To Infinity & Beyond: Thor – Ragnarok

Thor has definitely had some of the weakest films in the entire MCU. The first Thor was a subpar origin movie that was saved thanks mostly to an excellent villain, and Dark World was undoubtedly the worst in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel had to do something bold if they were going to revive Thor both as a character and as a trilogy, so what did Marvel do? They made one of the most wildly entertaining films to date. This is Thor: Ragnarok!

Plot

After Ultron used the Mind Stone and nearly wiped out humanity, Thor left Earth to search for the other Infinity Stones. Infinity Stones seemed to be popping up left and right in the recent events, but Thor couldn’t find any more in his travels. Instead he came across the demonic being known as Surtur who planned to bring Ragnarok (the end of Asgard). After defeating Surtur and returning home, Thor discovers that Odin has been replaced by Loki as ruler of Asgard! Thor forces Loki to take him to Odin who has been on Earth this whole time. With the help of Doctor Strange, Thor and Loki find Odin just before he dies. He warns his two sons of their sister Hela who Odin hid from them due to her frightening power. Hela will bring the true Ragnarok and it’s up to Thor and Loki to stop her. Upon first meeting though Hela is far too powerful and sends Thor and Loki to the planet Sakaar ruled by the Grandmaster. Now a prisoner, Thor must find a way to return home and prevent Ragnarok.

Villains

Hela is the Goddess of Death. She was Odin’s first born and the two fought together to conquer all of the realms. None stood in their way, but one day Odin grew fearful of Hela so he banished her to the realm of the dead for millions of years. The day Odin died though, she was free and wanted revenge on Asgard. She obliterated the entire Asgardian army, killed Thor’s friends, the Warriors Three, and destroyed Thor’s hammer Mjolnir like it was made of glass. Her power is connected to her home Asgard; the longer she is there the more powerful she becomes making her essentially immortal. She can also create weapons out of thin air making her power limitless as well. Basically there’s no real way to defeat her, the most Thor and the others can do is summon the equally powerful god Surtur to distract her long enough for the people of Asgard to escape. While she may not be as great of a character as Loki, she is definitely one of the better characters in the MCU mostly because of her abilities and origins as a character.

Surtur is the ruler of the realm known as Musphelheim and was banished there after Odin defeated him and stole his Eternal Flame (the source of Surtur’s power). Just by glancing at him you can tell he’s an extremely powerful being. The fact that he is able to stand toe to toe against Hela should be proof enough of that. Although he does not have a lot of screen time he was definitely a memorable character and could very easily be a foe the Avengers face in the future.

Best Scene

I was tempted to say the battle between Thor and Hulk on Sakaar was the best scene in the film, but I just can’t pick that over Thor’s arrival on the Rainbow Bridge at the end of the film. Thor and Hela are battling it out and it’s clear that Thor is outmatched. Hela has Thor pinned down (literally via knives) and says “I’m the Goddess of Death, what are you the god of again?” To which Thor begins to fully utilize his powers as the God of Thunder. He then arrives on the Rainbow Bridge to help the Asgardians escape on the ship Loki brought from Sakaar. Thor, Valkyrie, Hulk, Heimdall, and Loki begin kicking ass on the Rainbow Bridge to the tune of Led Zepplin’s “Immigrant Song.” It’s an incredibly epic scene that spawned many spoofs the rest of the year. All over YouTube people were taking epic action scenes and adding “The Immigrant Song” over it.

Stan Lee Cameo

Thor is about to fight in his first battle in the Grandmaster’s Contest of Champions and he is forced to get his haircut. The barber of course is Stan Lee and he warns Thor, “Now don’t you move, my hands aren’t as steady as they used to be.” Thor then confidently threatens Stan by saying “By Odin’s beard you shall not cut my hair, lest you feel the wrath of the might Thor!” Stan then reveals the size of the many blades he has to cut Thor’s hair to which Thor then whimpers “Please kind sir, do not cut my hair!” which then causes Stan to let out an evil laugh.

