WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Loki Episode 5, "Journey Into Mystery," now streaming on Disney+.
One of the most emotive moments in Avengers: Infinity War came when Tom Hiddleston's Loki died at the hands of Thanos. The God of Mischief had just redeemed himself in Thor: Ragnarok, but while trying to save his brother and the remnants of his people, he failed to kill the Mad Titan. With his ruse up, he got killed for his betrayal, which, of course, led to theories that maybe he used a decoy. This speculation led many to believe he was actually alive, an idea that was quickly squashed by Loki. But, in the show's latest episode, that theory has actually been proven right -- sort of.
Now, what fueled this theory was eagle-eyed fans spotting Loki using his left hand with the knife in Infinity War. He's usually right-handed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but used his other hand when he faked death with a double in The Dark World. In his attempt to stab Thanos, Loki was also wielding his blade as a leftie, and the theory claimed it was just another mirror image.
However, as seen in the Time Variance Authority's files, that wasn't the case. But while that Loki wasn't quick enough to escape the Mad Titans' wrath, at least one Loki did use a duplicate. During a pow-wow session with the other Lokis in the Void, Richard E. Grant's Classic Loki confirms he escaped the events of Infinity War using his sorcery.
Thanos would kill the copy while the real Loki waited in the rubble as the ship was destroyed. The God of Mischief then drifted off into space among the debris, gutted by the assault on his people. Thinking he was destined for a life of pain, he found an isolated planet and made it his home. After many years, however, he became lonely and wanted to seek out his family. But when he stepped foot off the planet, the TVA found, pruned and lopped him to the Void.
This makes Classic Loki the best survivor of them all, which angered the TVA because the Sacred Timeline always dictated that Thanos had to kill Loki. They didn't like this stroke of brilliance because the illusion broke the rules set out, causing this Variant to become an anomaly they needed to wipe out. But as Classic Loki informs his counterpart, Lokis don't have just the one role the Time-Keepers set out for them.
While the main Loki didn't cast an illusion in Infinity War, it's still an inspiring story of revolt, one that later motivates Classic Loki to unlock more of his power and create a fake Asgard to help Loki and Sylvie. Classic Loki's story once again proves just how clever Lokis can be, looking out for themselves wherever and whenever possible.
Loki stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, Sasha Lane and Eugene Cordero. New episodes air Wednesdays on Disney+.