Avengers: Infinity War featured some shocking moments and even more shocking deaths. Before the opening title even appeared, several well-known characters met their demise, including Loki. While behind the scenes of the shoot was more lighthearted, on-screen fans were heartbroken. Thanos kills Loki brutally and tragically while Thor helplessly watches. If this wasn’t shocking enough, fans have wondered if the death was warranted.

Update April 11th, 2023: This article has been updated following the release of Loki and to reflect recent developments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe regarding the Multiverse Saga.
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Loki’s death may have seemed minuscule in the grand scheme of Avengers: Infinity War, which also saw the deaths of Heimdall, Gamora, Vision, and then half of the universe. Yet Loki’s death was a major one for the MCU that had ripple effects still being felt in Phases 4 and 5 which are part of The Multiverse Saga. Here is why Loki had to die in Avengers: Infinity War and how it has shaped the MCU’s future.

Loki’s Death Had Been Coming Since The Avengers

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As shown in Thanos’ cameo in The Avengers, Loki knew exactly who Thanos was. Thanos employed Loki to invade New York, offering him his army in exchange for Loki getting him the Tesseract which would later be revealed as the Space Stone. Even when he was power-hungry and arrogant, Loki was smart enough to know to fear Thanos. He was familiar with Thanos’ past planet cleansing, and that is why Loki believed he was key in ruling Earth. He knew how powerful the Titan was, but more importantly, he knew how powerful the Infinity Stones were.

In The Avengers, Loki had a conversation with The Other (Alexis Denisof), a lackey of Thanos. The Other warned Loki about what would happen if he failed Thanos. He told them there would be nowhere in the galaxy that Thanos could not find him and would make him long for death. Loki had essentially been running from Thanos throughout the MCU, hiding on Asgard both in a prison cell and impersonating Odin. Thanos was going to make Loki pay for his failure, even costing him one of his infinity stones.

Loki Had Grown As A Character

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Loki had been one of the most famous villains in the MCU, thanks to his complex role in the first Thor movie and his status as the main villain in The Avengers. Throughout the franchise, partially due to his popularity, he began to shift from a straightforward villain to an anti-hero. Loki and Thor had reconciled in Thor: Ragnarök, bringing the brother’s conflict that had defined their relationship since the beginning of the series.

Related: Why Loki’s Season 2 Delay Is Good News for the God of Mischief

Loki’s death in Avengers: Infinity War is the ultimate sign of character growth. He identifies himself as “Odinson”, solidifying his familiar bond with his brother Thor and finally accepting Odin as his father. He attempts to kill Thanos. While he fails, he still took the chance to try and stop Thanos before he could hurt more people. Loki may have been classified as a villain, but he died attempting to be a hero.

Loki Wouldn’t Last On Earth

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In the after-credits scene of Thor: Ragnarök, Loki voiced his reluctance to return to Earth. In the eyes of humanity, and The Avengers, he was a war criminal. Loki had redeemed himself at this point, but it would still take some time to earn the trust of the planet. Loki would not exactly be welcomed with open arms. There is a chance he would have been thrown in prison. Even with Thor defending him, it would be revealed at some point that Loki had stolen the Tesseract, which even Thor wouldn’t be able to defend. Seeing how Loki used the Tesseract to cause mayhem the first time he visited Earth, it would be difficult to talk his way out of it.

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Even when he did briefly go to Earth in Thor: Ragnarök, Dr. Strange saw to it that Loki was not able to do anything except fall endlessly in what is assumed to be between two portals. It is not as if Loki wanted to die, but he knew that sacrificing himself to Thanos would be the best bet. The MCU has shown how difficult it has been for Bucky to find redemption for his actions as The Winter Soldier, and he was not even in control of himself during those attacks. Loki is associated with being the root cause of death and destruction in the Battle of New York, resulting in millions of lives being lost. If Loki were to have survived and been given refuge in New Asgard, it likely would have resulted in a war.

Loki’s Death Was Orchestrated By Kang

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Loki’s death in Avengers: Infinity War might be one of the most important in the entire franchise of the domino effect is causes. Loki’s death motivates Thor who, in a blind rage, fails to go for Thanos’ head, resulting in him using the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe. Thanos then destroyed the stones, and as a result, the Avengers needed to use time travel to traverse the multiverse to retrieve them and restore everyone who was dusted back to life. In the process, the Avengers accidentally create a branched timeline where a Loki variant from 2012 escapes.

This kicks off the series Loki. All of these events can be traced back to Thanos killing Loki. Why is Loki’s death so important? It was all orchestrated by He Who Remains, a variant of Kang the Conqueror. It is revealed that the MCU is a timeline that has been manipulated and controlled by He Who Remains. Every action was supposed to happen … including Loki’s death and his 2012 variant escaping as a result.

The variant of Loki would later be brought to the end of time, where he, alongside another Loki variant (Slyvie), confronted He Who Remains. Sylvie kills He Who Remains, resulting in the MCU timeline being split apart and the multiverse being born. Loki’s death in Avengers: Infinity War kicked off the entire Multiverse Saga. It was all orchestrated by He Who Remains, as he would need Loki to uncover the truth about the TVA and meet him. This surely will be delved deeper in Loki season 2, coming to Disney later in 2023.