Ragnarok Started Thor's NEW Trilogy (& Avengers 4 Ends It)

Thor: Ragnarok Thor trilogy, one that runs through Avengers: Infinity War and concludes in next year's Avengers 4. Marvel has always stressed that these three movies have a close relationship with one another; In fact, they've been described as different chapters in a single three-part arc for the Hulk. Could the same principle be true for Thor?

Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok effectively relaunched the Thor franchise, setting aside everything that had gone before. Major secondary characters were either dropped (sometimes off-camera) or killed off at speed; a brand new supporting cast was introduced in their place. The God of Thunder was forced to reinvent himself, learning that he did not need Mjolnir in order to summon "the biggest lightning blast in the history of lightning."By the end of the movie, audiences had gotten a new MCU Thor.

Related: Why Thor: Ragnarok Was A Divisive MCU Movie

At first glance, it seems strange to relaunch the franchise when Chris Hemsworth is expected to bow out after next year's Avengers 4. But one Redditor, Danish Royalty, has come up with the perfect explanation. He suggests that, just as with the Hulk, Marvel has started a three-film arc for the God of Thunder – one that truly fulfills the meaning of Norse mythology's Ragnarok. And it really makes sense considering what Thor is going through the final Avengers movies.

Norse Mythology's Ragnarok and How Thor 3 Compares

In Norse mythology, Ragnarok is the prophesied Twilight of the Gods. It's a vision of a cosmic catastrophe, the end of all things that are in part brought about by Loki's treachery. The gods themselves will perish during the events of Ragnarok; Odin, Tyr, Heimdall, Freyr, Loki, and even Thor are destined to die. The monstrous wolf Fenrir will be freed from his chains, the great serpent Jormungand will rise from the oceans, and the fire giant will be destroyed Immortal Asgard itself. As horrific as these events may be, though, it is important to stress that the Norse legends envisioned Ragnarok as a beginning to an ending; the Norse believed that time runs in cycle, and that Ragnarok will be the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next.

A lot of the details of Thor: Ragnarok do indeed align with the Norse mythology. Just as in the legends, the proximate cause of Ragnarok is actually Loki's treachery; Odin, then the All-Father may not have perished on Earth, and may not have been freed. Fenris, the giant wolf, is indeed a key player in the film. Finally, at the end of Thor: Ragnarok The Odinson is forced to be unleashed to destroy the Realm Eternal. And yet, there are subtle differences; Loki winds up fighting his brother, for example, rather than continuing to act as one of the key agents of Ragnarok. While Odin and the Warriors Three die, others who are prophesied to perish in Ragnarok live on – most notably Thor himself. It's as though Ragnarok has begun, but is not yet complete.

How Ragnarok Started Thor's New Trilogy

This is a crucial point; for Thor and his supporting characters, Avengers: Infinity War is the continuation of Ragnarok. Loki's continued treachery – in this case, the fact he secretly possesses the Space Stone – draws the wrath of Thanos. Although half the Asgardians are allowed to flee, the remainders are slaughtered. Notable deaths include Heimdall and even Loki himself, both gods and Ragnarok. If Asgard is a person and not a place, then this was just as bad to blow to Asgard as the loss of the Realm Eternal. Meanwhile, there is also evidence that Marvel considered making this connection explicit. Concept art for Avengers: Infinity War Jirmungand, the Midgard Snake, a creature that lies at the heart of the Ragnarok myth.

Related: Avengers 4: Thor Movies Connect Quantum Realm To Soul Stone

But the end of Avengers: Infinity War makes matters even worse. Thor has spent the bulk of the film attempting to acquire a weapon that will allow him to kill Thanos. Stormbreaker is powerful enough to resist even the might of the Infinity Stones, and Thor unleashes it against Thanos in what should have been a death-blow. But, crucially, the God of Thunder makes a mistake. He wants to savor the moment, and so strikes Thanos in the chest rather than the head, so the Mad Titan can know just who has killed him. And Thor inadvertently gives Thanos the chance to snap his fingers. Half the life in the universe was instantly extinguished. That presumably includes half of the Asgardians who survived Thanos's initial attack. For those refugees, the snap would be a moment of pure horror, as their numbers further diminished. The Twilight of the Gods would continue.

Page 2 of 2: Avengers 4 Continues the Story of Ragnarok

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