Tom Hiddleston confirms that Loki is not in Thor: Love and Thunder, explaining why it's best to have the Asgardian Princes separated at this point. Marvel Studios will drop its third Disney+ series in Loki, which will focus on the God of Mischief. Despite his continued existence in the MCU, however, don't expect that the anti-hero will reunite soon with the God of Thunder.

Since they debuted in 2011 via Kenneth Branagh's Thor, Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth have appeared together in the MCU a total of six times. Amidst their contentious relationship, their arcs were intricately intertwined as they're time and time again brought together by a common goal. Unfortunately, Loki met his end in Avengers: Infinity War after the pair had finally found a comfortable dynamic. This time, his death sticks in the primary MCU, but he exists in an alternate reality; the pre-redeemed 2012 Loki will embark on a new adventure, while Thor, unaware of his brother's current mission, has his own story going on in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Related: Loki’s Complete MCU Timeline Explained

Loki and Thor currently exist in different realities, but some are still holding out hope that the God of Mischief will eventually join the Taika Waititi-directed MCU film. Hiddleston is effectively debunking speculations in an interview with Empire (via Digital Spy) while promoting Loki, further saying that it's best for the Asgardian Princes to be separate for the time being. Read what Hiddleston said below:

We talked about the Thor movies as a family saga, and the diametric opposition between Thor and Loki and duality and antagonism being a book that perhaps should remain closed for the moment.

We have explored about as much as we can about these two brothers.

Thor mourns Loki's death

Prior to the start of Thor: Love and Thunder's production, Waititi declined to comment when asked whether or not a Loki cameo is a possibility. This was taken as a hint that it might be in the film's cards, otherwise, the director could've just simply denied it the same way he did when asked about the Silver Surfer in the same movie. In hindsight, there's really no concrete indication that the God of Mischief will be in the upcoming Marvel Studios blockbuster. While the movie was filming in Australia, Hiddleston was in England. Considering the difficulty of traveling in the age of the Covid-19 pandemic, Hiddleston wouldn't be able to quietly slip in and out of Thor: Love and Thunder's set without it getting out. For what it's worth, there's a version of the character in the blockbuster with Matt Damon reprising his role as the Asgardian actor who played the anti-hero in Thor: Ragnarok.

It makes sense that Marvel Studios is developing Thor and Loki's respective arcs separately for a couple of reasons. For starters, this would allow the God of Mischief to carve his own story in the MCU outside of his brother's shadow — something that he had been meaning to do but never accomplished in the prime MCU timeline. Secondly, as exciting as it is to see the Asgardian Princes come together in Thor: Love and Thunder, doing so right away would cheapen Loki's rather emotional final death in Infinity War. Interestingly, however, Hiddleston's quote left things open when it comes to the possibility of Loki coming together again with Thor — it just won't be anytime soon.

More: Thor's New Love & Thunder Look Risks Ignoring His Real Endgame Issue

Source: Empire (via Digital Spy)

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