In one of the most shocking moments in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thanos very definitively killed Loki when they crossed paths in the opening of Avengers: Infinity War. With that, the God of Mischief was dead and gone...until his 2012 counterpart was able to escape his fate by making off with the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame.
That story will play out in the Loki, and during a recent interview (via Digital Spy) to promote the Disney+ series, Tom Hiddleston shed some light on when Marvel Studios broke the news to him about his character's demise.
"It was the very first scene the Russos, Joe and Anthony, had [come up with]," he explains. "They told me about it in person when I went in to meet [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] and he was walking me through the loose sketch of the story for Thor: Ragnarok. This was May 2016."
"So I knew, before I started Ragnarok, the endgame...no pun intended," Hiddleston continued. "Then it came time, three days in 2017 in the spring – I went out to Atlanta, and there was such a generous atmosphere from people on set. Some I'd known since the early days."
He also praised Thanos actor Josh Brolin ("[He] could not have been sweeter") and recalls meeting the man who would - temporarily - end his tenure as Loki.
"I remember meeting him, actually, when I landed, before we started filming. He just enveloped me in a big hug and said, 'I'm sorry, man'. It was a big day, and a big moment."
While that Loki's story has ended, there's more to come from Thor's brother in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His apparent alliance with the Time Variance Authority is undeniably intriguing, and we have a feeling that by the time all is said and done, the MCU is going to have another God of Mischief.
Click on the "Next" button below to check out 10 crazy
alternate timelines the God of Mischief could visit in Loki!
10. Earth-616
You'll see a lot of fun suggestions listed here but, honestly, this one would be a dream come true.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is a huge comic book fan and seeing Loki arrive on an Earth strikingly similar to his own, albeit with some key differences, would be epic. Marvel Studios would have to pull out all the stops in terms of cameos, but just imagine seeing Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, and more in their classic, WandaVision-style costumes!
Remember, Loki was the reason the Avengers assembled in the source material, so it would be a blast if he were to find himself once again squaring off with the team after pitting The Hulk against them.
9. A World Without Thanos
When Thanos learned about his future self's demise, he travelled forward in time to 2023 and went to war with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. It didn't end well for this "variant" of the villain, and the Mad Titan was turned to ash alongside his entire army after Iron Man unleashed the power of the Infinity Stones.
This means there's now a timeline where Thanos never gathers the Infinity Stones and the events on Earth pan out in a very different way. Everything we saw up until Black Panther likely still happened, but the Secret Avengers would still be on the run, the Blip wouldn't have happened, and that reality's Loki would be very much alive and well (with the Tesseract in his possession).
Thanos might be gone, but something tells us another threat would have arisen to fill the void. Perhaps that could explain why we see a destroyed version of New York in the Loki trailer?
8. A World Where Thanos Won
An alternative to the above is Loki arriving in a reality where the Mad Titan was able to defeat the Avengers and create a new universe where no one would remember what they had lost.
Visiting an "idyllic" universe ruled over by the Mad Titan - who would no doubt viewed as a God in this reality - could be a lot of fun, and something that shows Loki the consequences of what teaming with Thanos would ultimately lead to (this might even play nicely into this variant's redemption arc).
Marvel Studios could take a reality like this to some truly twisted places, especially if we were to learn that what Thanos created wasn't the paradise he imagined. Thanos being Thanos, we're sure that he'd have made sure the Avengers were either non-existent or subservient to him in some way.
7. 2099
The 2099 Universe is mostly known for the Miguel O'Hara version of Spider-Man, but there are plenty of interesting alternate takes on our favourite heroes and villains in that timeline. If Loki makes a few trips into the future (which could be possible depending on the TVA's capabilities), then visiting a future version of the MCU could nicely tease where this world eventually goes.
Whether it's the new Hulk, Thor, or even Doom, it would be very cool getting a glimpse at the future. Yes, the highlight would obviously be seeing Spider-Man 2099 - we're sure Sony Pictures would be on board with that if it opens the door to a spinoff they could develop - but Marvel Studios could easily reinvent this timeline to their own liking, and it would be a neat Easter Egg for fans.
There's even a "Loki 2099" that the 2012 version could easily cross paths with in this timeline...
