Marvel"s Original Plan For Loki & How It Would Have Reshaped The MCU

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Summary

Loki's death in Thor: The Dark World was supposed to be permanent, but public outcry convinced Marvel Studios to bring the character back.
If Loki had stayed dead, major events in the Infinity Saga, including Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War, would have played out differently.
Loki's continued popularity and the existence of the multiverse ensure that even when Tom Hiddleston's time as Loki eventually ends, Marvel Studios can continue to utilize the character through different variants.

Thanks to his knowledge of the multiverse, Loki is one of the most critical players in the Multiverse Saga, but he wouldn't even exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe anymore if Marvel Studios stuck to its original plan about the character. Bolstered by the success of casting Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Marvel Studios took another leap of faith by bringing in essentially two unknowns to spearhead Kenneth Branagh's Thor film from 2011. While Chris Hemsworth landed the role of the God of Thunder, Tom Hiddleston nabbed the character of his mischievous brother Loki. Despite being an anti-hero, Loki quickly became a fan favorite.
Loki remains a pivotal part of the MCU, albeit this time, he's functioning more as a hero. Despite his death in the Sacred Timeline at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, his variant now jumps through time and realities as he delves deeper into the mystery of Kang the Conqueror in the upcoming Loki season 2. Considering his previous interaction with He Who Remains, the God of Mischief is one of the few characters who are aware of the looming threat in the multiverse. However, the character shouldn't have even lasted this long in the MCU, with Loki’s death in Thor: The Dark World supposed to be definitive.
Why Marvel Didn't Kill Off Loki In Thor: The Dark World

Hiddleston himself revealed in 2018 that Loki's death in Svartalfheim was going to be permanent. Even Hemsworth knew it too, hence why there was so much raw emotion during the brothers' farewell moment. In any case, it seemed like the perfect way to send off the character as he was essentially redeemed by then. He had made up for his mistakes and even gave up his life for the greater good. Loki's death was one of the best scenes in the otherwise panned Thor: The Dark World. However, the public outcry from the character's demise changed Marvel Studios' mind.
Online campaigns have proven to work, as evidenced by James Gunn's reinstatement as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's director. However, it didn't really take Marvel Studios that much convincing to reverse their stance on Loki's death in Thor: The Dark World. The character has long been very popular; in his early years in the MCU, he would even outshine his Avengers brother. It wasn't until Taika Waititi joined the franchise and overhauled the Thor franchise via Thor: Ragnarok that the God of Thunder gradually rose in the ranks that could rival his mischievous brother. Waititi recognized that Thor's problem was that Loki always overshadowed him

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