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LLOYD THE COMIC GURU ON

THOR: RAGNAROK

Article By Lloyd Hewitt

It’s been 5 years since THOR hit theaters! RAGNAROK comes out next year and words can’t describe the sweet joy that I feel about this news. Especially with WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS director Taika Waititi at the helm. Honestly, it’s not just the Thor character either. It’s the whole ensemble; Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Tom Hiddleston as Loki (my favorite villain in the MCU to date!), Idris Elba as Heimdall, and a varying assortment of new characters.

We all know Hulk will be joining in on this road trip and we’re hearing Planet Hulk will make a brief appearance in the movie, too. And although I’m so beyond excited for this (it makes me giddy just thinking about it!) there are so many other ridiculously cool characters appearing in this movie as well.

Cate Blanchett as Hela really intrigues me!! I see Hela and Loki working together in the beginning, destroying Mjolnir and leading a huge army against Asgard. Ugh! Hela could seriously be the personification of Death going forward in the MCU. Think about it. In INFINITY WAR, Thanos has an agenda which is probably going to mean him obtaining the Infinity Stones and killing half of the universe just to prove his love to Death. He’ll keep the Avengers killing for sport proving his ultimate love through the challenge they provide. Hela would be the perfect personification of Death, seeing as she’s the leader of Hel, the Asgardian realm of the dead.

Skurge the Executioner (played by Karl Urban) is interesting to me as well. Plot wise, he was an antagonist of Thor, being manipulated by the Enchantress and Loki. I do believe we will see some of this in the beginning. I think that when Loki and Hela first arrive to take over the place and wreak havoc, Skurge and Thor will battle. However, like in the comics, it would be great to see Skurge realize Hela manipulated him and for him to sacrifice his magical axe and himself for the good of Asgard, enabling Thor and his army of honored dead Asgardian warriors to finally beat Hela… Ugh! So sick! PLEASE MARVEL! MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

The Grandmaster (played by Jeff Goldblum) will also be featured and I honestly have no idea where this jerk will appear… Seriously, read up on the Grandmaster, he’s a douche! He’s basically like the Collector, an Elder of the universe. But he likes to play games…for fun…with no real point… So could he be behind Ragnarok? Who knows? I only expect a lengthy cameo, but it’s exciting for him to be in this… just no idea how or to what end… but one thing is for sure, it’ll be to throw an annoying wrench into the works. It’ll all be a part of a game pitting two opposing forces against each other so he can sit and watch… He really is a bit of a prick, really.

Valkyrie (played by Tessa Thompson) is also a great addition. I’m guessing she’ll be a pivotal warrior in the heat of the battle. Kind of like Lady Sith, except even more kick-ass (I know…Who knew that was possible?)

Now for a mind bending nerd theory, and while this is simply my hope, man would this be sexy! The last Infinity Stone should hopefully be in this movie. Now, bear with me here… If the Time Stone is green and appears in DOCTOR STRANGE–pretty much all but confirmed at this point–then that leaves the Soul gem, which has to be orange because all other colors have been spoken for. Now, this is where I bend your brain over, so enjoy it. Heimdall can see all souls in the Nine realms, and his eyes are orange. What if Heimdall has the last stone, but doesn’t realize it? Hold on before you call me out on my crazy theory! In AGE OF ULTRON, Scarlett Witch gave Thor a vision in which we see Heimdall in a mysterious room and Thor says “Heimdall… your eyes…” and his eyes are gray, not orange. Now…I think this “room” is Hel and Heimdall is actually dead and the soul gem has been taken from him. A nerd can dream right? His gray eyes could just be a visual way of showing he’s dead. I hope my wild but sensible Infinity Stone theory is correct.

Now, this potential scene will hopefully play out in RAGNAROK. If Thanos killed Heimdall entering into Asgard on a mission to destroy everything in his path– or just to collect the gem–I would love Thanos to turn up, kill Heimdall relatively easily, take the gem, and leave with a smirk on his face as Asagrd is overrun by Hela’s army. Thor returns with a now humbled and focused Loki and Hulk, unable to go after Thanos because of the Hel (pun intended) that has been unleashed on Asgard. With the army of honored Dead– i.e. Heimdall and the fallen Asgardian warriors–Thor and co. could defeat the armies of Hela in a glorious battle. Kind of like that one bit in LORD OF THE RINGS, except with less green.

Anyway, expect a lot of death in RAGNAROK and not just the kind you don’t want to see. Not just nameless Asgardian warriors but characters you love. Bring tissues, both for the good moments and the bad.

I’ll leave you with one final nerd moment I hope to see. I’d actually prefer this over Skurge going good and being one of the only primary villains Thor can’t beat. Odin in his wisdom see’s that everything is all but lost. Hope is nowhere to be found. Odin tells Thor to accept the mantle of King, and in doing so, he receives the Odin force (now the Thor force.) WOULDN’T YOU JUST LOSE YOUR FREAKING MINDS? I WOULD!!!! Thor obtains the Thor force, becomes ultra powerful, and cleans house! SUPER BAD! Seriously! We all know we’d be losing it if that happened! If I had to choose, this would be the pivotal moment that would then rally the Asgardians and armies of the honored dead.

Whatever happens, this is a movie for Marvel fans to truly be excited about. Just like all Marvel movies!

Let me know in the comments thread below which part of THOR: RAGNAROK you’re most excited about. And feel free to share your thoughts on my Heimdall\Infinity Stone theory.