It’s a windy day on the set of Thor: Ragnarok. Still, the heroes and villain of the film are ready to have a good old fashioned standoff on an outdoor, almost entirely practical Stonearch Bridge set as the curtain blocking the sun flaps in the breeze above them.
Potentially major spoilers for Thor: Ragnarok follow!
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During ComicBook.com’s visit to the set of Thor: Ragnarok, Thor’s team of heroes assembled on a bridge to face Kate Blanchett’s Hela head-on. It was a scene so loaded with spoilers for the film, the audio from it was restricted as the film’s main characters prepared to settle their differences, once and for all.
Thor stands with his short hair and two swords drawn in his sleeveless costume, equipped with a clipped cape. Beside the God of Thunder stand Valkyrie, Loki, and Hulk (in stand-in form, wearing a backpack with two poles and a giant Hulk mock-up for reference).
The bridge itself is “a really important setting to the finale of the film,” according to executive producer Brad Winderbaum, but it’s also “a conduit to safety in the second act. It’s something the characters know they have to strive to get to in this quest that’s happening on Asgard in the second act of the film.”
For Thor and Loki, their role in this fight may be obvious: the destruction of their home territory with a side of obligation to do what’s right. However, for Valkyrie, it appears to be equally personal. “She’s seeking redemption and she wants to face her fears,” Winderbaum said. “It’s the basis of her character and the fact that she’s here is due, in large part, to her story with Thor and Thor getting her to that emotional place.”
As the scene plays out, Loki is the first to approach the Goddess of Death. Though the exchange between the characters in inaudible from a distance, the monitor clearly shows a disdain of Loki from Hela. tom Hiddleston offers a smug delivery, clearly saying the right words to trigger a reaction from his enemy. She moves to strike him, lunging forward, but Loki ultimately disappears.
Kate Blanchett has to act the move out twice for each take, once lunging towards Hiddleston and again mimicking the movement and falling through where his character once stood. “That is so annoying,” Hela says in several different ways courtesy of Taika Waititi’s direction, some of which will strike up memories of a Joker or Maleficent. In some takes, she goes as far as mocking Loki and swinging her arms in a cartoon-ish, sarcastic manner.
Moments later, Thor is sparring using his swords and the fight is in full swing.
“It’s sort of a make shift costume and the weapons are get what you can, so that says a lot about the journey [Thor] is going on and where he is at that point in the film,” Hemsworth said.
Behind the heroes: a ship which is rescuing Asgardian civilians in a scene which had been filmed just a day before this one.
The moment was on display in Thor: Ragnarok‘s trailer as the heroes line the bridge which is colorful and vibrant in its theatrical portrayal. The arches lining it run as long as the bridge, offering a perspective of depth while also building on the impressive Norse-influence to the practical sets involved in Ragnarok.
Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters November 3, 2017. Advance tickets are now on sale wherever tickets are sold.