With $165 million already in the bank and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93%, Thor: Ragnarok is already one of Marvel's biggest hits, proving their crowd-pleasing formula remains thoroughly intact. It's one of the most outright comedic films Marvel has done yet, while adding that sense of oversized spectacle that fans have come to expect.
Thor: Ragnarok is by far the best solo film for The God of Thunder, also featuring classic moments for recurring characters including Hulk, Loki, Heimdall, and Odin, while showcasing new characters like Cate Blanchett's Hela and Tessa Thompson's breakout role as Valkyrie.
But as we all know, a Marvel movie isn't just meant to stand on its own-- each film teases and expands the MCU further. And director Taika Waititi included several new plot threads, Easter Eggs and other clues that will inform the remaining films in Marvel's Phase 3, including the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.
So if you've seen Thor: Ragnarök and have dozens of questions in your head about which story elements offer further ramifications for the MCU, you've come to the right place. Let's take a look at 15 Burning Questions We Have After Thor: Ragnarok.
15. Will Valkyrie Get Her Own Film?
Tessa Thompson's performance as Valkyrie is already one of the best received elements in Thor: Ragnarok. She stole almost every scene she was in as her role as a reluctant hero ready to revisit her birthplace to stop Hela. So we all want to know-- is she going to get her own movie at some point?
Marvel has been notoriously slow to green-light a solo female film (Captain Marvel won't be released until 2019), but Thompson certainly is game for a female-led MCU entry. In fact, she'd like to see an all-female team film--as she mentioned in a recent press conference: "I marched up with a couple of other women that work in Marvel... and we went to Kevin, ‘What about a movie with some female super heroes? Like all of them?’"
Feige agreed, but nothing has been set in stone yet. With Thompson's profile rising, don't be surprised to see it happen sooner than later.
14. What Will Her Role Be In Infinity War?
Thompson was spotted on the set of Infinity War back in May, so Valkyrie will definitely play in a part in the third Avengers movie. But how big of a role will she play? The actress has been cagey discussing her involvement, saying “You never know where people will pop up. In the next phase, the hope is to find ways to interweave all these characters... she’s part of the tapestry now."
Given the bond she now shares with Thor and Hulk, she is already Avengers material (she was a Revenger, after all), so it would be thrilling to see another strong female character join the roster.
Whatever role she plays in the upcoming film, and the MCU in general, will certainly attract attention, given the positive reaction to her character.
13. Whose Spaceship Was That in the Mid-Credits Scene?
If you want clues that lend to the future of the MCU, mid-credits scenes always offer a peek, and Thor: Ragnarök was no exception.
After Asgard was destroyed, Thor and Loki mused on where to take the survivors they had rescued on their spacecraft. They decide to settle for Earth (well Thor does, but Loki is, understandably, less than excited), but no sooner do they make their decision when they're confronted by a massive spaceship blocking their way. So whose ship is it?
In a piece for The Wrap, Marvel Studios producer Kevin Feige said “We call it the Sanctuary II,” otherwise known as the ship carrying the villainous Thanos, who the Avengers will face off against in Infinity War. This lines up with the advance footage screened at this year's D3, which showed the Guardians of the Galaxy rescuing Thor from deep space.
12. Did Loki Steal the Tesseract?
So now that we know Thanos has intercepted Thor and his people, the next question is why? A scene near the end of Ragnarok gives us a hint: Loki is seen eying the Tesseract in Odin's vault. Was it just a nostalgic moment seeing the device with which he almost enslaved Earth? Or did he steal it again?
Thanos would love nothing more than to add the Tesseract to his Infinity Stone collection and gain unlimited power in the galaxy, so odds are good Loki has it in tow. It would also make sense in regards to that Infinity War footage-- Thanos takes the loot with Loki in tow while Thor is kicked off the ship during the battle. So where is everyone else? We'll just have to wait and see, but don't be surprised if some of the Asgardian refugees take a dark turn.
Speaking of Infinity Stones: where is the Soul Stone that was rumored to appear in Ragnarök? We think we may have an idea of where it finally turns up.
