Thor: Ragnarok's Burning Questions, Answered

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok leaves a few pretty big dangling questions for fans of the God of Thunder - five of which we'll try and answer today. Hailed as a masterpiece by none other than geek culture icon Joss Whedon, Thor 3 looks like yet another success story for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marking the franchise debut of Taika Waititi, the God of Thunder's third solo outing went full-throttle on the comedy but not at the expense of character, story or heart.

Despite the more light-hearted tone, Thor: Ragnarok was certainly not short of memorable and impactful moments. Odin died for a start (along with half of Asgard), Thor's home planet itself was blown to smithereens, and the superhero's famous hammer was shattered by Hela - also revealed to be Thor's biological sister.

Did Loki Nab The Tesseract?

During Thor: Ragnarok's closing stages, Loki is merrily skipping through Odin's vaults on his way to unleash Surtur but pauses to shoot a telling glance towards his old Avengers Infinity Stone, the Tesseract. The movie stops short of definitively revealing whether Loki spirited the item away but there would be little point in including the scene if he didn't; it's hardly worth halting the momentum of those final scenes simply for a throwback reference.

Asgard's destruction makes Loki's theft even more likely. Of course, some might argue that the Infinity Stones are indestructible and therefore the Tesseract could've survived Asgard's demise. However, considering the Infinity Stones will play a huge part of the forthcoming Avengers: Infinity War it makes sense for someone close to have them. Thanos is going to need those!

What Was The Big Ship In The Mid-Credits Scene?

Thor: Ragnarok has two post-credit sequences: one serious, one not so. In the former mid-credit scene, Thor and Loki are having a brotherly moment on board the Asgardian rescue ship when Thor utters the ominous prediction that everything is going to work out fine. A foolish move indeed, as at that moment, a huge ship comes into view, completely dwarfing Thor's vessel.

Although the ship's captain remains unrevealed, the obvious assumption is that this is MCU villain Thanos or minions the Black Order arriving to set up the next Avengers movie (something backed up by MCU head honcho Kevin Feige). Actor Chris Hemsworth already suggested that Ragnarok would lead into Infinity War and the D23 footage confirmed that the movie will see the Guardians of the Galaxy pick up a stranded Thor in space. Combine this information with the above theory that Loki currently has the Tesseract and it appears that Ragnarok's mid-credit scene depicts the inciting incident of the Infinity War.

Is Thor Stuck With One Eye And No Hammer?

Thor Ragnarok Trailer Hela Breaks Mjolnir

In the finale, Ragnarok's arch-villain Hela deprives Thor of an eye, and although fans might spend the rest of the film expecting the God of Thunder to be somehow healed, he never is, eventually coming to sport an Odin-style eye-patch. Marvel movies have traditionally shied away from leaving their major players with any serious physical injuries (that aren't related to their origin stories, that is) and so Thor losing an eye is certainly a shock.

As for poor Mjolnir, Hela certainly did a number on Thor's trusty hammer and there was absolutely no suggestion in Ragnarok that the weapon would be repaired or reforged. In fact, one of the more prominent themes throughout the movie is how Thor doesn't need Mjolnir to fight. Odin even goes so far as to remind his son that he is not the "God of Hammers" and Thor duly unleashes more thunder-based battle techniques in response.

Subsequently, it would perhaps undo Thor's character development if he were to go back to using Mjolnir in Infinity War, meaning that Thor may have to find another weapon to pull him off in the future. Happily, however, Thor might have better luck with his missing eyeball. Although he'll certainly start the battle against Thanos with one peeper, anything is possible with all those Infinity Stones around.

Hulk prepares to leave at the end of Avengers Age of Ultron

When Thor happens across his "friend from work", Bruce Banner reveals that he has been stuck in his Hulk form ever since the events of Age of Ultron. More than ever before, Ragnarok also demonstrates two very separate personas for both Bruce Banner and The Hulk. After finally reverting back to his human form on Sakaar, Banner claims that his next transformation could be his last, with The Hulk clearing growing in influence.

Of course, Banner eventually does transform to help defeat Hela and is seen in the closing scene still very much in green-mode. Does this mean that Bruce's prediction was right and the Hulk has now completely taken over? For now, yes, but you can surely expect to see Mark Ruffalo's regular, rugged face at some point in the forthcoming Avengers movies.

Transforming back into a human will likely be incredibly difficult for Banner - his line about The Hulk taking over permanently wasn't just a bluff - but with Avengers: Infinity War comes a certain Ms. Romanoff. Who better to help Bruce regain control that the woman who tamed the beast in the first place?

Are The Warriors Three Really Dead?

Joshua Dallas as Fendral, Tadanobu Asano as Hogun and Ray Stevenson as Volstagg in Thor

Hogun, Volstagg and Fandral - collectively known as The Warriors Three - are popular supporting characters in the Thor franchise but were used in Ragnarok more or less exclusively to demonstrate the strength and brutality of Hela. Volstagg and Fandral fall first, with the Goddess of Death dealing two heavy blows to each. Hogun survives a little longer, leading the futile Asgardian resistance into battle but also falling.