With 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, director Taika Waititi gave us something completely different
from the previous two Thor films, showing us places and characters unlike anything else
in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The fantastic visuals and rapid-fire jokes were enough to dazzle movie fans of any age.
But while kids might be satisfied with spectacle, once older viewers really start thinking about
the movie, there are more questions than answers - especially once you factor in the events
of Avengers: Infinity War.
Here's a spoiler-filled look at some Thor: Ragnarok details that only adults notice.
Odin stinks at hiding things
The key villain for most of Ragnarok is Hela, the Goddess of Death who also happens to be
Thor and Loki's older sister, and the oldest child of Odin.
Hela, it turns out, was banished by Odin, hidden away in a secret prison until his death
abruptly frees her.
Suddenly, the secret ain't so secret, which is actually a recurring problem for Odin throughout
the Thor franchise, as the All-Father is apparently really bad at hiding things.
In the first film, it was the secret of Loki's Frost Giant birth.
In the second, it turns out there was a secret portal out of Asgard.
Now here comes a daughter that he apparently never told his sons about.
And in all three cases, once the secret got out, people got killed.
If Odin were a little better at hiding these things, Asgard might still exist today.
Where is Sif?
Both of Thor's leading ladies from the previous films are suddenly and mysteriously missing
in Thor: Ragnarok.
Jane Foster's absence is explained with a single throwaway line saying she and Thor
broke up.
That's a pretty casual dismissal for a star as big as Natalie Portman, but it's nothing
compared to what Jaimie Alexander's Lady Sif gets - which is, in fact, literally nothing.
Aside from an actress playing her in the drama Loki stages commemorating his own death, Sif
isn't even mentioned in Ragnarok.
In the real world, Alexander apparently had a scheduling conflict, but in Ragnarok, she
just vanishes and nobody really seems to give a crap.
Marvel later piled on even more, with Avengers: Infinity War directors Joe and Anthony Russo
revealing she died offscreen in Infinity War.
Seriously, guys?
Who is on Doctor Strange's watch list?
Though the film spends less time on Earth than either previous Thor adventure, Ragnarok
does depict Thor and Loki's unexpected encounter with Doctor Strange, who traps Loki in a pocket
dimension while he has a chat with Thor about why they've come to Earth.
"I keep a watch list of individuals and beings from other realms that may be a threat to
this world.
Your adopted brother Loki is one of those beings"
It's a fun scene, but it makes you wonder: who else is on that watch list?
Is Doctor Strange the Marvel equivalent of the TSA?
We have a feeling we haven't seen the last of this mysterious watch list of his.
Thor: god of… nothing?
In addition to extreme strength, durability and a lifespan much longer than that of a
human, Thor is the God of Thunder, which is a key plot point in Ragnarok.
"Are you Thor, The God of Hammers?"
"That hammer is to help you control your power, to focus it.
It was never your source of strength"
So if his body is naturally gifted with the power to channel lightning, why is he so vulnerable
to shocks?
He gets shocked by a net thrown on him by scavengers when he first arrives on Sakaar,
and then is repeatedly zapped by the neck implant placed on him by Valkyrie after she
captures him.
Maybe those don't run on normal electricity or something, but it's weird to see him get
shocked in one scene and then pull a lightning storm out of the sky in another.
Valkyrie has a drinking problem
The first time we meet Valkyrie, she falls off her ship after taking a big drink.
The moment is played for laughs, as are other moments involving Valkyrie and alcohol, but
as the story plays out we find she is using alcohol to block traumatic memories of her
friends being slaughtered by Hela.
Though her addiction is mostly played for laughs, when viewed as a whole, Ragnarok actually
presents a tragic view of a woman trying to drink herself into oblivion.
Where is Asgard exactly?
In the first Thor film, the Bifrost is the only way to get to and from Asgard, which
is why it's such a tragedy when it is destroyed.
In the second movie, though, we learn there are actually secret portals that sometimes
allow travel to and from Asgard as well.
Okay, fine.
In Ragnarok, though, all bets are off, as people seem to be able to come and go at will,
simply flying spaceships to and from Asgard.
Apparently, the rules for traveling to Asgard work however the plot needs them to at any
given moment, as seemingly anyone can just drive there if they want.
So… road trip, anyone?
Infinity what now?
Speaking of all those Asgardians on that spaceship, Avengers: Infinity War begins shortly after
Ragnarok left off, with the Asgardian refugee ship destroyed by Thanos.
In the carnage, we see the loss of numerous Asgardians, but we don't know anything about
what happened to Valkyrie or Korg.
In a Q&A at an Iowa high school of all places, though, Infinity War co-director Joe Russo
revealed that Valkyrie survived, along with half the Asgardians.
So where are they?
Well, one clue might be hiding in plain sight at the end of Ragnarok, as the Grandmaster's
pleasure cruise vessel, battered but still recognizable, can be seen parked on top of
the larger refugee ship.
It's not big enough to hold everyone, but Valkyrie could certainly fit - and maybe even
have room to bring Korg with her.
Here's hoping!