The latest trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder showed that the superhero played by Chris Hemsworth, still remembers his brother Loki. And not only as the source of most of his problems throughout his adventure on the big screen. The trailer showed the huge tattoo that the character has on his back, in what appears to be a tribute to his deceased and troublesome relative. One more, that demonstrates the unmistakable, strange and touching bond that both characters shared — do they share — in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The new look at the upcoming film directed by Taika Waititi, showed a series of details of interest to Marvel fans. In addition to officially introducing the villainous Gorr, the butcher of gods played by Christian Bale, it also showed off Russell Crowe’s Zeus. As if all of the above weren’t enough, the trailer included a few more scenes of the Mighty Thor/Jane Foster played by Natalie Portman. But among the barrage of news, the one that caught the most attention was precisely the one that could have gone unnoticed.
It’s about the tattoo the god of thunder appears to have been made in homage to his brother, Loki. As you may recall, the character played by Tom Hiddleston was killed by Thanos during the events narrated in 2018’s Infinity War. And despite everything that happened in the Disney + Loki series, it’s clear that Thor still doesn’t have much idea of what happened. In other words: from the existence of the multiverse to the possibility that there is a variant of his brother. For the 616 earth timeline, loki is dead and it is for this reason that the image of the tribute to Thor is moving.
An emotional farewell between the most beloved brothers of Marvel
The scene occurs near the end of the two-minute trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder. In the sequence, Thor can be seen facing Zeus as the latter tries to strip him of what appears to be a costume. But the attempt goes too far and the Asgardian god ends up standing naked in front of the crowd that surrounds him.
It is then that the large tattoo can be seen, which covers a good part of Thor’s back. It is the image Loki’s horned crown is recognizable. And more specifically, the one he wore during Asgard’s final battle in Thor: Ragnarök. The word RIP (Rest In peace) can also be read between the shoulder blades and further down, what appears to be a scroll can be distinguished.
And while the trailer doesn’t clarify (hopefully the movie does), when and where the tattoo was done, it’s most likely a tribute to Loki. For context: Despite his previous behavior, the god of mischief ended up with a flawless redemption arc. And in fact, his death was the consequence of his desperate attempt to stop Thanos’ torture of Thor. Which could explain the character’s posthumous homage to his very complicated and almost always ambiguous brother.
The tattoo reproduces the crown of long, pointed horns that Loki used to wear in battle. A completely different version of the smaller version and a broken horn, which was used by all the variants of the anti-hero in the series named after him. Reason to suspect that it is a commemoration of the character killed in one of the hardest moments of the Marvel saga on the big screen.
Will Loki — any of his variants — be in Thor: Love and Thunder?
Of course, it came up again after the trailer. Until now, there is not the slightest indication that the character will return. And indeed, Tom Hiddleston has spent a fair amount of time and energy emphatically denying it. However, a good part of the fans are convinced that the tattoo can be indicative of a reunion.
Will events influence Thor: Love and Thunderr in the future season of Loki who starts filming in summer? Or in any case, will Thor have news of the multiverse through the return of his brother? As fans often recall, Loki made a promise to Thor. “Will the sun shine on us again?” Will the possibility be fulfilled in Taika Waititi’s film? We will have to wait until June to know the answer.