Post Credit Scenes

Thor and Loki are talking about heading back to Earth and Loki asks if he thinks it’s a good idea for him to come back (since he tried to enslave them all). Thor replies that it probably isn’t, but it’s alright because he thinks the “worst is behind them.” At that very moment a look of horror falls on Loki’s face and Thor looks confused himself. They look out the window and find a massive ship in front of them. Anyone with a functioning brain should know who’s on that ship. That’s right, Thanos is officially here.

In the second post credits scene, Grandmaster emerges from a ship surrounded by those that revolted against him. Grandmaster then says some hilarious lines:

“I gotta say, I’m proud of you all. This revolution has been a huge success! Yay us! Pat on the back, pat on the back, come on! No? Me too, because I’ve been a big part of this. Can’t have a revolution without someone to overthrow so you’re welcome. And uh… it’s a tie.”

Jeff Goldblum was an absolutely amazing Grandmaster and I really hope we get to see him again in future films.

Final Thoughts

As stated earlier, Thor hasn’t had the best run of movies. Besides Avengers, one can’t really say he’s been in particularly good films. That being said, everything changed with Ragnarok. According to the film crew, most of the dialogue was improv’d by the cast and because of that, there was plenty of excellent comedic moments. You can just tell that Chris Hemsworth and the others are having a blast in this movie because everything is so unique, funny, and memorable. Thor went from having two of the weakest films in the MCU to having one of the absolute best. You can’t watch this film without smiling. Rolling Stone magazine put it best: “It’s the most fun you’ll ever have at a Marvel movie.”

Thanos Meme of the Week

Don’t worry Thanos you’ll be showing up very very soon. Just be gentle…

To Infinity & Beyond: Thor – The Dark World

Iron Man 3 was a brief albeit fun intermission from universe building for the MCU, but now it’s time to jump back into the scheme of things! Unfortunately the jump back into things ended up being a face plant with Thor – The Dark World. So where does it all go wrong? Let’s find out.

Plot

Thor’s been a busy guy. He’s had to stop his brother Loki twice, and has been busy bringing peace to the nine realms. While Thor’s been busy knocking heads in, Jane Foster has been continuing her research in astrophysics in London. It’s then that she stumbles upon an artifact known as the Aether: a cosmic entity that has the power to rewrite reality itself and defy the laws of physics. The Aether binds itself to Jane, and Thor brings her to Asgard in hopes of a cure. It is then he learns the history of the Dark Elves: a race older than the universe itself and how they used the Aether in an attempt to take over Asgard. History tells that Odin’s father eradicated the Dark Elves, but not all of them died it would seem…

Villain

The leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith, waged the war on Asgard against Odin’s father Bor. With a weapon as powerful as the Aether, Malekith was defeated. In order to prevent the extinction of his race, Malekith… sacrificed almost all of them. Because that makes sense. The film doesn’t really give Malekith much motive to be evil or want to rule over Asgard. He just does. From the very beginning of the film he comes off as weak having already lost to Asgardians once, and he doesn’t even really speak all that much. In case you couldn’t pick up on it, I’m not a fan of Malekith. He gets a half decent final battle but by that point of the movie you just don’t really care anymore.

Best Scene 

The escape from Asgard is definitely the best scene in the movie. After the Dark Elves attack his home, Thor devises a plan to travel to the cleverly named Dark World (home of the Dark Elves) to draw Malekith away from Asgard, cure Jane Foster, and destroy the Aether. The only one who knows how to escape Asgard without using the Bifrost though, is Loki. So Thor breaks Loki out of prison and while they’re escaping, Loki suggests the two should use disguises. Loki shows an array of different disguises they could use including one of him being Captain America himself. The dialogue Loki says as Cap is the highlight of the movie.

“The suit’s a bit much… so tight! But the confidence! I can feel the righteousness surging! Hey wanna have a rousing discussion about truth? Honor? Patriotism? God bless America!”

The rest of the escape is cool, but the real highlight is the Captain America cameo.

