When Hela destroyed Thor’s hammer near the beginning of Thor: Ragnarok, we knew we were in for some serious shit. And this godlike moment needed a lot of VFX love in order to make it a reality.
Image Engine has shared a VFX reel for the first confrontation between Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and Hela (Cate Blanchett), leading to Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir, getting destroyed. In the trailers, the scene looked to take place in some back alley of a ruined city – obviously because they didn’t want to spoil the surprise. Since Blanchett filmed that sequence in front of a blue screen, it was easy to transport her into a dewy field where she could destroy Thor’s prized possession in front of him. Then, she was digitally made bald and given her glorious head of helm tentacles. For kicks.
In Avengers: Infinity War, it looks like Thor will be trading in his demolished hammer for a combo hammer and battle ax, which merchandise suggests will be named Stormbreaker. As we continue to mourn Mjölnir, the beloved hammer that stole our hearts, it’s kind of cool to see how many layers of special effects are needed to make it shine. Check out the video below – though you might want to put it on mute, as the music is really grating.