While Avengers: Endgame sent us on a rollercoaster of emotions that culminated the Infinity Saga in glorious fashion, it also left a void in our hearts by taking away fan-favorite relationships. The MCU has developed numerous special relationships between its characters, but the sibling bond between Loki and Thor has always been especially beloved among fans. Initially, Loki was introduced as the first big villain, but, eventually, fans started seeing through him and realized that the God of Mischief had a softer side, one longing for love, validation, and equal treatment.
On the other hand, Thor was the true heir to the Asgard throne and one of Earth's mightiest heroes, and he suffered a lot in his life. Even though the brothers had no blood relations, they shared a close bond and had their own fun sibling moments. At times, Loki might have caused some troubles, but his love for his brother was always there, right until the end.
Indeed, Loki's death completely shattered Thor, as he only had a brother by his side after the rest of his family died. Although the brothers are now on different paths in their individual story arcs, with Thor now being a father and the 2012 Loki dealing with TVA and other multiversal matters. In this particular article, we'll address both why the brothers should have an MCU reunion and why it's simply not a good idea.
10 Should: To Set Up Young Avengers
The audience has already witnessed the brotherly dynamic between Thor and Loki in all three phases of the MCU, but a reunion can prove to be fruitful if the franchise decides to set up other, unique storylines. Aside from Dr. Strange and Wanda, Loki is the one whose variants have already been introduced in the MCU, which opens the possibility of a comic-accurate Young Avengers storyline.
According to the comics, Loki is resurrected and becomes a kid with no memories, but in order to not become his cruel past self, he joins the Young Avengers, and Thor becomes his guiding light. Kid Loki has already appeared in the MCU; he is powerful and has killed Thor in his universe. Maybe in any future Multiverse projects, he can come across the MCU's Thor, who aids and mentors him like in the comics. Even though the variant isn't Thor's actual brother, it would still be fascinating to see how they interact and reflect on their experiences.
9 Shouldn't: It Would Ruin the Emotional Impact of Infinity War
When a main character dies or is killed in a film, it adds depth to the story and increases its stakes. In the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos tortures Thor until Loki is persuaded to give up the Space Stone, and then is murdered brutally by the Mad Titan. For Thor, it was a heartbreaking moment because he was helpless and couldn't save his brother's life.
This particular scene also came as a shock to the fans' when they realized Loki had died — seemingly for real this time — and wasn't faking his death. Fueled by anger and a need for revenge, Thor wanted to kill Thanos. Loki's death was necessary to bring Thor to his lowest and make him rise above the odds. The God of Thunder's character arc was impacted, too, so if Loki and Thor ever meet in the Multiverse, it would undermine the emotional impact Loki's death originally created.
8 Should: Can Help in Defeating Kang
In the aftermath of Endgame, the 2012 Loki escapes with the Tesseract and is arrested by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) for messing with the sacred timeline. Throughout Loki Season 1, he and Sylvie embark on the journey to find the man pulling the strings of the TVA from afar and discover He Who Remains, who is in fact Kang's variant.
As Loki has first-hand experience with the Multiverse and Kang the Conqueror, he can be of great help to the Avengers, who will inevitably assemble for the first time after Endgame. As of now, it's not known if Thor will be a part of the upcoming Avengers movie or not, but he might appear as he is one of the last original Avengers standing. In this grand event of Avengers assembling, the Norse Gods can team up to take down Kang and give fans the power duo moment they've been longing for.
7 Shouldn't: They're Now Different and Developed Characters
Loki and Thor have been a part of the MCU for more than a decade, and many sides of their characters have already been explored. For Thor, he proved himself to be worthy of the Asgardian throne, joined the Avengers, fought many villains, and suffered immeasurable tragedies, but he also rose over the hardships, and by Thor: Love and Thunder, all he wanted was inner peace.
Meanwhile, Loki is a complex character who always had a hunger for power and consequently made morally ambiguous decisions. His character continuously teetered between antagonist and anti-hero after The Avengers. He stood by his brother to defeat Hela and Malekith, made unsuccessful attempts to take over the Asgardian throne, faked his death multiple times, and, finally, his chapter came to a close in Infinity War.
