Loki’s death at the hands of Thanos kicked off Avengers: Infinity War as it was going to continue, with the heartbreaking death of a beloved character. It also marked the completion of Loki’s redemption arc, as he attempted to kill his former master, though his plan didn’t come together. Or did it?
A new fan theory suggests that the God of Mischief might’ve been even more selfless in this scene than we realized. Reddit user u/GenerallKenoA has shared their idea that Loki knew all too well that his ploy to trick Thanos and then try and stab him would end in tragedy. He knows the Mad Titan of old, remember, not to mention that he’s just seen him best Thor and Hulk in a fight. He must’ve realized he wasn’t going to beat the big fella, either. Likewise, killing Thanos wouldn’t even end the threat, as the Black Order would’ve wiped them out in retaliation, anyway.
This theory goes, then, that Loki deliberately failed in his attack on Thanos and was sacrificing himself so that his brother could live. The Redditor suggests that it’s all to do with the villain’s belief in bringing balance to things. If he killed Loki, Thanos would be compelled to let Thor go. As the theorist puts it, he’d be “obligated to leave the only other royal Asgardian alive.”
While this is definitely a moving concept, it doesn’t necessarily line up completely. Thanos does sometimes dish out mercy to balance out his bloodshed, but other times he lets the universe balance things out itself. What’s more, he doesn’t specifically kill Thor, but Thanos does blow up the Asgardian ship after he leaves and the God of Thunder is only saved from death by the Guardians’ timely intervention. So Loki’s ploy, according to this theory, almost didn’t work out.
What do you think, though? Does this Avengers: Infinity War theory have any legs? Share your opinion in the usual place.
