Thor has had a bumpy ride on the big screen so far. While his first solo outing was a success, it was Tom Hiddleston’s Loki that stole the show. The same thing happened in The Avengers, where Loki was even better. The sequel, Thor: The Dark World, while a box-office success, didn’t receive the warmest praise with many critics pointing to the Dark Elves as being a poor antagonist. Thor’s role in Avengers: Age of Ultron was also criticised as being little more than a cameo as he went off on a side mission for a large portion of the movie. It’s essential for Chris Hemsworth to really deliver something special this time around with Thor: Ragnarok.

Marvel appear to be pulling out all the stops to give everyone’s favourite Norse God (besides Loki) the biggest and best outing he’s had so far. They’re bringing in Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, with many speculating that there may be some story elements from Planet Hulk blended in with the Ragnarok storyline. Other big guns include Cate Blanchett as Hela, and Karl Urban as Thor’s adversary The Executioner. Marvel aren’t sparing the big bucks on this one, so speculation is rife as to who else may show up.

Here’s 15 Cosmic Marvel Characters We Want to See In Thor: Ragnarok

15. Magus

Magus uses the Infinity Gauntlet in Marvel Comics.

The cosmic entities Lord Order and Master Chaos believed that they needed a champion to represent Life, to oppose Death’s champion, Thanos. In order to do this, they kidnapped the being known as Adam Warlock and took him to another dimension. While there, they bombarded him with the secrets of the universe, primarily that there was no such thing as Good and Evil, merely life and death. Warlock resisted Order and Chaos and attempted to retreat into his cocoon. He failed, and was driven insane by the mental conditioning he received.

Chaos and Order returned him to his universe, but centuries into his past where he encountered his previous self, the hero Adam Warlock. Magus had become worshipped as a god by The Universal Church of Truth. Magus swiftly defeated Warlock, taunting him with the knowledge of what he would one day become. Warlock fought back, aided by Pip the troll, Gamora, and, ironically, Thanos. The battle caused creation to be re-written and Magus never existed.

Given that Adam Warlock has been long-rumoured to appear in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, a guest appearance by Magus would bridge the gap between the sci-fi heavy GotG and the more Fantasy-based world of Thor.

14. Silver Surfer

Screenshot of the Silver Surfer

Born Norrin Radd on the technologically advanced world of Zenn-La, the man that would become known across the universe as the Silver Surfer was a grimly intellectual youth. His mother killed herself when he was a child as she couldn’t cope with the stuffy society of Zenn-La, and his father drove him to be deeply ambitious.

As Zenn-La had been a peaceful world for centuries, its planetary defences were long-since abandoned and totally useless when the world-eater Galactus pierced their perimeter. Convincing the Council of Scientists to give him the chance to speak on the planet’s behalf, he took a spaceship into orbit and confronted Galactus directly. Giving an impassioned speech, he offered to become Galactus’ herald and search for new worlds on his behalf. Galactus agreed, and spared Zenn-La in exchange for Radd’s services. Galactus shared a portion of his incredible power cosmic with Radd, turning him into a silver-skinned super-being and equipped him with a silver board that he would ride across the space ways thereafter.

While the MCU Thor hasn’t spent much time in space, his comic book counterpart has had many adventures across the universe, encountering the Silver Surfer many times. Their power levels, heroic nature, and stubbornness have found them as allies as often as adversaries.

While the Silver Surfer remains the property of FOX, recent cooling of relations between FOX and Marvel over shared TV ventures is suggesting that there may well be the possibility of FOX properties popping up in future Marvel movies. Don’t count this one out just yet.

13. Nebula

Karen Gillan as Nebula in Guardians Of The Galaxy

Last seen escaping the battle at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, Nebula, daughter of Thanos, is one character we’re dying to see more of. So far, the Guardians of the Galaxy have had little crossover with the rest of the MCU, save for the brief appearances of Thanos. To tie their story more closely to the rest of the MCU a crossover is essential.

Nebula could conceivably be that link. Last we saw Thor, he was setting off to learn the identity of the mysterious figure who had been pulling the strings of the MCU. Thor is aware of both the Infinity Stones, and the key players in the cosmic MCU as evidenced by the Asgardians giving The Collector one of the stones for safekeeping. Should Thor’s quest lead him to Thanos, he could have to go up against Nebula as it’s conceivable that she is also searching for the unclaimed stones as a way to protect herself from her father’s wrath.