Stan Lee Cameo

Jane Foster goes to London for her research after Erik Selvig says he had a breakthrough. When Jane gets there though, Selvig is nowhere to be found, but she quickly learns that Selvig had a crazy meltdown and was found running around Stonehenge butt naked. Selvig was arrested. When Jane’s intern Darcy goes to get Selvig out of prison, we find him briefly explaining his theories of Convergence to his inmates using shoes as props. When he finishes he asks, “Are there any questions?” Stan Lee then responds with, “Yeah, can I have my shoe back?”

Post Credits Scene

The worst movie in the MCU somehow also ended up with one of the best, most important post credit scenes. Malekith has been defeated and the Aether is in the hands of Asgard. In the post credits scene Volstaag and Sif are surrounded by strange alien creatures and meet with a man known simply as The Collector. The three then have this conversation which confirmed a fan theory people had been speculating since The Avengers came out!

Sif: “You know why we’re here.”

The Collector: “Of course, but if I may ask… why not keep it secure in your own vault?”

Volstaag: “The Tesseract is already on Asgard, it’s not wise to keep two Infinity Stones so close together.”

The Collector: “That’s very wise. I can assure you, it will be absolutely safe here in my collection.”

Sif: “See that it is.”

The Collector: “One down… five to go.”

After the Avengers revealed Thanos to the MCU, fans everywhere hoped we’d be getting an Infinity Gauntlet movie somewhere down the road and this scene finally confirmed it! With both the Tesseract and the Aether being Infinity Stones, we are already 1/3 of the way to Infinity War!

There was also a second brief post credits scene after this. At the end of the original Thor, he left Earth promising Jane he’d come back. However, he didn’t come back until two years later. At the end of Dark World we are in a similar situation. Thor left promising he’d come back and we find Jane at home again waiting. This time though Thor came back and they share a smooch. Daaaaaw it’s a shame their relationship is based purely on physical attraction though… Also we see that one of the monsters that got teleported to Earth during Thor’s fight with Malekith is still running around Greenwich.

Final Thoughts

This is the one MCU movie that I really can’t defend. It’s definitely the worst in the MCU. The villain is boring, Anthony Hopkins is so unenthusiastic about being in this film, and the Jane and Thor relationship is just as lousy as it was the first time around. Besides Loki and the post credits scene there just isn’t anything memorable about this movie whatsoever. Although Iron Man 3 was considered the first movie in Phase Two of the MCU, The Dark World was the first real sequel to the whole connected universe Marvel was building. Unfortunately it didn’t go as well as fans would hope, but Marvel would quickly recover with the next film.

Thanos Meme of the Week

We finally know what Thanos wants! He wants the stones… or minerals… sorry Hank.

To Infinity & Beyond: Thor

Last week Coulson traveled to New Mexico for an urgent assignment. This week we dig deeper into what Coulson found and enter into the world of gods and frost giants! Part four of the ever growing Marvel Cinematic Universe gives us Thor!

Plot

Thor, the god of thunder, son of Odin, and brother of Loki is next in line to be king of the realm of Asgard. However, after an invasion from creatures known as the frost giants, Thor foolishly nearly causes a war between realms. Furious, Odin strips Thor of all his power, banishes him to Midgard (that’s Earth for all you not nerds) and his ability to wield the legendary hammer Mjolnir. Now stranded on Earth, Thor must acclimate to a new world, and learn what it truly means to be a hero. Meanwhile, a sinister plot unfolds in Asgard once Odin falls into a deep slumber called the Odin Sleep…

Villain

Oh baby it’s time for the big one! The OG in Marvel villainy! The ultimate standard! When people complain that Marvel has a “villain problem,” the #1 counterargument that always must be addressed is Loki. What separates him from the pack is the amount of depth his character gets. First, he has quite the reason to be villainous. It’s revealed that Loki is not actually an Asgardian, but rather a frost giant that Odin found and raised. At the time though, Odin thought of Loki as a way to bring peace among Asgard and the frost giants. Finding out you’re basically your dad’s tool would piss just about anyone off. When Loki found out about his past though, he didn’t want to bring an end to Asgard. Instead he concocted an ingenious plot to eliminate the frost giants, appear to be a hero to Odin, be named king of Asgard…………………… and kill Thor. OK so he’s not someone you can COMPLETELY feel bad for, he’s got some darkness in him. Sibling rivalries are the worst. Extremely cunning, incredibly powerful, with a great backstory, there’s no better villain in the MCU.

