Some of us have an infatuation for villains. We can't help it – and as delicious as, like, half of the heroes are [1] in Avengers: Infinity War [2], some of us still have it bad for Loki. One of our favourite antagonists, portrayed by English actor Tom Hiddleston [3], Loki is the bad boy that we shouldn't love but can't get enough of. Given his rise in popularity over the past few years, we can't help but wonder where his future lies.

Avengers: Infinity War spoilers ahead!

Going into the movie, I was prepared for at least one character to die [4], but I didn't know who, or when, or how that would happen. Nothing could have prepared me for what happened at the end of the movie, and while I'm still hopeful that disintegration doesn't necessarily mean death [5], most of the fanbase is in a state of mourning. Losing iconic heroes like Black Panther [6], Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, Star Lord, and Groot, even if it can be reversed or undone in a future instalment, feels like taking a huge loss.

And I don't even want to talk about Vision.

The major losses don't all happen at the end of the movie; one of the main characters dies in the first five minutes. Thanos destroys the refugee ship in the beginning and murders everyone. Loki could have escaped, but instead, he attempts to strike up a new deal with Thanos. He explains tells Thanos that he can act as a guide to Earth, edging ever closer to him with a hidden dagger. Thanos is no dummy, and sees right through it. He seizes the blade, grabs Loki by the neck, and squeezes until his neck shatters. Thanos watches his body drop to the floor, quipping: "No resurrections this time."

Thor, who is captured in metal chains, watches the last person in his life die right in front of him.

So, is this the end for Loki? Is he actually dead, once and for all? After all, we're pretty used to watching him "die." Loki dies in almost every movie he appears in, and at this point, we sort of expect it. He dies in the original Thor movie, falling from the crystal bridge, but ultimately survives, falling into a hole and meeting Thanos. Then, in Thor: The Dark World he fakes his own death. He isn't known as a trickster for no reason, and whether it be intentional or not, he has escaped the jaws of life more than once. What makes this time different?

While Tom Hiddleston hasn't officially commented on the death, this time feels real. Loki goes against Thanos, and as we learned by the end of the movie, that isn't something that one usually survives. Heck, his own daughter Gamora, who he loves, doesn't survive after doing him wrong. Can you imagine how he'd treat someone he didn't even like? Plus, the Untitled Avengers: Infinity War Sequel has a massive cast and could easily go on without the villain. After all, Loki isn't the villain we're worrying about this time.

No resurrections this time, indeed. While I remain optimistic that somehow, he could be revived for the untitled sequel, I realise that this could be (and probably is) it for him. There are plenty of villains out there, and all of them have a certain something that separates them from the others, but if Loki is gone, no one will ever quite be able to fill that void. Guess we'll have to wait and see . . . in 2019.