"Thor: Ragnarok" Is Coming and We Really Need It

I don’t know if you’ve noticed lately, but the world is pretty terrible right now. When I woke up a few days ago I was actually afraid to check my phone, sure that something else that would make me sick to my stomach had happened overnight. Remember when we all thought 2016 was the worst? So I’m very happy that we have Thor: Ragnarok coming up in a few weeks, because it’s going to be a bright little sparkle that we all desperately need. All the early reviews have said it’s a total blast. At first I was a bit wary of the style, I thought it looked a bit too light-hearted for a movie about Norse mythology’s apocalypse, but at this point I’m glad for it. What does it matter if a comic universe adds some humor to it’s fictional end of days? Promotion for the movie is kicking into high gear and we’re getting a lot of good featurettes and interviews.

I’m still really disappointed about the lack of Jane Foster in this one, so Ragnarok will have to do a lot to make up for that, but it looks like there’s going to be enough fun to distract me from her abscence. That fun will be a nice switch-up, since some of the more recent Marvel movies have been a bit serious, where if our heroes don’t win the entire universe is destroyed. We can’t have that all the time without it getting old.

Director Taika Waititi looks like he’s going to be a very good fit for this MCU, and has the right energy for comic book movie. He’s hilarious, and watching him in interviews may be more fun than actually watching the movie. I hope the success of this one leads to more big things for him. Without getting too spoiler-y, let’s look at what we know so far:

Thor

The most important thing about Thor in the third installment of his franchise isn’t his character growth, or the adventures he’ll go on, or the complexity of his relationships, but his hair. I wasn’t on board at first, and I still miss his long, flowing tresses, but I’m getting used to it. I love this new helmet on him though.

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Valkyrie

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I’m glad that even though Darcy and Jane are gone, there’s a female character in the center of the action for us to love. Valkyrie has a badass look, she takes absolutely no shit, and I would follow her anywhere. It’a already been announced that she’ll appear in future Marvel films, so we don’t have to be worried about her fate in this one, and can just sit back and watch her be phenomenal.

The Grandmaster

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I still have no idea exactly what function Jeff Goldblum is going to serve in this movie, but does it really matter? He’s clearly thrilled to be here, and we’re thrilled to see him. This is a win/win.

Hela

Back when Natalie Portman fought for Thor: The Dark World to be directed by Patty Jenkins, the idea was to have a female villain in the movie. That was nixed by executives who didn’t think she would be a best-selling action figure. The differences between Jenkins and the studio were so great that they parted ways on the project. (After seeing Wonder Woman, maybe Marvel should have listened to Patty Jenkins about…everything.) Apparently they’ve changed their minds about the toys, because Cate Blanchett will play Hela, and I know we’re not technically supposed to root for her, but everything I’ve seen so far suggests that it’s going to be hard not to, even just a little bit.

Hulk

I’m so glad he’s in this. He and Thor haven’t had all that much interaction in their films together in the way Steve and Tony and Steve and Natasha have, so the two of them becoming intergalactic BFFs may end up being my favorite part of this movie. (Personally, I have my fingers crossed that the Bruce/Natasha romantic storyline has been ignored and that Bruce just gets to have fun because 1) he deserves it and 2) that storyline was not my favorite.)

Loki

It’s no secret that I have more than a few positive feelings about Loki. He’s the worst and I don’t care and he’s my favorite and I love him. I like Loki best when he’s in “anti-hero but not quite a villain” mode, which seems to be the case with Ragnarok. One of the most hyped clips so far has been his reintroduction to the Hulk, and Loki’s #ohshit face has made me laugh each time I’ve seen it.

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