As Loki on Disney+ draws near, fans have been reflecting on their favorite moments with the God of Mischief throughout his MCU tenure. Tom Hiddleston's Loki has been a fan favorite since his first appearance in 2011's Thor, and his character arc from backstabbing villain to reluctant do-gooder was an extremely enjoyable one.
For many, though, Loki's death while attempting to assassinate Josh Brolin's Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War didn't make a lot of sense. Marvel's Trickster had worked with Thanos in the past and surely knew how powerful he was, yet he attempted a very transparent betrayal that led to Thanos snapping his neck.
Loki's actor, Tom Hiddleston, recently defended his character's actions and gave a better look at what was going through his head in his final moments.
HIDDLESTON DEFENDS LOKI'S INFINITY WAR ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
In an exclusive interview with Comicbook, Hiddleston said the whole scene in Avengers: Infinity War when Loki tried to kill Thanos was "terrifying for both Thor and Loki" and that Loki knew "that if he doesn't do anything his brother will die at Thanos' hand:"
"Genuinely, 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 says, 'If you're going to Earth, you might a guide. I have a bit of experience in that arena.' He's trying to think of a way of stalling Thanos. He's improvising."
Hiddleston then went on to explain that Loki knew his plan "might not work".
"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.' I always found that very touching. He knows what he's gonna do. In Loki's defense, I know some people have been, 'Why's he use a knife?' and stuff but he does go for the head. He almost makes it so he knows how to do that."
Loki's transformation as a character is revealed in his list of titles that he spouts off to Thanos, according to Hiddleston, who says he "always found it very touching:"
"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."
In the end, though, Hiddleston remarks that Loki's final thoughts after failing to kill Thanos were likely something akin to, "Damn, it didn't work."
LOKI'S DEATH A FITTING END FOR THE GOD OF MISCHIEF?
Hiddleston's comments make a lot of sense and are certainly fitting for his character. Both Loki and Thor were completely blindsided by Thanos' sudden arrival, still reeling as they were from the destruction of Asgard and their narrow escape from Hela and Surtur. When the Hulk, Thor, and Heimdall were handily bested by the Mad Titan, Loki was forced to improvise some final scheme in hopes of seeing his brother to safety.
In many ways, it is fitting for Loki's end to be a sacrifice against the very villain who set him on his path to conquer the Earth in 2012's The Avengers. It helps to show how far Loki has come over the course of the films, and also how his relationship with his brother has changed. In this final act, he's buying time to save Thor from Thanos, likely with the hope that the God of Thunder will be able to find a way to stop him, even if he can't.
Loki's sacrifice is also quite similar to Tony Stark's in Avengers: Endgame. Steve Rogers pointed out to Tony in The Avengers that he wasn't the type "to make the sacrifice play." Loki most certainly wasn't either in his earlier appearances and yet both came around to give their lives to protect both the ones they loved and the wider world from Thanos' genocidal mission.
While the version of Loki that fans saw throughout the MCU up until this point is gone, a variant from 2012 will star in a time-hopping adventure when Loki debuts on Disney+ on Wednesday, June 9.
