Warning: SPOILERS for Loki episode 2

While Thor led the final survivors of Ragnarok out of the destruction of Asgard (and into further danger from Thanos, by accident), Loki episode 2 has revealed that he didn't actually save all of his people. A file in the TVA's archives seems to confirm that thousands of Asgardians were still on the planet when it was destroyed by Surtur.

In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor's people were put through unspeakable hardship by the return of Hela - thanks to Loki's machinations against his adoptive father, Odin - with the despotic villain waging war against those who defied her. That saw the almost comically harsh death of the Warriors Three as well as anyone still loyal to Thor's rule and was then compounded rather pointedly by Thor and Loki unleashing Ragnarok as a means to end her reign of terror. Surtur arrived and ravaged the planet, as Thor and the now homeless Asgardian survivors headed into space to find a new home. But not everyone made it.

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In Ragnarok, it definitely feels like Thor saved everyone who was alive at the point of Surtur's destruction of Asgard, especially as the band of rebels protected by Heimdall seems so small. But the TVA file reveals that 9,719 Asgardians died when Surtur destroyed Asgard - as defined in the file as "total planetary destruction". Interestingly, this leaves no room for interpretation around Hela's invasion, which was largely thought to have killed off the Asgardians not seen on screen in Ragnarok. With the stat confirming Ragnarok's fatalities, comes the grim confirmation that Thor was forced to leave masses of Asgardians behind.

Loki Episode 2 Destruction of Asgard File

Even more worryingly, despite Ragnarok's affirmation - based on Odin's logic - that Asgard is not a place but a people, that means Thor had to choose to save only a lucky few thousand to carry on the heart of Asgard. A rough estimation based on what is shown in Thor: Ragnarok suggests that figure to be 3000-5000 or so surviving Asgardians, who were then cut in half again by Thanos in the opening of Infinity War. The near 10,000 fatalities on Asgard didn't even include the entire army laid waste by Hela and her undead minions, which makes the whole situation even more haunting.

What doesn't help that feeling is the reminder that Thor was forced to bring about Ragnarok himself, with the assistance of Loki in Odin's vault. Surtur's arrival wasn't an accidental development that he had to navigate to save as many people as he could, it was a calculated move designed to limit Hela's destruction. The fact that Thor deemed 9,719 lives to be worthy of the cost per Loki's confirmation (and Heimdall would have been able to tell him exactly how many souls were left) goes some way to explaining not only why Thor's mental health decline in Endgame is so pronounced, but may also be why he turned his back on sitting on New Asgard's throne.

Next: Loki Episode 2 Asks 7 Big Questions About The Sacred Timeline

Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

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