New Avengers: Endgame Concept Art Reveals Loki was Originally to be Murdered in Jotunheim

One of the most tragic things that came with Avengers: Infinity War aside from that fateful snap was the murder of Thor's beloved and mischievous adoptive brother Loki just a few minutes into the film. The movie opens and picks up just where Thor: Ragnarok ended and shows Thanos slaughtering every Asgardian onboard the God of Thunder's ship together with Loki.

New concept art from The Art of Avengers: Endgame shows that this was not always the case. In a few illustrations from artist Tim Hill in the book's "Unused Concepts" section, it is revealed that Infinity War was originally set to pick up with Loki having escaped to Jotunheim. This is based on an alternate draft of Thor: Ragnarok and showcases the Mad Titan's arrival.

The Art of Avengers Endgame - Alternate Ragnarok Ending/Infinity War Beginning Concept Art by Tim Hill

An excerpt from The Art of Avengers: Endgame book about Loki's supposed fate reads as follows:

In an alternate draft of Thor: Ragnarok, the film's climax had a different path for Loki. After he took the Tesseract from the Asgardian palace vault, he decided to sneak away from the refugee ship instead of helping Thor relocate the displaced citizens of Asgard. It wouldn't be until Avengers: Infinity War that audiences would learn that Loki traveled to Jotunheim to hide both the Tesseract and himself from Thanos. The Mad Titan finds him anyway. In this alternate version, Loki's fate would have remained the same: falling at the hands of Thanos.

It is unclear whether Taika Waititi had this portion as a part of the original script or if it was only for a possible alternate ending. Nonetheless, had they gone through with it, it would have changed several major details, as small of a change as it may seem. Had they opted for this setting, Loki would have gone home, making his death all the more tragic. Thor would have also been spared seeing his brother die in front of him, but also have more Asgardians with him on his journey seeing as that Thanos and his children wouldn't have been aboard his ship.

This is not the last we'll be seeing of Loki. He is set to return with his own Disney+ series once Marvel rolls out its Phase 4. Meanwhile, The Art of Avengers: Endgame is out now and can be bought from your favorite book stores or online shops.

Related: Tom Hiddleston's Loki Series Adds Into The Badlands Star Sophia Di Martino