Wait, Why Did Thor: Ragnarok Change Where Mjolnir Is Destroyed?

New Cate Blanchett image

Cate Blanchett as Hela in Thor: Ragnarok

Do you remember that totally badass shot from the early Thor: Ragnarok trailer of Cate Blanchett's wicked Hela catching Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, in her bare hand and then squeezing until it shatters and falls to the ground? It looked like that (above) when we first saw it. Director Taika Waititi even included a shot of the hammer's handle falling to the ground in what appears to be an urban alleyway. Look at this:

A shattered Mjolnir

Amazing shot, right? Those of us who scour the imagery of EVERY Marvel movie in search of potential clues wondered aloud where this battle might be taking place. We knew that Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) were going to pitstop to New York City to catch up with Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) -- thanks the mid-credits sequence of Doctor Strange -- and thought this might mean Thor: Ragnarok would deliver Hela on Earth.

Except now, the scene might not play out as such. In a new featurette released by Marvel about Cate Blanchett's villain, the scene looks... different.

New Cate Blanchett image

It's even accompanied by a scene with Thor and Loki that sets this confrontation up, and we're no longer in an urban alleyway. We're on an island, with a coast, and mountains in the far of distance.

Thor and Loki staring down at Hela

What the hell? I mean, naturally, films on the scale of Thor: Ragnarok change in post-production. But why did the location of this scene change so drastically? There are other possibilities here. This might be a different scene altogether. We don't quite see Hela completely shatter Mjolnir in the YouTube clip "Hela Good." Could it be possible that Hela catches Thor's hammer TWICE in the final movie? Once in an alley and once on an island somewhere? And where IS this island location? It doesn't look like Asgard or Sakaar, the desolate planet where the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) stages gladiator battles. It, also, looks like Earth. So I'm betting we somehow WILL get Hela on our planet. Until we see the final film, we just don't know how or why Marvel made this unusual change.

Thor: Ragnarok screened for press, and the early reactions are very positive. Be sure to check out our Upcoming Marvel Movies guide to see which MCU movies will drop after the God of Thunder has his way.

Get your Thor: Ragnarok tickets here!

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.