As Avengers: Infinity War hurtles toward its April debut, plenty of questions still loom over the Marvel Studios ensemble film. However, one of those may have been answered by context clues provided by the epic final trailer: how, exactly, Bruce Banner ends in Doctor Strange's New York Sanctorum. Surprisingly, Loki may (literally) hold the key.

Let's look at where we last saw our heroes: Loki and Hulk joined the god of thunder in Thor: Ragnarok, traveling separate paths but ending up in the same place -- aboard the Sakaaran ship filled with Asgardian refugees, on a course for Earth.

At the end of Thor: Ragnarok, Hulk and Loki joined Thor on the bridge of the Sakaaran ship.

The Hulk's narrative in that film was pretty linear. He, and, by extension, Banner, formed a new bond with Thor, which led him to join the thunder on his quest to save Asgard. During the massive third-act battle, Banner even made a sacrifice to help Thor's people by transforming into the Hulk, despite concerns that may not be able to return to his human form. Thus, he helped to rescue the Asgardians before their home world blew up, and then joined them on their journey to Earth in search of safe haven.

RELATED: Whose Side Is Loki On in Avengers: Infinity War?

Loki is where it gets interesting. As Thor, The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World demonstrated in spades, the god of mischief has a rather fluid sense of morality. The opportunistic Asgardian, generally out for himself, has a tendency to sacrifice other people's lives if they get in the way of his goal. However, in Thor: Ragnarok, a heart to heart with his brother seemed to change him. When he had an opportunity to escape Sakaar and leave his past behind, he instead returned to Asgard to help Thor and their people. The conclusion of Ragnarok heavily implied Loki had turned a new chapter and planned to forge a more heroic life.

Of course, old habits die hard, and Loki didn't leave Asgard without taking a little souvenir from Odin's treasury. On his way to place the Crown of Surtur into the Eternal Flame, which kick-started Asgard's destruction and ended Hela's reign, he paused when he saw the Tesseract, which encases the Space Stone. That implied he absconded with it from Asgard, which was later confirmed by the first Infinity War trailer. As such, Loki is in possession of the Space Stone at the end of Thor: Ragnarok.

It should be no surprise, then, that Thanos tracks down the Asgardian refugees in his quest to assemble all six Infinity Stones, as strongly suggested by the mid-credits scene of Thor: Ragnarok. As both trailers for Infinity War suggest, that encounter somewhere in deep space doesn't end well for those aboard the Sakaaran vessel. Indeed, the teaser trailer shows someone stepping among what appear to be the bodies of Asgardians, before Loki reveals the Space Stone is in his possession.

RELATED: Infinity War: How Many Infinity Stones Does Thanos Possess?

However, as we see in the Infinity War trailer released on Friday, Loki's former boss isn't exactly pleased to see him. One shot reveals Loki surrounded by the Black Order, with Proxima Midnigh pointing her spear at his head. That certainly implies the Asgardian trickster is their prisoner, not an ally, despite working with Thanos in The Avengers. Noticeably, Loki doesn't seem to have the Space Stone in that scene.

avengers: infinity war

Thanos has good reason to be mad at Loki. After all, he gave Loki the Mind Stone, only for Loki to lose it to the Avengers. What's worse, Loki ultimately got what he wanted: to rule Asgard. And Thanos received nothing in return. But there may be more to this scene than an old grudge.

Page 2: Hulk's Only Connection to Doctor Strange, Loki's Theoretical Death & More



While that all looks bad for Thor and Loki, one major character is missing from these scenes: the Hulk. Although Hulk was with them when their vessel encountered Sanctuary II, Thanos' flagship, at the end of Thor: Ragnarok, he is conspicuously absent from the scenes of the aftermath. The next we see him, Banner has crashed through the roof of Stephen Strange's New York Sanctum, much to the surprise of its occupants.

Surprise! Welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum, Bruce Banner!

It's probably no coincidence that Banner ended up in that location. Only two characters so far have crossed over from their own franchise into Doctor Strange's: Thor and Loki. The thunder god showed up in the end credits for Doctor Strange, and Thor: Ragnarok elaborated on that scene. Strange confessed to Thor that he keeps an eye on magical threats to Earth, which is how he was able to show the Asgardian brothers where their father Odin had gone. He also exhibited his abilities by trapping Loki in an alternate dimension during his chat with Thor.

Considering the only things that connect Hulk to Doctor Strange is Thor and Loki, something must transpire that causes Hulk to be sent from the other side of the universe to the Master of the Mystic Arts. Perhaps it's to warn him -- and the rest of Earth -- about Thanos' impending arrival. Fortunately for Thor and Loki, they are in possession of the one thing that could accomplish such a feat: the Space Stone. However, although Thor is the hero of his story, he probably won't be the one who accomplishes this deed; if anyone, it will likely be Loki.

RELATED: The Final Infinity War Trailer May Spoil An Avenger’s Last Stand

Since the teaser trailer dropped, it's been speculated that Loki will die inside of this early scene. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige threw more fuel on that fire, saying, “Within the first five minutes of Infinity War, people will understand why Thanos is the biggest and baddest villain in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.” What better way to do that than to kill off Loki, one of Marvel's most formidable foes? Since the Infinity War trailers suggest the movie will show what happens when Thanos confronts the Asgardians, this seems to be the most likely route to go for a major death.

However, if Loki makes the daring move to send Hulk to Earth in defiance of Thanos, his theoretical death would serve a larger purpose: It would bring the trickster full circle, concluding the transition he began in Thor: Ragnarok. It would also validate all of the faith Thor placed in his brother over the years, while giving him something to fight for moving forward (especially if his people are indeed slaughtered). Loki's death would give the character a poetic sendoff and present Thor with a personal vendetta against Thanos -- especially considering the Mad Titan appears to force Thor to watch something terrible (like Loki's execution?) at the trailer's 1:24 mark.

Thanos isn't torturing Thor; he's making him watch something terrible -- like Loki's death, perhaps?

Fans should probably get prepared to say farewell to one of the most beloved villains in the MCU: Loki of Asgard. Between Loki's recent heroism, the trajectory of his story, Feige's tease, and the clues provided by the two Avengers: Infinity War trailers, everything points to the god of mischief's demise. Before he goes out, though, he might pull a game-changing move: sending Hulk to Earth using the Space Stone to warn of Thanos' approach. There are certainly worse ways to die.


Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Tom Hiddleston, and Josh Brolin. The film arrives April 27.