A slew of important and beloved characters were killed off in Avengers: Infinity War. The majority of the lives in question were claimed by Thanos at the end of the film, after he assembled all of the Infinity Gems into the Gauntlet. But a few were sadly dispatched earlier in the movie; namely Loki, Heimdall and Gamora. This leaves us wondering: even if those dusted by the infamous finger snap are restored to corporeal form in Avengers 4, will that be of any help to those he killed before? Or are those deaths truly permanent?
The jury is out on Heimdall and Gamora. But one Redditor has made an interesting observation about Loki, which gives us hope that the Trickster may still be alive. You see, the son of Laufey has always been presented as right-handed. Now you’re probably thinking, “So what? That’s an insignificant detail.” And under most circumstances, that would be true. However, in this case, it could be a crucial fact.
Looking back at his previous appearances, Loki has always wielded weapons in his right hand. Innocuous objects as well. There has been only one time he was presented as a southpaw: the scene in Thor: The Dark World in which he fakes his own death. We didn’t know it at the time, of course. But watching the scene again with the knowledge that his demise is a trick, it’s easy to surmise that he’s using a mirror illusion of some sort.
If you think we’re placing too much importance on a single, tiny detail, just remember: Marvel does nothing by accident or coincidence. Easter eggs and foreshadowing are everywhere. Also, we have to keep in mind how many times Loki has “died” in previous films. He plans for this sort of thing.
Now you may be wondering, what does this have to do with Infinity War? As it turns out, the scene in which Loki confronts Thanos and attempts to trick him is the only other time in the entire MCU that he is seen holding a weapon in his left hand. Coincidence? Not likely.
So, did Thanos crack the neck of a false Loki? It’s certainly possible. The god of mischief has been known to project, multiply, and otherwise make artificial representations of his person. And in the case of the battle with the dark elves, he did so to save his own life. He thereby gained the upper hand by making his enemy believe he was dead. Knowing how dangerous it would be to confront the Mad Titan face to face, it would only be prudent for him to keep his physical form elsewhere.
There are, however, a couple of counterpoints to keep in mind. One is the fact that Thanos’ Black Order thugs were on his right. So his left side is the only place he could easily conceal a weapon. So even though he’s right-handed, it would make sense in this specific scene for him to hold the dagger on his left.
The other is a more obvious point: if he survived his showdown with Thanos, where the hell was he for the rest of the movie? Despite his many flaws, Loki has proven his love for his brother. He wouldn’t have left Thor to fight a Gauntlet-wielding Thanos alone.
Or would he? With his powers of reality manipulation, Loki might be the only other character who could see possible outcomes of the battle like Doctor Strange did. So perhaps he knew that his presence would be required later in the war. He could simply be lying in wait until the opportune moment presents itself.
What do you think of this theory? Is Loki dead or alive? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!