The new Thor teaser was all kinds of awesome.
Of all the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the two Thor movies have been by far the greatest disappointments. It’s sad, really, because Thor, a Norse god with a rich backstory, is a writer’s dream come true and there are innumerable epic takes on Thor in the comics. Sadly, none of them came to the big screen and both Thor movies were drab affairs compounded by weak plots and rather lifeless acting. But it seems like third time’s the charm and even though the teaser just shows us what seems like the beginning of the movie, it's enough to get the Marvel fandom very, very excited.
Here are five reasons the teaser ‘Ragnaroked’ our world (sorry, couldn’t resist):
Excellent use of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song
A lot has been said, and quite fairly, about the drab musical scores of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Good songs or memorable musical scores have been as rare as memorable villains, with only the first two Iron Man movies and Guardians of The Galaxy using any decent music. While Black Sabbath’s 'Iron Man' and AC/DC set the tone for the first two Iron Man movies, GOTG captured the joie de vivre of the 70s and 80s with some fine tracks.
Thankfully, MCU has again hit the jackpot with the Led Zeppelin’s 'Immigrant Song'. The song, which was also used in the opening credits of the Hollywood version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, is the perfect tone-setter with Jimmy Page’s immortal guitar riff and Robert Plant’s wail. Steeped in Norse mythology, the song was written after the rock band were guests of the Iceland government, ergo the bit about the ‘land of the ice and snow’.
Hela— the villain MCU needs and deserves
via GIPHY
In Norse mythology, Hel or Hela is the ruler of hell and Loki’s daughter and we have to say that the teaser belonged to Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of the character. Hela drops the mic pretty early as she destroys Mjolnir with absolute nonchalance and then goes about destroying Asgard. The fact that most of MCU's heroes can’t even raise the hammer suggests Hel is far more powerful than any villain we’ve witnessed so far.
Such is the paucity of villains that most of MCU’s epic fights are between heroes but that looks like it’s going to change with Hela. Her helmet-with-horns look is an absolute delight, oozing elegance and evil at the same time, and we certainly hope that she lives up to the billing.
It’s unclear whether Hela will be related to Loki in this movie (according to myth, she’s his daughter), even though they do seem to make similar sartorial choices. Hopefully Hela will be around for Infinity War because we are already in love with her character. After lame villains like Whiplash, Iron Monger, Yellow Jacket, Malekith, Ronan, Abomination and the Mandarin, it’s about time we get a decent villain in the MCU.
Star Wars meets Gladiator theme
via GIPHY
Most casual comic fans were completely taken aback by the success of the Guardians of the Galaxy and its Star Wars-esque theme and it looks like Ragnarok is following in the same direction. Whether it’s the destruction of Asgard, shots of what seems like Hel and Sakaar, a planet-sized fighting arena run by the Grandmaster (played by Jeff Goldblum), there’s a lot of emphasis on the different environs shown in the trailer. After destroying New York and other locations on Earth umpteen times, the action has moved to outer space and we couldn’t be more thrilled. As an aside, Goldblum’s Grandmaster seems like an important character given his ties to the Collector (seen in GOTG), he plays matchmaker by introducing Thor to his ‘friend from work’, an armoured Hulk.
The Friend from Work
via GIPHY
While we loved Civil War, and its innumerable hints at the epic love triangle of Tony-Steve-Bucky, we’ve to say we were missing Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk. Ruffalo’s Hulk is one of the cornerstones of the MCU and they seem to have borrowed heavily from the Planet Hulk comic arc for Sakaar. The Grandmaster has replaced the Red King, but the armour from Planet Hulk stays.
In the comics, the Hulk was sent away by the Illuminati (which included Tony Stark) after he had gone berserk. In the MCU, Banner’s decision seems to have more self-sacrificial as he leaves behind a lovelorn Black Widow and disappears. How he got to Saakar will probably be an epic story and till we find out, we are going to replay the epic moment he breaks out into the arena as Thor expresses joy at seeing his ‘friend from work’.
The hat-tip to all the Norse mythology
One of my biggest peeves about the Thor movies is how little it cares for the myths it is based on. Stan Lee had once said about creating Thor: “How do you make someone stronger than the strongest person? It finally came to me: Don't make him human — make him a god. I decided readers were already pretty familiar with the Greek and Roman gods. It might be fun to delve into the old Norse legends... Besides, I pictured Norse gods looking like Vikings of old, with the flowing beards, horned helmets, and battle clubs.”
Yet, the movies did very little tribute to the Norse mythology angle. With Ragnarok, it seems like we are moving in the right direction. For the uninitiated, Ragnarok is the Norse version of the Armageddon, an epic battle before the end of the world after which earth will be repopulated. That’s not the only hat-tip to Norse mythology, Hela or Hel, a goddess similar to Hinduism’s Kali and the ruler of hell is Loki’s daughter. Stuck in hell for a millennium, she is out now and looking to wreak havoc on those who imprisoned her, namely Odin and the Asgardians.
Then there’s Valkyrie aka Brunnhilde (played by the gorgeous Tessa Thomson), whose job was to lead the Valkyrior and pick worthy warriors who had lost their lives in battle to Valhalla. Now, she is seen picking ‘contenders’ for the Grandmaster’s arena. There’s something immensely badass about her character, particularly the way she drags Thor around like he was a United Airlines passenger.
All in all, indie director Taika David Waititi seems to have created something very, very special and brand new for the Marvel Cinematic Universe whose let's 'retell Iron Man again and again' through different characters was getting kind of boring. November couldn't get here soon enough.
Our reaction after watching the trailer:
via GIPHY
Go on watch it again, we know you want to:
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Hela")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}