Thor: Ragnarok‘s teaser trailer, while clearly focusing on the first part of the movie, had a lot of great and important bits in it. A lot of them are related to the various comics connections this movie is pulling together to make one, big, delightful spectacle.
Everything here is based on conjecture or things Marvel has released/allowed people to say. That said:
In case you were wondering how bad things are for Thor (Chris Hemsworth) at the start of this movie, the answer is: Real bad. Also, we can track a lot of things based solely on Thor’s hair. It’s long and luxurious here, so it’s part of Thor’s initial meeting and loss to Hela (Cate Blanchett).
“Now, I know what you’re thinking. ‘How did this happen?’ Well, it’s a long story.” I fully expected this teaser to end with the reveal that Thor was telling this story in a bar to the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), or to an unimpressed Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). Regardless, as dark as all this looks, this whole trailer indicates this is going to be a romp, and Thor’s introduction sells it.
If you are unaware, Hela is the Norse goddess of death, reigning over Niflheim and Hel. In the comics, her conflict tends to be that she wants to expand her power to include the dead of Valhalla, which Thor and Odin aren’t fans of. Also, she’s the daughter of Loki (Tom Hiddleston). But, like, not exactly the Loki we have. It’s comics and mythology, OK? It gets complicated. There’s been no word on whether or not that particular aspect is going to be part of the movie, but it’s hard not draw links when her green, gold and black costume echoes Loki’s so strongly.
Again, this is clearly from early in the movie. Blanchett has said that Hela has spent millennia trapped and stewing in her anger before being let out to wreak havoc. If you want to show how powerful your villain is, have her destroy Mjolnir.
Comics-wise, Mjolnir’s been broken a few times (notably in a fight with Bor and Molecule Man, who broke and then reformed it), but Hela being able to do this is new. As you’ll notice going along, this movie is called Ragnarok, but it’s more like five comic book ideas put in a blender on “puree”.
There is someone standing next to Thor right before the blast. It looks a lot like Loki, but if this is in New York, it could be Doctor Strange.
Hela has two looks in this movie: The one where you can see Blanchett’s face, and the one with this hornèd (it deserves the poetic accent) helmet. And, boy, did they actually manage to make a comic book look work.
Images: Marvel (Mighty Thor #150 and Angela: Queen of Hel #1)
While there is a lot of the original, old-school Marvel in her helmeted look, the “recently released” chic is borrowing from more recent books.
“Asgard is dead,” proclaims Hela, which would fulfil a bit of the “Ragnarok” — the death of the Asgardian gods — part of this movie. In the early 2000s comics, the death of Thor followed the embodiment of Ragnarok going around killing off all the Asgardians. It kind of seems like Hela is taking on a bit of that role herself.
In earlier comics, she has also schemed to bring about Ragnarok with Loki, by killing Balder and attacking Asgard. Odin stopped them. That attempt seems closer to what we’ve seen in this footage than the later, more famous Ragnarok. Although, with Loki in charge and Odin missing, you have to wonder what the plan is. And if Loki fully has a handle on it.
Anyway, destruction on Asgard, and Thor falling. I feel like this is what leads to him being in chains, as we saw in the opening of the teaser. Or this fireball sends him through a portal that lands him on Sakaar.
It should be noted that Hela crushing Mjolnir looks like it happens either on Earth or on Sakaar. We do know that Thor doesn’t fight on Sakaar with Mjolnir, so either 1) the confrontation with Hela happens on Sakaar and she crushes it and leaves Thor to get killed in the gladiatorial fights. Or 2) after the big explosion, Thor briefly ends up in Hel, manages to get to either Earth or Sakaar, where Hela ruins Mjolnir. Then she presumably dumps him on Sakaar anyway.
Either way, things are not going great for Thor.
And while Hela’s look is hewing really closely to the comics, Valkyrie’s look here is very different. Her outfit in the comics is often black and silver, but is also more Asgardian-looking. However, since this Valkyrie has been hanging out on Sakaar for who knows how long, this makes a certain amount of sense.
An assortment of Valkyries. (Marvel)
By the way, why is Valkyrie hanging out on Sakaar?
In what looks like a flashback, Valkyrie (with Valkyries, plural) fight Hela.