The Loki that we're currently following in the MCU is one from the past; he hasn't gone through what the original Loki has. As a result, a reunion between Thor and Loki won't be beneficial for their story as they are not on the same page of their shared history, and Loki might not be able to provide much-needed closure to his brother because he didn't grow alongside Thor like the original Loki.
6 Should: For Ultimate Closure
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Initially, Loki was portrayed as jealous and villainous, but as his character arc progressed, one couldn't ignore the fact that he loved and cared deeply for Thor. The duo grew even closer, and their moments of brotherhood, care, love, and humor were depicted well when they teamed up in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok.
In Endgame, Loki gives up the Tesseract and sacrifices his life to protect Thor, who helplessly watches him die. Though the TVA Loki didn't face any of the events after The Avengers, he is still aware of his intended future, which also includes his mother's death and his end in Infinity War. A reunion would give them an opportunity to confront their unresolved emotions and bring ultimate closure before both characters leave the franchise for good.
5 Shouldn't: Explore Different Relationships and Storylines
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A character evolves when he is put into different situations and is forced to interact with other characters around him. While Thor and Loki's dynamic has been explored across multiple Thor sequels and Avengers movies, keeping them on separate paths and exploring their other relationships might prove beneficial to their story arcs. In fact, the MCU is doing well right now, particularly with Thor temporarily joining the Guardians of the Galaxy team and Loki encountering Sylvie and Mobius. What's more, these two brothers have a lot of interesting comic storylines and relationships that can be brought to the MCU as well and take the franchise in new directions.
4 Should: Potential Team-Up and New Plot
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Thor: Ragnarok was the last time we saw the brothers stood by each other against their own sister Hela and saved Asgard. The two were aware that Hela was way more powerful than them, but they teamed up alongside their other friends, Valkyrie and Hulk, who helped them rescue Asgardians and kill Hela. The God of Thunder proved that, even without Mjolnir, he is powerful, whereas Loki showed his magical powers and trickery.
Their incredible abilities make them a formidable team, which can prove useful if put against other powerful villains. This also serves as an opportunity to unlock and explore some new powers of this brotherly duo. Even if the MCU doesn't want to disrupt current storylines, they can also dive into the What if? possibilities of Thor and Loki teaming up or possible explore a standalone sequel dedicated to Loki and Thor's past adventures and rivalry away from the Multiverse chaos to dive deep into their complex relationship.
3 Shouldn't: They're Good on Their Own
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Thor is one of the Avengers who has borne a lot of pain and suffering throughout the MCU. After Loki's death in Infinity War, he later loses the love of his life, Jane Foster, in Love and Thunder. Currently, Thor has now taken up the fatherly responsibilities of Gorr's daughter Love.
Loki, on the other hand, was arrested by the TVA, tasked with finding Sylvie, uncovers the TVA's motives and He Who Remains, and now is involved in the Multiverse crisis. He isn't the Loki who craves the throne, but rather has learned a lot about himself and his past, leading to his character arc now shifting a bit to the heroic side. He wants to protect the Multiverse and free the imprisoned agents in the TVA. As we can see, their storylines are going in two different directions.
2 Should: A Valhalla Reunion
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The MCU excels at killing off fans' favorite characters and, sometimes, giving them a misery-filled ending, and that's what happened with Loki, who died at the hands of Thanos. Thor 4 introduced us to Valhalla, where fallen heroes in battle and people who died of natural causes are sent after dying. In the post-credits scene, we see Heimdall and Jane Foster in Valhalla, which also hints that even Thor's parents and Loki might be living their afterlives there. An afterlife reunion in Valhalla of the Odinson family would be an epic and fitting end for the Asgardian gods.
1 Shouldn't: Increased Confusion
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Initially, the MCU weaved its different stories in one timeline in a very seamless way, but even still, fans have managed to pick up some inconsistencies along the way. Currently, the franchise is exploring the Multiverse, a concept that is a bit more complicated, and if it is not incorporated into intriguing yet understandable storylines, then it might lead to increased bewilderment.
There will be multiple variants of characters who have distinct storylines in their reality, which can make it hard for the audience to keep track. So at this time, a Thor and Loki reunion could possibly cause great confusion not just for the devoted Marvel fans, but also for casual moviegoers who aren't well versed in the characters' stories.
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