Nebula may seem an unlikely fit into a Thor movie, but it would give the audience the impression of a truly shared universe if villains started to cross over as they do in the comic books.

12. Balder

Balder The Brave Marvel Thor Ragnarok

Balder the Brave has been in Thor comic books for decades, and in recent years was revealed to be Thor’s half-brother. It’s perhaps surprising that he has yet to appear in the movies.

Should Thor: Ragnarok follow the Ragnarok from the comic books, Balder’s involvement is essential. Due to a prophesy that Balder’s death would bring about the cycle of death and rebirth known as Ragnarok, Odin commanded his wife, Frigga, to cast a spell making Balder invulnerable. Before he did so, he tested Balder’s bravery by having Tyr and Honir shoot arrows and throw lances at Balder. The projectiles missed, but Balder didn’t so much as flinch, proving to Odin that Balder was indeed the bravest in Asgard and worthy of Frigga’s protection.

Balder was vulnerable to one substance, mistletoe. Loki engineered Balder’s near-death using mistletoe at one time, but Balder survived. However, he was slain during the events of Ragnarok by an army wielding mistletoe-tipped spears. The prophesy fulfilled, his death brought about Ragnarok and all of the Norse Gods died for a time.

Given his importance, Marvel may well retcon him into Ragnarok in order to ensure certain elements from the comic books make their way into the movie universe.

11. Jormungand -  The Midgard Serpent

Midgard Serpent fights Thor in Marvel Comics.

The Midgard Serpent was, according to legend, the child of Loki and a sorceress named Angerboda. Despite both parents being humanoid in appearance, having both been descended from Frost Giants, Jormungand was born in the form of a serpent, possibly due to both parents having the power to alter their shape. Believing that Jormungand posed a threat to Asgard, Odin banished him to Midgard (Earth).

The serpent lived in Earth’s oceans and grew to mammoth proportions, so large that it could encircle the Earth. It was prophesised that on the day of Ragnarok, the serpent would die at Thor’s hand, but that the serpent’s venom would also kill Thor.

The rumour mill suggests that Thor: Ragnarok will not be taking place on Earth, so this one seems unlikely, but some small tweaks to the backstory could see the serpent appear on one of the other worlds in the nine realms, or even on Asgard itself.

10. Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange - Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange

While this year’s Doctor Strange movie is seemingly going to be an origin story, and a self-contained one at that, it would be great to see the Sorcerer Supreme appear in another Marvel movie before Infinity War.

Assuming his origins in the movie are much as they are in the comic books, and early indications are that they will follow a very similar path, then Doctor Strange may well become a close ally of Thor. Indeed, the two have collaborated numerous times, especially as Strange’s magic’s are compatible with Asgardian mysticism. For instance, when Thor’s hammer was shattered in a battle with Bor, Thor sought out Doctor Strange to repair the damage. The process fused Thor’s life-force to his hammer’s making the two of them truly inseparable for a time.

If the MCU’s Thor is successful in locating the remaining Infinity Stones, it’s possible he may encounter Doctor Strange as rumours suggest at least one of Doctor Strange’s artefacts may well be an Infinity Stone, with speculation rife that the gem may be Doctor Strange’s famous Eye of Amagotto.

9. Dwarves

Dwarves

With a few scenes in Thor: The Dark World aside, we have yet to see much of the Nine Realms besides Midgard, Asgard, and Jottenheim. Dwarves dwell in the realm of Nidavellir one of the Nine Worlds of Norse mythology.

The Dwarves are generally allies of the Asgardians and maintain trade links with them. They are especially known as great weapon builders and are responsible for building some of Asgard’s greatest weapons, including Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, the spear Gungnir and Beta Ray Bill’s hammer, Stormbreaker, although it was the magic of Odin that imbued these objects with their special enchantments.

The Dwarves greatest interaction with Earth’s super humans came during the war of the serpent, when Tony Stark was given access to the Dwarves forge and created mystical weapons for the Avengers to wield in battle. Tony Stark blended the dwarves mystical metal with his bleeding edge Iron Man armour to create the Iron Destroyer armour. At the end of the battle, the Avengers, including Iron Man, returned their weapons and they were melted down once more.

Should the dwarves appear in the MCU, it would be a great addition to the science-heavy universe.

