Thor: Why Lady Sif Left Asgard Before Ragnarok

Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) left Asgard prior to Thor: Ragnarok and hasn’t returned. She wasn’t in the movie because of Alexander’s commitments to the TV series Blindspot, but that doesn’t explain why one of Asgard’s biggest defenders wasn’t on hand for the big battle with Hela (Cate Blanchett).

Lady Sif, who is one of Thor’s closest allies in both the comic books and the MCU, fought beside him and the Warriors Three in Thor and Thor: The Dark World. She also guest-starred in two episodes of Agents of SHIELD. While the Warriors Three returned in Ragnarok only to be immediately killed off, Sif was nowhere to be found and was never mentioned again. Sif sat out Ragnarok and didn’t return to help Thor in Avengers: Infinity War or Avengers: Endgame either. It was later said that Sif was among the casualties of Thanos’ snap, which means that she was dead for five years before being resurrected along with everyone else in Endgame.

Sif’s whereabouts can finally be revealed in Thor: Love and Thunder if the actress reprises her role. As for how the movie may explain her absence in recent years, Thor 4 can look to the words of Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, who has talked in the past about why Lady Sif hasn’t been around. According to Feige, Sif was “probably banished” by Loki (Tom Hiddleston) [via CinemaBlend], an explanation that makes perfect sense for the movie.

When Thor: The Dark World ended, Loki was in control of Asgard while in the guise of Odin (Anthony Hopkins). It feels only logical that Loki would remove any obstacles to his rule. That’s what Loki did with Heimdall (Idris Elba), since he knew that the character’s ability would make him wise to Loki’s schemes. Sif, who has loyally served Odin for centuries, likely would have figured it out as well. So for that reason, Loki sent her away so that she wouldn’t be able to pose a problem for him in the future. Due to Sif’s unyielding allegiance to Odin and the throne of Asgard, it feels like banishment would be the only thing that would drive her away.

Now, Sif is off on her own, perhaps somewhere in space or in one of the Nine Realms. She could even be in the company of her traveling companion from the comics, Beta Ray Bill, and could be the person who brings him into the MCU. Either way, Sif’s exile can end in Thor 4. Whether she’s alone or with someone else, Sif could cross paths with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) at some point in the movie and learn the truth about Odin’s death and what happened in Thor: Ragnarok. It could be that her adventures will bring her back to Earth, or that they’ll meet when Thor is still in space with the Guardians. Regardless of how their reunion happens, Alexander has expressed an interest in returning, which means that Thor: Love and Thunder presents Marvel with an opportunity to finally bring Lady Sif back into the fold.

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