicked ass, and this was 100% awesome.
However, it's this next moment that really stands out to us...
1. Loki Is No Match For The Hulk
Sure, this exchange with The Hulk didn't end well for the God of Mischief, but it has to be his best moment in the MCU to date.
No one could have seen this coming, but that's what made it so great. As the villain squared up to the Jade Giant in The Avengers, little did he know that The Hulk was about to make short work of this "Puny God." With that, Loki was defeated, and it was the perfect way for this story to wrap up.
It also created a fun throwback moment for Marvel Studios that paid off in Thor: Ragnarok when Loki cheered as he watched Thor experience exactly what that felt like!
This is iconic, and let's face it, Loki deserved it.