Whew. How about that Thor: Ragnarok trailer?
Marvel Studios final film of 2017 also appears to be taking the most cues from Jack Kirby—and rightfully so, considering the King created many of the comic book adventures that still serve as the foundation for the God of Thunder, Asgard, and the Nine Realms.
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But Taika Waititi’s new film in the Thor series also introduces a new character from Roy Thomas and John Buscema’s time on the title in the form of Tessa Thompson‘s Valkyrie.
It appears the Westworld star will play a foil to Chris Hemsworth’s Thor in the new film, starting out at the side of the Grandmaster. While Thor will be doing everything in his power to return to Asgard and prevent its destruction at the hands of Hela—all without his trusty Mjolnir—Valkyrie seems to be running from her home and heritage entirely.
WATCH: Check Out The First Trailer For Thor: Ragnarok
Could scenes from the trailer be depicting the reasons why Valkyrie is avoiding all things Asgard?
We’re taking a closer look at the trailer to see what details we can glean regarding the plot and Valkyrie’s backstory. Click through to see more!
Grandmaster’s Aide
The trailer indicates that Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster relies on the Valkyrie for her skill and prowess, though to what end is still a little murky at this point.
In the teaser we see her help retrieve Thor from a pit of garbage with portals swirling above in the sky. Sakarr sits at a nexus of wormholes, apparently, and that’s where Thor ends up when Hela casts him aside.
Valkyrie looks to be finding formidable warriors for the Grandmaster to utilize in his gladiatorial fights. Did she retrieve the Hulk for the Elder as well?
And, probably the most important question, what does she stand to gain by staying at the Grandmaster’s side?
Fight with Hela
We see two different appearances from Hela: in one she has her comic-accurate headdress and in the other she is without it, with long and black flowing hair.
This could indicate a flashback will show an earlier encounter between the Queen of Hel and Asgard.
The scenes in question show dark and jagged mountain tops, Hela floating above, while a squadron of Valkyries riding atop their winged horses rapidly approaching.
They also don’t show any character faces or closeups, so it’s hard to see if any of these Valkyries are Thompson’s character specifically, but it feels like a safe bet that she’s there.
Could this be the first time Hel went up against Asgard? And how were they able to keep Hela’s immense power at bay?
Fall of the Valkyries
Next the trailer shows scenes of the Valkyries and their winged horses falling from the sky.
It’s a quick shot and, again, we don’t see a clear shot, but that appears to be Thompson’s character falling from the sky.
Apparently the battle between the Valkyries and Hela does not work out for the Asgardian warriors, as you can see Thompson, her allies, and their winged horses (or pegasus?) falling.
This contributes to the theory that this is a flashback to Valkyrie’s time in service of Asgard, considering Hela has an axe to grind in present times and Valkyrie has been serving the Grandmaster for a while.
So were Valkyrie and her allies sacrificed so that Hela could be stopped? Is Thompson’s character the sole survivor? These aspects would give her motivation to hide out, be it guilt, resentment, or fear of Hela’s return.
We’re sure to learn more when the first full trailer for Thor: Ragnarok releases, and we are very excited to see what else we learn.
Thor: Ragnarok
MORE THOR: RAGNAROK NEWS:
In Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok – the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization – at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first, he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger – the Incredible Hulk!
Thor: Ragnarok is directed by Taika Waititi with a screenplay by Eric Pearson. The film stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Loki. They are joined by Cate Blanchett (Hela), Idris Elba (Heimdall), Jeff Goldblum (Grandmaster), Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), Karl Urban (Skurge), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), Sam Neill, Ray Stevenson (Volstagg), Tadanobu Asano (Hogun), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk), and Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Stephen Strange).