6. No Guardians Of The Galaxy
That timeline without Thanos is also lacking a Gamora, and that's probably enough to ensure that the Guardians of the Galaxy never come together. Rocket and Groot would continue doing their own thing and Peter Quill would most likely return to the Ravagers. With Thanos suddenly M.I.A., Ronan would be free to destroy Xandar unopposed, killing millions in the process.
As for Ego, while he wouldn't have heard about Star-Lord's heroic actions, he'd find his son sooner rather than later, and that could also have some disastrous consequences.
On the plus side, the Reality Stone probably would have stayed safe with The Collector, but we know he can't really be trusted. With no Guardians, the Galaxy would likely be doomed. That's a reality the God of Mischief could have some fun in, and possibly manipulate to his own ends.
5. Days Of Future Past
Perhaps we're being optimistic, but with mutants on the way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we can't help but wonder whether Loki could at least tease their existence in a future timeline.
"Days of Future Past" was very loosely adapted in the 2014 movie of the same name, but an argument could be made that it didn't really do this timeline justice. Loki landing on a world full of internment camps, only to find himself surrounded by massive robot Sentinels, would be a cool nod that fans of the source material would definitely be able to get on board with.
Something tells us that the God of Mischief would leave that reality pretty quickly, but for comic book fans, a glimpse of one possible, desolate future for the MCU would be extremely exciting.
4. The Ramifications Of Loki's Escape
Loki's escape with the Tesseract has created a whole new timeline where the God of Mischief wouldn't have helped his brother during the events of Thor: The Dark World or taken the throne from Odin. Thor probably would have devoted his time to tracking down his brother, and even the Avengers might have focused more on searching for the Tesseract than stopping HYDRA.
This might even mean Thor wouldn't have been on Earth when Ultron attacked, so it's no wonder the TVA is keen to set things right after Loki's actions turned him into one of their "variants."
Thanos would, of course, still be a factor in this timeline and probably desperate to find Loki. Would Odin have still died, unleashing Hela upon the world? Would HYDRA have found it easier to take over the world with Earth's Mightiest Heroes focused on finding the Asgardian villain?
3. Captain America's Happy Ending
We've heard conflicting comments from the Russo Brothers and Avengers: Endgame writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely about Captain America's decision to reunite with Peggy Carter. The former claim that he lived his life out in an alternate timeline, while the latter argue that he was always destined to be Peggy's secret husband and the father of her children.
Whatever the case may be, Steve Rogers going back and marrying his first love means that the world had a Captain America from World War II onwards and there's simply no way he would have sat on the sidelines during events like Vietnam and the Iraq War (even if he would have been too old to fight during the latter). If nothing else, he must have worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.!
That makes Steve a "variant," and the TVA could easily task Loki with going to this timeline to set things right...if that leads to Captain America vs. the God of Mischief, you can sign us up.
2. A Final Battle With Thor
If you're familiar with Jason Aaron's Thor run, you'll know that he wrapped things up by heading thousands of years into the future to explore Loki's final battle with the "King Thor" version of his brother.
It's unclear whether the MCU's version of the TVA has the capability to travel into the future, but if the God of Mischief has the opportunity to see what might come next for him...well, he's gonna take a look. Witnessing their final battle (with a desolate Earth in the background) could be enough for Loki to either see the error of his ways or set out to destroy the Thunder God once and for all.
We're definitely expecting Kang the Conqueror to be part of Loki in some way. He could quite easily manipulate his fellow villain with a trip into the future which sets him on a path that benefits Kang.
1. Lady Loki And Kid Loki
Common sense says Sophia Di Martino is playing Lady Loki in this Disney+ series, and she has to be a God of Mischief from another timeline. Kid Loki also seems likely, with the MCU's version of the villain discovering that there are more versions of him across the Multiverse than he realises.
They could be part of a collective or even have their own sinister plans, but surely the TVA has the power to return Loki to his own timeline, so why do they need his help to fix it?
Well, if there are other versions of Loki out there, then who better to beat Loki...than Loki?! There's a fun story to be told here, and as much as we love Tom Hiddleston in the role, we wouldn't be remotely surprised if Di Martino winds up becoming the MCU's new, permanent version of this character.