If you were watching the Marvel movies in order, and you went to see Avengers: Infinity War in theaters back in 2018, you probably weren’t expecting Loki to die in the first scene of the movie at the hands of Thanos. I know I wasn’t. It was a brutal and quick end for the God of Mischief, and it asserted the dominance of Josh Brolin’s villain quickly. Now, Tom Hiddleston has opened up about what it was like to create the moment and the sweet thing the Thanos actor told him before they shot the intense scene.
While Hiddleston knew about this scene three years before they filmed it, it was still challenging. Josh Brolin was acutely aware of that, especially since he played the character who was putting an end to Loki, who Hiddleston had been playing for seven years at that point. As the Thor star spoke to Variety about his career and his time playing the god, he reflected on Loki’s death in Infinity War, revealing a sweet interaction he shared with the Dune actor:
It was a big day. I checked into my hotel and within an hour or two I had run into Josh Brolin, who could not have been kinder. He enveloped me in this enormous hug and he was like ‘I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.’
I love that Brolin and Hiddleston shared this sweet moment. Both of them seemingly acknowledging the history and weight packed into this scene adds more meaning to it, and it makes it obvious how much they care for each other and the movie. The Thor: Ragnarok actor has been open about how much Loki’s death in Infinity War means to him, saying it closed his character’s chapter well and set up the stakes of what was to come.
However, the death was sudden in the movie, and even Kevin Feige noted that fans called Marvel out for how Loki’s story ended (although the show Loki hadn’t been announced at that point). Josh Brolin also didn’t love shooting the Thanos vs. Loki scene, and in 2018, he told USA Today:
He had been with that character for so long. And he’s so lauded for doing it. Tom was so vulnerable at that moment. So choking him out wasn’t the most fun thing I have ever done.
However, as we know, everything worked out. Loki came back and got his own show, which is so good it’s considered one of Marvel’s best series.
It’s still fascinating though to hear Hiddleston reflect on this monumental moment in MCU history. In the same interview, he recalled his final moments on set after Loki was killed by Thanos, saying:
Then there was a big round of applause and everybody said ‘congratulations’ and ‘well done’ and ‘thank you, come and see us anytime, you’ll always be part of the family.’ But, you know, just when…never say never again, basically.
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Now, in 2024, Loki is sitting with the strings of time, as Loki’s Season 2 finale saw him meet an entirely new emotional fate years after the events of Infinity War.
It’s honestly crazy to look back on this turning point in the MCU, and how everyone treated it behind the scenes. I’m happy Brolin and Hiddleston were there for each other, and honestly, it only makes one of the best Marvel movies even better.
To go back and see Tom Hiddleston as Loki and Josh Brolin as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, you can stream it (along with all of Marvel’s other movies and shows) with a Disney+ subscription.