Jeff Goldblum Teases The Grandmaster’s Games In ‘Thor: Ragnarok’

The next movie from Marvel Studios will take some of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to the far reaches of space, building off of important storylines from comic books as well as Norse mythology.

Thor: Ragnarok will be incorporating elements from the legend of its namesake and the popular comic storyline Planet Hulk, while introducing the cosmic threat of the Grandmaster, played by Jeff Goldblum.

The Grandmaster is typically associated with the Contest of Champions from Marvel Comics, and that event will serve to tie the Planet Hulk storyline to Thor’s own predicament. Goldblum spoke about his character to the Los Angeles Times, hinting at the Grandmaster’s motivations.

“If you followed the comic books [then you know that] he’s one of the Elders in the Universe,” Goldblum said. “His brother is the Collector [played by Benicio del Toro in Guardians of the Galaxy], immortal, has fought and beaten death, has superpowers galore, and his games are a playful, playful sort.”

Given Goldblum’s acting chops, they picked a great actor to portray the Grandmaster. He can go from charming to creepy to menacing and back at the drop of a dime, being able to fulfill all of the Grandmaster’s best and pettiest qualities.

Marvel Studios is also honoring the source material with the character, acknowledging up front that the Grandmaster and the Collector are brothers and Elders of the Universe. Both are cosmic beings of vast power and could continue to play huge roles moving forward in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Much like the films built Thanos up as a dangerous, powerful threat to the Earth and the universe, maybe the machinations of the Collector and the Grandmaster over time will put them into conflict with the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

But will we meet any more of their siblings in future Marvel Studios movies? And will del Toro reprise his role as the Collector soon?

Hopefully we learn more in the near future. For now, we have to wait to see Goldblum’s first appearance in the MCU as the Grandmaster when Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters on November 3.