by The Collected Mutineer

Diehard Loki fans have had a hard time believing our favorite god of mischief is really and truly dead in the wake of Avengers: Infinity War. In the months leading up to Avengers: Endgame, the internet has been a whirlpool of theories and ideas as to how Loki might still be alive and an active part of the MCU. That whirlpool was hit with a tornado today when Marvel released new character posters with a twist: those in color show us characters who survived Infinity War. Those in black and white represent characters who either died in the snap or who were killed by Thanos before he had the full power of the gauntlet (i.e. Loki and Gamora).

There’s a lot to discuss with these posters and their various implications, but let’s focus on Loki. Since he died pre-snap, there was room for doubt as to whether or not he might survive. After all, we know with some certainty that at least a few characters return. Peter Parker, for example, and Nick Fury are both alive and well in Spider-man: Far From Home which supposedly takes place after Endgame. And many believe based on clues about pocket dimensions and the Soul World that various characters will be revived once Thanos is defeated. What are the odds that Loki might be among the resurrected? Or is he gone for good?

All previous theories aside, here’s what we know from the poster of Loki itself. The set of posters include our major and minor characters. All of the black and white ones with the exception of Gamora and Loki were “dusted” by Thanos, which we know is not a traditional death. So why include those who died pre-snap when they appeared to be actually dead-dead? Listing Gamora and Loki among the dusted fallen isn’t a coincidence—it must have significance. What that significance is, we can’t be sure. But whether or not reports of their deaths have been greatly exaggerated, I’m fairly certain on one front at least: both Tom Hiddleston and Zoe Saldana must play a part in Endgame, even if they are not brought back to life (or back into our dimension). They may not be listed as cast on IMDB, but that won’t stop me from pursuing a good theory.

I suppose the MCU might be playing cruel games with us, but I’m choosing to look at the bright side. And if nothing else…at least Loki’s getting his own TV show. The sun will shine on us again!

Avengers: Endgame premiers on April 26, 2019.

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