8. Set

Set versus Thor

Set was an Elder God, created at the dawn of life on the planet Earth. He quickly realised that he could enhance his power by feeding on other gods, becoming the first murderer on Earth. When the other elder gods began to become as corrupt as Set, Gaea conceived a child to oppose them, Atum. When Atum began purging the corrupt gods, Set hid in a pocket dimension for eons.

Set identified with Earth’s reptiles and took the form of a serpent for the first time. He attempted to create a race of serpent-men which would welcome the coming of the Celestials and receive their genetic gifts. The Celestials instead chose to evolve mammals into early humans, believing the serpent-men to be inferior. Set influenced many events, including the cataclysm that sank Atlantis, and had many interactions with other gods, including influencing the development of the Midgard serpent.

Should Set appear in the MCU, it’s unlikely it will take the form of a giant serpent being, but could merely be a disembodied power, influencing the forces of darkness, much like Sauron in The Lord Of The Rings.

7. Gamora

guardians-of-the-galaxy-gamora

While Thor: Ragnarok is looking like a more fantasy-based storyline, it’s still likely to incorporate some of the sci-fi elements from Guardians of the Galaxy as it seeks to connect to the wider storyline.

While we have previously mentioned Nebula, Gamora could fit in too. He has always operated solo, so brief spells away from the Guardians would make perfect sense. Also, he links in the comic books to the half-Asgardian warrior Angela would make her fit in quite nicely.

Should Thor need allies in a hurry, few mortals can stand equal to Asgardians in battle as well as Gamora. Given that Hulk is going to be in the movie, there’s even room for a possible romance between two of the most dangerous people in the galaxy. Should she appear, she could even rival Sif as the preferred female warrior of Asgard, if Valkyrie doesn’t beat her to it of course.

6. Surter

Surter Thor

Surtur is a fire demon native to Muspelheim. He's long had an enmity with Thor’s father, Odin, having plotted with the trolls to confront Odin, but was defeated and banished to the centre of the Earth as a punishment. Freed by Loki, Surter encounters Thor for the first time on Earth. It takes Thor, Odin, and Balder combined to defeat Surter, and Thor banishes him to a lifeless meteorite.

Surter and Thor battle many times after this, with Surter usually being imprisoned or banished. During Ragnarok, Surter attacks Asgard, but instead of confronting him, Thor allows him to devastate Asgard in order to break the constant cycle of death and rebirth once and for all.

Should Thor: Ragnarok be just that, the story of Ragnarok, it seems highly possible that Surter will make an appearance. Either as an ally of Hela, or as a separate force entirely. Either way, a demon composed of fire would win massive points for the wow-factor alone.

5. Eternity

Eternity manifests in Marvel Comics.

Eternity is an abstract entity representing all time and reality in the universe. In terms of power, Eternity is second only to The Living Tribunal that governs the entire multiverse, however when the mad titan, Thanos, united the Infinity Gems, he imprisoned Eternity proving that even Eternity has limits.

Eternity generally has no physical form and is the combined conscious thought of the entire universe, however during times of great galactic importance, it has taken a physical form and has interacted with both cosmic beings such as the Watcher, and mortals such as Doctor Strange.

Eternity was teased, albeit briefly in Ant Man where he is glimpsed in a split-second scene when Scott Lang enters the micro verse. Should he appear in Thor: Ragnarok, he could expand on that tease and interact with Thor, perhaps being the one to fully explain the mystery of the Infinity Stones and set up the events of Infinity War.

4. The Celestials

The Celestials

The Celestials are a mysterious race of ancient beings, often referred to as Space Gods, due to their long lives and enormous power. They were introduced to the MCU both on screen during the Collector’s explanation of what the Infinity Stones were during Guardians of the Galaxy, and the severed head of another served as the space-station known as Knowhere.

It is known that they have influenced the events of the universe for eons, although their reasons remain unclear. It is also known that in the MCU they possessed at least one Infinity Stone, although how they came to lose it remains a mystery.

Should Thor: Ragnarok include Thor’s quest to understand the role of the Infinity Stones, as teased at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, then his quest could lead him to seek an audience with the Celestials themselves, assuming they are still active in the MCU.

3. Caiera

Caiera Oldstrong Hulk Thor

Ever since it was announced that The Hulk would be in Thor: Ragnarok, there has been huge speculation as to whether or not the movie would use elements of the fan-favourite Planet Hulk storyline. If it does, there are a whole cast of awesome new characters to introduce, such as Meik and Korg. However, there is one character in particular that would absolutely need to appear: Hulk’s wife, Caiera.

