There's less than two months to go until the release of Thor: Ragnarok, which looks like it could be one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's craziest movies yet. While Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder has most recently appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron and the Doctor Strange mid-credits scene, it's been nearly four full years since his last solo movie, Thor: The Dark World, was screened in theaters. As Marvel has shown in the previews, Ragnarok will blend the Asgardian/Nine Realms mythology that the first two movies appropriately leaned on with the cosmic weirdness that has been the bread and butter of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
The Thor: Ragnarok marketing campaign will soon be kicking up a few notches to tease even more of the movie's content. But as we continue to count down the days until we can see Thor and his allies prevent all of Asgardian civilization from being destroyed, here are the questions that we're still wracking our brain about over the upcoming MCU feature.
What's Happening With Odin?
To be fair, part of the question has already been answered. After disappearing towards the end of Thor: The Dark World, we've since learned that Odin was banished to Earth without his abilities. Without the All-Father around, Loki was free to impersonate his dad and rule Asgard as he saw fit. However, as was teased in the Doctor Strange mid-credits scene, the beginning of Thor: Ragnarok will see Thor and Loki looking for Odin with Doctor Strange's help, and we assume they'll eventually find him wandering the streets of Manhattan as a homeless guy. But from there, it's unclear how Odin fits into the story. Anthony Hopkins hasn't shown up in any of the previews released so far, so what's happening with him? Will he get his mighty abilities back, return to Asgard and lead the fight against Hela? Or will the Asgardian goddess of death eliminate him before he's able to return to full power? Whatever the explanation, I can't help but feel that the future doesn't bode well for Odin.
Why Was Valkyrie Banished?
Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie was originally part of an elite group of troops put together by Odin to defend Asgard from extreme threats, including Hela. However, judging by the snippets shown of this conflict in the Thor: Ragnarok trailers, battling the goddess of death doesn't end well for these soldiers, and it's possible Valkyrie was the only one who made it out alive. When we meet Valkyrie in the present day, she'll be working as a bounty hunter for Grandmaster after years in exile from Asgard. The big question is, why did Odin banish her? Was he disappointed that she failed to stop Hela, and banishment was her punishment? Or is there another reason the All-Father took such harsh action. Once Thor and Valkyrie are on good terms, maybe she'll be willing to shed light on the matter.
Why Is Loki Hanging Out With Grandmaster?
Thor and Loki have had their differences over the years, but they'll have to put those aside at the beginning of Thor: Ragnarok when they go searching for Odin. Now here's where things get confusing. Sometime early in the movie, Hela will destroy Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, and somehow ensure that he's trapped on Sakaar. Evidently Loki is able to track down his brother, as he's seen in the Thor: Ragnarok teaser trailer sitting in Grandmaster's luxury bx to watch the clash between the God of Thunder and Hulk. But why is Loki being so chummy with Grandmaster? Have they formed an alliance, and Loki is up to another one of his schemes? Or is Loki actually acting outside of his self-interest and staying near Grandmaster to ensure that he can get Thor off Sakaar? We already know Loki's time on Sakaar will take a turn for the worse as evidenced by Thor, Valkyrie and Bruce Banner finding him chained up in a room, so it will be interesting to find out what led to his predicament.
Does Heimdall Have The Soul Stone?
The Soul Stone is the final Infinity Stone left to be revealed in the MCU before Avengers: Infinity War is released, and there's a fan theory making the rounds that Heimdall, Asgard's trusted gatekeeper, is in possession of it. Some believe that because the Soul Stone and Heimdall's eyes are the same color (orange), the Asgardian has somehow been imbued with the artifact's power, giving him his amazing sight. Heimdall himself in Thor: The Dark World said he's able to peer into ten trillion souls across the Nine Realms, so why is he the only Asgardian gifted with such an ability? Perhaps the Soul Stone is responsible, and the reason he was blind in Thor's vision during Avengers: Age of Ultron is because the Stone was taken away from him. Because Thor: Ragnarok is the last cosmic movie before Infinity War, it makes sense to answer what the deal is with the Soul Stone one way or another.
How Is Surtur Involved In The Main Story?
One of the many pieces of information that was provided at last year's Thor: Ragnarok set visit was that the movie opens with a montage of the many adventures Thor has had since the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron. This includes Thor battling Surtur, the fire demon who's been a member of the God of Thunder's rogues gallery for decades. We also know that Surtur will be one of Hela's allies during the main story, but that doesn't explain how he shows up again. No doubt Hela finds a way to release Surtur from whatever imprisonment he's been forced into while Thor is dealing with his predicament on Sakaar, but how does she find him? How does Hela persuade him to join her cause? Judging by the end of the Thor: Ragnarok summer trailer, Surtur is going to be a major opponent for The Revengers (especially Hulk), so we're eager to find out how he gets drawn into these events.
Why Did Thor And Jane Foster Separate?
Thor and Jane Foster were quite the MCU item for years, and while Jane didn't appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Asgardian warrior and human astrophysicist were still together. But we've since learned that by the time of Thor: Ragnarok, Thor and Jane Foster are no longer a couple, and it was confirmed last year that Natalie Portman will not appear in the threequel. So why did they break up? Admittedly, they left very different lives, with Thor traveling across the Nine Realms to fight evildoers and Jane focusing on her scientific work on Earth. With that much separation, perhaps those two crazy kids felt it was better to go their separate ways rather than drag out a long distance relationship.
What Happened To Lady Sif And The Warriors Three?
Jane Foster is the only major absence in Thor: Ragnarok. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three haven't been seen in any of the movie's promotional material, it hasn't even been officially confirmed whether or not they will even appear. Those four were among Thor's closest allies in the first two Thor movies, so to not have them show up or even addressed would be weird. Fortunately, producer Brad Winderbaum says that Thor: Ragnarok will reveal what happened to Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg, and we might even see them as opposed to just hearing them be mentioned. Still, it can be surmised that they won't play a major role in the third Thor movie, so it will be most welcome when we find out what's befallen them. While it's certainly possible that they could make it out of Thor: Ragnarok alive, it's reasonable to fear that they may be killed during Hela's assault on Asgard.
Where Does Bruce Banner Get His Duran Duran Shirt?
This question is by no means important for shedding light on Thor: Ragnarok's plot, but it's still worth posing. Remember, Bruce Banner last transformed into Hulk during Avengers: Age of Ultron's climactic battle, and apparently the Green Goliath hasn't reverted to his human form once in the two years that have passed since then. That explains why he's built a bigger vocabulary while on Sakaar. Anyway, sometime after Thor and Hulk's fight in the gladiator ring, the latter will finally turn back into Banner, and when that happens he'll have fresh clothes ready for him, including a blazer and a shirt depicting the "Rio" album artwork. But where did these clothes come from? It's not like Hulk traveled back to Earth and grab some of Banner's duds from Avengers Tower. It's possible Banner just kept a spare outfit aboard the Quinjet just in case. However the movie explains why those clothes are on Sakaar, I hope this means that Duran Duran has gone intergalactic.
