New Asgard: How The Asgardians Survived Thanos' Infinity War Massacre

According to dialogue in Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos only slaughtered half of the surviving Asgardian refugees. That's perfectly in character for the Mad Titan, whose goal is literally to kill off half the life in the universe. It would make sense for him to have done the same to the refugee vessel. But the lack of exposition has left viewers troubled, because it's not quite clear how any Asgardians survived in the first place. The post-credits scene for Thor: Ragnarok saw the Asgardian refugee vessel intercepted by Thanos' Sanctuary II. Infinity War's opening scenes clearly take place shortly after, with Thanos and the Black Order walking among the dead and dying. Thor has already been defeated, a handful of secondary characters including Valkyrie are mysteriously absent, and the refugee ship has essentially become a ship of the dead.

After Avengers: Infinity War, the Asgardians eventually settle on New Asgard in Thor: Love and Thunder, but first, they had to escape Surtur and Hela. It's not at all clear how this happened - especially given Thanos and his children don't seem to have encountered the Hulk until this point, which just seems rather odd. Leaving aside the question of what exactly happened in that skirmish, how did any of these Asgardian refugees survive? It doesn't seem to be through the Bifrost, since Heimdall's use of "dark magic" appears to be a rare thing, and tie-in comics have suggested traveling through the Bifrost via dark magic could potentially kill all but the strongest. So how did the Asgardian refugees survive to found New Asgard on Earth?

Escape Pods

The Russo brothers offered an answer. "Prior to the start of that scene, escape ships were deployed for Asgardians," Joe Russo explained, "including Valkyrie." It's worth noting, though, that the Asgardian refugee ship originated from the junkyard world of Sakaar, so these escape pods likely weren't in a great state of repair. By the time the Guardians of the Galaxy arrive, all escape ships — and, indeed, escape pods — are clearly gone. The only sign of life they find is the body of Thor, floating through space, barely alive after facing the wrath of the Power Stone. Clearly this wasn't the satisfactory explanation Joe Russo thought.

The Grandmaster's Ship

Thor: Ragnarok saw Thor and Valkyrie steal the Grandmaster's prized personal spacecraft in order to get to Asgard. It was hardly a fighter - its most notable weapons were fireworks to celebrate the Grandmaster's birthday. But it is a fully-functional spacecraft, and it apparently made it out of Asgard intact. Look closely about two minutes into Infinity War, and you can see the distinctive shape of the Grandmaster's ship, docked with the Asgardian refugee vessel. That kind of detail isn't included for no reason, especially given viewers had no reason to believe the spaceship made it off Asgard in the first place.

Notice Joe Russo's precise wording, too. He didn't refer to "escape pods," he referred to "escape ships." That suggests the Asgardian refugees escaped in any other vessel that was docked with the main refugee ship - including the Grandmaster's stolen favorite. It seems likely the survivors in space-worthy vessels used them to pick up any survivors in pods, and then left the area. They clearly had no idea Thor was still alive, or they wouldn't have just left him floating.

The Asgardians Settle On Earth

New Asgard Cruise Ships as shown in Thor: Love and Thunder trailer

Years after the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Thor: Love and Thunder revealed that the remaining Asgardians founded New Asgard in Norway on Earth, and that Valkyrie remains King of Asgard after she rose to the position in Avengers: Endgame. Not only have the Asgardians survived, they've established their presence on the planet, with New Asgard becoming a rather successful tourist attraction as the Multiverse Saga unfolds. After going through horrific war and becoming refugees despite their advanced culture and technology, the surviving Asgardians seem to have finally found a place they can call home — at least for now. Hopefully, a future MCU project will shed further light on the trials and tribulations they faced getting there.

Next: The MCU Must Fix Its Valkyrie Problem After Thor: Love & Thunder