Initially a bodyguard for an evil tyrant known as the Red King, Caiera is an Oldstrong, a being capable of focussing the energy of her home planet into incredible strength which rivalled that of the Hulk himself. When the Hulk eventually toppled the Red King, and seemingly brought peace to the planet, he took Caiera as his wife and she fell pregnant with his children.

Tragically, their world was devastated when the warp drive on the ship that took Hulk into space detonated. Caiera was killed in the devastation and Hulk returned to Earth, angrier and more powerful than ever.

2. Death

Death Marvel Character

Death is another abstract concept given form, much like Eternity. She appears in a female form, and is quite literally courted by Thanos who believes that by killing the universe, his tribute will win her heart. He’s not called The Mad Titan for nothing. In the comic books, when he did achieve this, she spurned him and eventually developed feelings for Deadpool instead.

Considering Ragnarok is likely to live up to its name, killing many if not all Asgardians, it is highly possible that Death might make an appearance. Should she do so, it may well link into Thanos’ quest to win her heart as he may become enamoured by her being present at the site of so much destruction. Of course, the “to court Death” quote from The Avengers may not be literal, but should she make it into this movie, she may yet be a key player in Infinity War.

Honorable Mention: Grandmaster

Jeff Goldblum Grandmaster Thor Ragnarok

Having already met The Collector in Guardians of the Galaxy, we are extremely excited to see his brother, En Dwi Gast, The Grandmaster. Though it's already been announced that Jeff Goldblum is playing the class villain, we just want to say we're looking forward to seeing a lot of him.

Unlike the Collector, whose obsession is collecting rare and unique artefacts, and beings, from across the universe, The Grandmaster is obsessed with playing games on a galactic scale. Like The Collector, The Grandmaster is an Elder of the Universe, and as such, his origins are lost to history. His species predates the Watchers, and are long-extinct.

After travelling the cosmos for eons, mastering all forms of games, he began to challenge players for the highest of stakes. Should the player be able to defeat him, they could keep their world, if not, they would see it destroyed.

While a cinematic Contest of Champions, where the Grandmaster used heroes as pawns in an elaborate game, is highly unlikely, he did possess an Infinity Stone at one time and is therefore a contender for the location of one of the remaining gems. Should he make an appearance in Thor: Ragnarok, it’s likely to be along the lines of the Collector’s role in GotG. With Goldblum in the role, we expect to see him go to extremes to one-up Benicio del Toro's Collector.

1. Beta Ray Bill

Beta Ray Bill holding Mjolnir

While it may be unlikely due to the direction the movie appears to be going, an appearance by Beta Ray Bill would be a massive gift to his many fans.

A member of the Korbonite race, bill is a humanoid with horse-like features, cybernetically enhanced by his race to be their champion after the demon Surter destroyed their galaxy. When the Korbonites amassed their fleet, they went into suspended animation while Bill led them to a new home in his ship, Skuttlebutt.

As the fleet was picked up by Earth’s sensors, Nick Fury asked Thor to investigate and determine if the mysterious fleet posed a threat. Skuttlebutt registered Thor’s presence, and determining that he was a threat, alerted Bill. Bill and Thor battled, and to Thor’s surprise, the alien held his ground against him. Thor was separated from his hammer, Mjolnir, and Bill picked it up, proving that he was also worthy to lift the enchanted object. Odin transported Thor and Bill to Asgard and found Bill to be a worthy and brave warrior. He refused Bill the right to keep Mjolnir, but ordered the Dwarves to build its equal, a hammer that became known as Stormbreaker, which Odin also imbued with great power.

While this storyline remains unlikely, a cameo by Bill, or even a member of his race, would potentially lead to a more prominent role in the future. As one of only a few beings capable of wielding Mjolnir, Beta Ray Bill is one of Marvel’s most awesome characters, and one we’d love to see on the big-screen before long.

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Have any thoughts or theories you'd like to share? Let us know in the comments!

 

Doctor Strange opens in U.S. theaters on November 4, 2016, followed by Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming – July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel– March 8, 2019; Avengers: Infinity War Part 2– May 3, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on July 12, 2019, and on May 1, July 10, and November 6 in 2020.

 

Key Release Dates