Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok has come in for heaps of praise for its change in direction, taking the Thor franchise fully into the realm of cosmic comedy. However, it’s easy to forget now that, at the time of its release, the first Thor movie also marked a huge tonal shift for the fledgling Marvel Cinematic Universe, introducing cosmic elements after the Earth-based adventures of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk.
During an interview with Uproxx to promote his latest film Murder on the Orient Express, Thor director Kenneth Branagh spoke about the pressure on the first movie:
“Remember, there were only two pictures in the Marvel Universe. Iron Man, genius, the first one. Hulk hadn’t worked as they’d hoped. And then number three, it was sink or swim before Captain America and then suddenly, oh, it was fine after that. No question that Kevin Feige used to say to me, ‘This is the single most difficult tonal challenge for us, to make this movie work in itself and fit into this larger universe.’ In fact, I think Thor, and in Chris Hemsworth’s performance, becomes an absolutely integral part.”
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 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 (What We Do in the Shadows) and features a cast that includes Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Idris Elba as Heimdall and Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Cate Blanchett as Hela, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster, Karl Urban as Skurge, Taika Waititi as Korg, Clancy Brown as Surtur, Rachel House as Topaz, Tadanobu Asano as Hogun, Ray Stevenson as Volstagg and Zachary Levi as Fandral.