The frost giants play a minor role in the plot of Thor. Led by King Laufey, the frost giants want nothing more than to see Odin die and regain their relic known as “the Power Casket.” Besides that, they’re not much more than big blue monsters for Thor and his pals to smack around.

I also have to give a brief mention to The Destroyer which is a machine created to protect Asgard. Loki though during his rule as king sends the Destroyer to kill Thor. Coulson jokingly comments that it looks like “Stark tech,” and he’s not far from the mark. The Destroyer is essentially a strong suit of armor that shoots laser beams. Lots of pew pews to be had in the finale.

Best Scene

Thor has beaten the Destroyer and has returned to Asgard to stop Loki. At this point, Loki has killed the frost giant king Laufey and appears to be a hero to his mother. Thor shows up to prove that Loki is actually straight garbage and the two fight it out. The fight itself is nothing special, but the reason this scene stands out among the rest for me is (once again) Loki. Upon revealing his grand scheme to Thor, Loki appears more sympathetic than ever. Thor doesn’t fight Loki with the intent to kill. More than anything he’s heartbroken to see his brother in such a saddened state. The “fight” concludes on the Rainbow Bridge with Thor destroying the Bifrost Portal which is his only way back to Earth (and his new lady friend Jane Foster). Thor and Loki nearly fall off the Rainbow Bridge, but Odin awakens from the Odin Sleep and saves them. Loki tells Odin that he would’ve been a great king given the chance, Odin disagrees. With a tear in his eye, Loki lets go and falls to whereabouts unknown.

Stan Lee Cameo

Definitely the funniest Stan Lee cameo up to this point, it happens towards the beginning of the film. Once Thor is banished to Earth, Odin sends the hammer Mjolnir as well. Though literally unmovable, the nearby townsfolk all take turns trying to pull the hammer from the stone. With nobody succeeding, someone has the brilliant plan of wrapping chain around the hammer and pulling it from their truck. The entire bed of the truck though rips off though and the driver obliviously leans out his window and says, “Did it work?” The driver of course, is Stan Lee.

Post Credits Scene

Dr. Erik Selvig (who Thor meets when he arrives at Earth) is found stumbling around a SHIELD facility. Eventually he runs into Director Nick Fury. Selvig mentions how unprecedented the idea of other realms and gateways is, and Fury tells Selvig that history and legend sometimes intertwine. At this point Fury shows Selvig SHIELD’s newest discovery: a cube shaped power source that could bring “unlimited power.” But then GASP! It’s revealed that Loki himself has been listening in on this entire conversation and that this new power source is “worth a look.” Loki’s not done yet folks! Not even close.

Final Thoughts

Of all the origin movies in the MCU, Thor is most definitely the weakest of the bunch. First off, besides being in “the New Mexico desert,” it’s never actually said what the name of the town is which is where a majority of the film takes place! Also, Jane Foster is a TERRIBLE love interest. Here’s how her relationship arc with Thor goes: 1. Jane hits Thor with car 2. Jane hits Thor with car again 3. Thor takes his shirt off 4. Jane is in love with Thor. That may sound harsh but that’s entirely how it goes; Jane falls head over heels for Thor simply because he’s ripped. I know Betty doesn’t get a ton of development in Incredible Hulk either, but at least she and Bruce were colleagues at work! Thor is flawed, but it’s still a fun film. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston put on excellent performances that will follow them for the rest of their careers! It doesn’t take itself too seriously and has some great humor! Also, this film introduces Hawkeye! He unfortunately doesn’t fire a single arrow, but hey he was there! Anything that adds to the existing universe is OK in my book!