11. Is Hela Really Dead?
Cate Blanchett's Hela is known as "the goddess of death," but it appeared she wasn't immune to mortality herself-- it looked like Thor's sister was killed battling against Surtur, dying along with the planet.
However, this is Marvel we're talking about, where very few characters stay dead for long. And given we were never shown a scene of a lifeless body post-battle, or a close shot of her perishing onscreen, she might very well still be alive. The only caveat is that she draws her power from Asgard itself. If the planet is dead, could she survive at all?
One would have to think Blanchett wasn't cast for a one-and-done role, so we're betting heavily that we haven't seen the last of Hela, much to Thor and Loki's chagrin. There's even speculation she could return as Death herself, the powerful being that Thanos seeks to impress with his destructive ways.
10. Will Thor Get His Eye Back?
In a surprisingly violent moment in an otherwise lighthearted film, Thor loses an eyeball in a fight with Hela. The film ends with our hero sporting a strapless metal eyepatch like his dad, Odin. This mirrors a moment in the comics: in the “Rune King Thor" story arc, Thor plucks out his own eyeball (just as his father did), as a sacrifice to better help him wield and understand his power.
Losing an eye isn't the only cosmetic change that Thor went through of course-- he lost his long flowing blond locks as well. Hair at least can grown back on its own, but will Thor get a new eyeball through either magic or science?
It's anyone guess, but the advance technology he'll be privy to in the galaxy might offer a cure. Otherwise it's just another battle scar that adds to his mythos and character development.
9. What is Grandmaster's Ultimate Fate?
Another highlight in Thor: Ragnarok was Jeff Goldblum going full Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, the flamboyant goofball ruler of Sakaar, who enjoys the bloodthirsty sport of his Contest of Champions. The end of the film sees him lose his powerful status when his two prize warriors (Thor and Hulk) escape and his people revolt.
In the post-credits scene, he encounters a group of rebels inspired by the two superheroes to rise up against their ruler. In an effort to thwart being killed, he tries to laugh off a regime change by claiming "It’s a tie!”
So the ultimate question is did he succeed in saving his own skin? Or will he wind up being pitted against a combatant in a new contest of champions of which he isn't in charge?
We hope he survives, so that he can eventually meet up with his brother, better known as The Collector (Benecio Del Toro), in a future MCU entry.
8. Will We See More of Matt Damon, Sam Neill, and Luke Hemsworth?
One of the most hilarious scenes, in a very hilarious film, was seeing Matt Damon playing Loki in a play commissioned by Loki himself (in disguise as Odin), which put his character in a far more heroic light than his true self.
Damon was joined by Chris Hemsworth's brother Luke playing Thor, and Sam Neill doing his own take on Odin. It was a wonderfully absurd moment that highlights just how Loki never sees himself as the villain.
The bit last just a few minutes, but leaves us wanting more. We're hoping for an extended mock scene with Damon, Neill, and Hemsworth to be included on the eventual Thor: Ragnarok Blu-ray, along with some gag-reel outtakes. This alternate version of the Asgardian family is too awesome not to explore further.
7. What's Next For Korg?
Korg may be one of the more obscure Marvel comic characters to debut in the MCU, but he's already a fan favorite. The character (played in mo-cap by director Taika Waititi), is like a more articulate Groot; a gentle giant, augmented by an endearing kiwi accent.
The character, who first appeared in the 2006 comic book arc Planet Hulk (which Ragnarok was partly based on) is already such a big hit that fans clamoring for more.
We're assuming we'll get more Korg in Infinity War, but in what capacity? Will he be in anymore MCU projects? According to Feige, the answer is yes: “We have plans for Korg and Miek. When and where we’ll have to wait and see, but we, like the audience now that they’ve seen them, can’t get enough.”
6. Will Thor Ever Reunite With Jane Foster?
One of the major plot elements from the first two Thor films, was the hero's romantic relationship with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). Thus, her omission from Thor: Ragnarok was somewhat jarring. So what happened to her character?
The information out there is conflicting-- on screen, Thor encounters a fan on Earth who says she's sorry Thor was dumped by Jane, though Thor claims "it was a mutual dumping." According to Kevin Feige, Foster was jettisoned in favor of seeing Hemsworth play opposite Thompson: “We wanted Thor to encounter somebody that was near his equal and that his relationship with Jane may have evolved in unexpected ways in between The Dark World and Ragnarok."
