After hitting theaters in April and changing the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever, Avengers: Infinity War has been carefully dissected. Marvel fans examined every shot of the blockbuster in hopes of gleaning what might be next, after The Russo Brothers devastated audiences with Thanos' finger snap of death. But the death and destruction actually began in the opening sequence, where Heimdall and Loki were killed by Thanos himself.
But there is a popular Loki theory out there, claiming that the Trickster God might not be dead after all, and that Thanos killed a fake version of the fan favorite villain. But now The Russo Brothers have shut that down, saying:
Loki is Dead.
Well, that seems pretty cut and dry. And although the Russo Brothers are wont to throw fans off their narrative trail, it seems like a concrete verdict on the status of Tom Hiddleston's character. At least, until Avengers 4 arrives.
The Russo Brothers recently fielded questions from a post-screening Q&A, clearing up tons of rumors about Infinity War. When asked about the fan theory that Bruce Banner is actually Loki in disguise, Slashfilm's Peter Sciretta quoted their response. And it's a heartbreaker, since Loki is largely considered the MCU's best villain. Then again, anything seems possible throughout the course of Avengers 4.
With Thanos having destroyed half the galaxy, fans are wondering how the surviving Avengers will reverse the effects of the snap. Time travel seems to be the most popular theory, with set photos revealing scenes that appear to be set during The Avengers' battle of New York. Furthermore, Ant-Man and The Wasp brought int he Quantum Realm, which has been teased to have time traveling abilities and warp holes to explore alternate dimensions.
There are clearly a ton of possibilities to how characters like Black Panther and Spider-Man will be revived from the snap, allowing their franchises to continue in Phase Four. Could this also include those who died before the snap? Those fan favorites include Loki, Gamora, and Heimdall-- alongside a mass of Asgardians.
Given Marvel's plans for Loki's TV series on the Disney+ app, all eyes are on how Marvel will somehow keep Loki as a character, despite his apparent death in Avengers: Infinity War. While the developing show could easily be a prequel, keeping him in the current timeline would require a resurrection of some kind.
Of course, there are plenty of Marvel fans who don't want to se Loki somehow skirt death again. He seemingly perished in Thor: The Dark World, although his survival was eventually revealed to Thor during Ragnarok. Repeating this same beat would be a disservice to the Thor franchise, while also making the God of Thunder's primary motivation in Infinity War a fallacy.
More answers should come when Avengers 4 arrives in theaters May 3rd. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
