One of the hallmarks of the Marvel movies is the lighthearted elements it sprinkles throughout. In fact, earlier this year Kevin Feige basically promised that the universe made up of Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor would never get too "dark." This tonal attitude has become a point of pride for Marvel and one of the major elements of differentiation between Marvel and the DC properties of Superman and Batman.

So it comes as somewhat of a surprise that this guiding principle seems to have been forgotten during the writing of Thor: Raganrok. According to Birth.Movies.Death, the studio chose Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows) to direct specifically because of his comedic experience. Apparently they were worried with how serious a tone the movie was taking on.


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Image via Marvel Studios

It’s rumored that Waititi’s inclusion is meant to “brighten the corners” while keeping original writer Christopher Yost’s “apocalyptic vibe.” This may be accomplished by putting more attention on the relationship between Thor and the Hulk, who is rumored to have a major role in the film. Now that is certainly an interesting pairing, especially when the reason the two are together is described as “a cosmic road trip.”

But what could be in the story to cause the studio to worry? Compared to Iron Man or Captain America or when the whole crew gets together for The Avengers, the Thor movies were already tonally different. But Chris Hemsworth still brought a level of charm and personality to Thor’s world. Marvel must have something big in store in Thor: Raganrok if they are concerned about its comedic tone.

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Image via Marvel Comics

The other tidbit from this report is the rumored inclusion of the Valkyries in the movie, who apparently play a major role in the Norse mythology’s apocalypse story, the “Ragnarok” the title refers to. This could include the addition of the superheroine Valkyrie. Per the report:

“First introduced in the pages of The Avengers, Valkryie, aka Brunnhilde, was a longtime member of The Defenders, hung out with Doctor Strange and had Norse goddess The Enchantress as her enemy. In fact it was an Enchantress story that introduced Valkyrie in the comics.”

So this means there could be the inclusion of two strong female roles with both Valkyrie and The Enchantress in the film. That would be a very exciting addition to an already impressive, albeit male-dominant, universe. Time to start speculating who will be in the running if this rumor turns out to be true.


Thor: Ragnarok opens November 3, 2017.

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Image via Marvel