Portman has also had an ambivalent relationship with Marvel ever since Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins departed from directing the original Thor film back in 2011. The mediocre response to the sequel Thor: The Dark World likely didn't help matters.
In a 2016 interview with the Wall Street Journal, Portman didn't seem too broken up about it, saying "as far as I know, I'm done."
5. Will We Get a Thor 4?
The MCU's output has been fast and furious, but there seems to be a general rule that, while there is a fourth Avengers film on the horizon, solo superhero outings have so far all seemingly ended in trilogies.
Will the Thor films buck that trend? It would be somewhat ironic if it did-- the first two entries didn't gain the same critical acclaim as other Marvel films, but Thor: Ragnarok has changed all that. It has some of the best reviews of any comic book movie, ever.
Director Taika Waititi seems open to the possibilities, but only on his own terms: "I’d do another one because it wouldn’t even feel like doing a fourth Thor film, it would just feel like doing the second Ragnarok film. Because it does feel like in a way, yeah there’s been this reinvention in an exciting way."
4. Where Was Lady Sif?
One of the most shocking scenes in Thor: Ragnarök was the death of the Warriors 3 at the hands of Hela. Equally jarring was the total absence of one of their compatriots, Lady Sif (Jaime Alexander). So where did she go?
Kevin Feige dodged the question in an Screen Rant interview, quoting Star Wars: The Force Awakens: “that is a good question for another time.”
In truth, Lady Sif's absence isn't nefarious-- Alexander had a scheduling conflict due to her NBC series Blindspot. Our next question: where will she pop up next? Marvel's Phase 3 is coming to a close, so unless she's making a cameo in one of the upcoming Avengers films, or we get the fourth Thor film, we may have seen the last of her character. But at least she isn't dead!
3. How Long Until Loki Betrays Thor Again?
Loki and Thor's relationship is, as they say, complicated. They love each other, but they can't trust each other. Every time Thor confides in Loki, he gets burned. And yet, Ragnarok ends with the siblings on good terms again. So how long will it last?
Our guess is not long. Loki just can't help betraying his brother, and Thor knows it. If Thanos indeed raids the ship, and kicks Thor off, we're guessing Loki does some groveling to get back on the alien tyrant's good side.
Yet, we all know Loki he hates playing second fiddle, so don't be surprised to see him eventually betraying Thanos, too. Which likely won't end well for him, leaving Thor to once again have to save his ungrateful brother's hide.
2. Where Will Asgardians Settle On Earth?
Assuming the Asgardian refugees don't get annihilated by Thanos in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, where will they end up on Earth? They might relocate to Oklahoma, of all places,
Why, you may ask? It all stems from J. Michael Straczynski’s Thor Vol. 3, where Thor purchases a huge plot of land outside the town of Broxton to place a levitating city containing Asgard survivors (it's actually even weirder than it sounds).
Finding a final home for the survivors would likely be a major plot point for a fourth Thor movie, making the possibility of a sequel even more likely.
We really want to see the mystical realm of Asgard and the laconic American midwest collide, so please make it happen, Marvel. It would be a wonderfully surreal sight to behold.
1. Will Thor Ever Wield Mjolnir Again?
Even more shocking than losing his hair and his eye, was the destruction of Thor's beloved Mjolnir at the hand's of his evil sister, Hela. Without his most trusted weapon, how could he still wield his power and authority?
That was at the heart of the story, and was necessary to build his character. Now that that's out of the way, will he get it back?
We have no clue--but its worth noting that Thor has used other weapons in the comics-- like Ultimate Mjolnir, which gives him the power to rebuild Asgard were it ever to be destroyed (so a likely choice). Or the Jarnbjorn, a battle-axe able of killing Celestials. And there's Odinsword, his father's blade capable of bringing on the apocalypse (aka Ragnarok). All options are now on the table.
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Well, that wraps our list of the most burning questions we have after Thor:Ragnarok! What unanswered questions are you dying to have revealed? Let us know in the comments.