And you can see in the first comic panel I included of her, she has a blue cape. The falling figure in this shot has one, too, so I think we can safely say that Hela and Valkyrie have history. History that will play into Valkyrie helping Thor get off Sakaar and return to save Asgard.
But before that, many indignities are delivered unto Thor.
Here’s a better look at Valkyrie. I know she isn’t holding energy drinks, but man does it look like she is.
It’s Jeff Goldblum! I know he’s playing Grandmaster, the ruler of Sakaar and being behind the Thunderdrome they have there. But he’s still… mostly just Jeff Goldblum. Just listen to the delivery of, “What have you brought today, tell me?”
Valkyrie’s answer is, “A contender.”
Meanwhile, back on Asgard:
Heimdall (Idris Elba) survived the first strike, but Hela’s forces (judging by the colour scheme and the spikes) are hunting him down.
I’ll bet good money that this is from Thor and company getting off Sakaar in the Grandmaster’s ship. I really do appreciate that everything we’ve seen of Sakaar looks and feels like it inhabits the same place as Guardians of the Galaxy. Not that anything’s identical, but that the technology style and the same colours (oh thank God, colours) permeate both.
Say hello to Skurge (Karl Urban). Comics Skurge is also called “The Executioner” and is a villain of Thor’s. He’s also a villain that fell in love with Enchantress and spent a fair amount of time doing her and Loki’s bidding. Of course, Skurge in the comics also helped (in what Chris Sims called the best redemption plot) various heroes escape Hela’s forces during a mission to Hel by holding a bridge long enough for them to cross. The former antagonist-turned-compatriot is a good beat for this movie to include. Taking that story and turning it into Skurge holding back the Grandmaster’s/Hela’s forces as Thor escapes Sakaar wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Image: Marvel
In other news, yeah, Skurge’s look is also very much right out of the comics.
That this shot takes place right after the one earlier in the teaser, but Hela now has her helmet. Apparently she can call it up like Loki does with his helmet, and we’ve heard Hela’s helm is a powerful weapon of its own. It also looks like it’s moving, which lends credence to the rumour.
I have no idea what side Loki is on. None. He could be defending these people or just generally ready to fight. The comics would suggest he’s working with Hela. The part in Doctor Strange where Thor said he’s looking for his brother indicates Loki’s on the run just like Thor and Heimdall. So… your guess is as good as mine. I think he’s working with Hela, though, given that he pops up as a guest to watch Thor fight on Sakaar later.
Now we’re back to Sakaar, with Jeff Goldblum announcing that it’s “main event time”. And movie Thor has a haircut right in line with his current comics counterpart.
This movie’s headwear game is on point. And this one’s for everyone complaining about Thor not having his classic headwear for pretty much every other scene in every other movie.
In case you somehow missed it, yeah, this movie’s comics smoothie includes Planet Hulk. Drink up.
I like the announcement getting “your incredible….” I just wish Goldblum got out “Hulk”. Please just let us have this one. And Hulk is definitely wearing the armour we saw on display at SDCC last year.
Two things: 1) There is something very American Gladiator about Thor’s look. 2) No one has ever in the history of time been happier than Thor is, right at this moment, to see his friend the Hulk.
Less happy are the crowd, Grandmaster and Loki. They would like bloodshed, not happy reunions, please. Also, I am going to take a wild stab and say that Loki isn’t the biggest fan of the Hulk, either, after Avengers. He’s hoping both of them go out, honestly. Look at his face.
Oh, you said you had this handled, did you?
Have you ever known exactly what your idiot brother was about to do, so instead of watching him, you watched the stranger react to him? That’s Loki right now. In his mind, he’s thinking, “Good luck with that. I dealt with it for years, your turn.”
And we end with the delightful Thor reminding us that he’s basically a golden retriever as he says, “We know each other. He’s a friend from work!” and then gleefully gets into a fight with his work friend.
It isn’t a huge surprise that all of this footage appears to be from the earliest part of the movie. That’s how movies these days keep from spoiling things: You end up seeing almost all of the first act and very little from the end. This teaser is very heavy on that early stuff because we know that the rest of the movie is a “road trip”, so Sakaar can’t be nearly as prominent in the actual story as it is here.
That said, it’s also absolutely delightful.