Thor: Ragnarok has hit theaters, sparking curiosity about its namesake. The term 'Ragnarok' originates from Norse mythology, just like Thor himself. It refers to the twilight of the gods - or the end of days. This cycle of death and rebirth repeats endlessly for the Asgardians. The new Thor movie takes on this concept ambitiously. As expected, things don't go smoothly for the god of thunder during Ragnarok, both in the comics and on screen. Yet, it works remarkably well, making Thor: Ragnarok the best Thor movie to date, and arguably the best MCU installment. Here's a rundown of Ragnarok from the comics, plus other material that made its way into the plot of Thor: Ragnarok. Be aware that some minor spoilers follow, though not everything from the comics is adapted identically on screen.
About this list
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Ragnarok means Asgard's death and destruction, but it starts a new beginning for the Asgardians. Ragnarok is an eternal cycle.It is eternal.Asgardians accept Ragnarok as a necessary evil. It destroys their world and many of them so they can be reborn. The basic plan stays the same even though each event changes.
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Volla, a prophetess (identified by Marvel in 1966), predicted Ragnarok. She split it into two main events: one of ice and one of fire. Though Volla is dead, worthy people can visit her in the dead to get prophecies.
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The Ragnarok cycle starts with the brutal Fimbul Winter. Winter signals the end for all peoples across all worlds. This causes Seasonal Affective Disorder, but Asgardian winters avoid White Walkers or madness leading to self-destruction. Loki tricks his god Hoder into killing his brother Balder; this marks the start of Ragnarok, concluding with Loki's action.
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After Balder dies, Heimdall sounds his horn, signaling Ragnarok's true start. Loki then leads trolls and giants across the Bifrost, killing Heimdall and forcing Odin to fight back. This leads to the final standoff between Thor and Loki, an epic fight always interrupted by the Midgard Serpent.
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During each Ragnarok fight, the Odinsons clash, but the Midgard Serpent, Jormungand, interrupts them. In the comics, Jormungand is Loki's son, one of two children from Angerboda, the other being the Fenris Wolf. Both parents wield magic and change form, which makes their sons monsters. Odin feared Jormungand's power and banished him to the deep ocean, making him the Midgard (Earth) Serpent.
Jormungand returns to destroy Asgard during every Ragnarok.
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Jormungand does not appear in the movie.Thor: RagnarokThe giant Fenris Wolf does this. The comics show Loki is not Fenris Wolf's son. Norse mythology shows gods have many children with other gods, people, and entities. The MCU avoids confusing viewers with this much history.
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Asgard breaks apart from infighting. Jormungand destroys much of the world until Thor defeats him. Then, Surtur arrives. Surtur is a giant fire demon from Muspelheim. Each Ragnarok cycle ends with Surtur entering the gods' realm, crossing the Bifrost, and burning the ruins with his Twilight Sword.
Surtur is an immortal being. He is older than any other Asgardian. Surtur is Asgard's greatest foe because he can destroy their realm.
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Ragnarok is a necessary cycle of death and rebirth for Asgardians. This cycle feeds gods above those of Asgard.Those Who Sit Above in Shadow.Each Ragnarok brings a rebirth. The time between cycles is unclear; it is generally defined as eons. Asgard and its gods always get reborn.
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Mysterious gods called Those Who Sit Above in Shadow keep the Ragnarok cycle going. They gain energy from Ragnarok. Asgardians find these gods after Odin banishes Thor to Earth to learn humility and break fate's dictates.
This leads events where Thor learns about these beings. Loki then confronts them, questioning their origins. He argues they did not create Asgard, but rather Asgard's gods created these higher beings through their own beliefs.
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Hela was Asgardian. The Norns, the three Asgardian goddesses of fate, warned Hela would become a powerful villain. Odin preemptively made her the goddess of death, ruler of spirits, and queen of Hel and Niffleheim. Hela constantly seeks more power over Asgardians, famously inciting and joining Ragnarok with Loki.
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Mark Millar and Steve Mcniven created Ragnarok in 2006 for the "Civil War" story arc. Ragnarok is a cyborg clone of Thor made by Tony Stark, Reed Richards, and Hank Pym. They planned for the cyborg to defeat anti-registration heroes, but he proved too strong and killed Goliath.The real Thor.The real Thor defeated the clone in the next battle, smashing Mjolnir through his robot face.
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Thor: Ragnarok.The film may show the Asgardians facing an end of days, but it also mixes a Hulk comic book story into the plot.Thor: Ragnarok.The list includes the adaptation of "Planet Hulk," one of the Angry Avenger's greatest story arcs.The film includes "Planet Hulk."Planet Hulk happens on Sakaar, a planet where society centers on a gladiatorial arena. Hulk becomes the champion there.
The film shows Hulk's arms and armor. It shows other storyline elements, including characters like Korg and Miek.Korg and Miek..
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Korg is a Kronan, a species of humanoid rock-monsters. In "Planet Hulk," he gets imprisoned on Sakaar and fights with Hulk. Taika Waititi, the director, is incomparable.Thor: Ragnarok.Korg voices him in the film. Miek is an insectoid native to planet Sakaar. He fights with Hulk. Miek accompanies Hulk back to Earth after they lead a revolution on Sakaar. The emperor they overthrow in the comics is different from the one seen in.This is Thor: Ragnarok.However.
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The Grandmaster is one of theElders of the Universe.These Elders are an immortal race that evolved after the Big Bang. Benicio del Toro plays the Collector in.The Guardians of the...Galaxy.This is another Elder. Jeff Goldblum plays the Grandmaster in.Thor: Ragnarok.The film reworked some comic book elements for the character, specifically the Contest of Champions. This miniseries comic event showed an epic fight between the Grandmaster and Death, pitting Marvel's best heroes against each other.
The Grandmaster oversees the Sakaaran gladiator battles; this is a smaller version of the Contest of Champions.
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Valkyries, or Valkyrior, are Asgardian demigoddesses. They lead the heroically slain to Valhalla's great feasts. Valkyries ride winged horses, like Pegasus from Greek mythology. One Valkyrie appears in.Thor: Ragnarok.Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie meets Thor and Hulk on Sakaar. Shenanigans follow.
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