With Marvel having just unveiled their incredible cast for Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok, there's a good chance that you recognized a few of the names and characters, and a better chance that there are some you've never heard of. You probably know Chris Hemsworth and the fact that he'll be playing the title role for the fifth time, and his big green pal the Hulk (a.k.a. Bruce Banner, as played by Mark Ruffalo) is a fan-favorite. There's an argument to be made that the most anticipated announcement might be the one confirming Tom Hiddleston's return as Loki. Also returning to reprise their roles in the Thor universe are Idris Elba as the Asgardian sentry, Heimdall; and Sir Anthony Hopkins, again portraying Odin, Ruler of Asgard.

That's a stacked cast to say the least, but that's only the core of Thor: Ragnarok. Stepping in to play new characters in the third film to feature the God of Thunder are a combination of Oscar-winners, up-and-comers, and silver-screen icons. You should probably recognize names like Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, and Karl Urban, but their characters might need an introduction.

Get acquainted with the newcomers to Thor: Ragnarok before the movie's November 3, 2017 opening date.

Cate Blanchett as Hela

Two-time Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett joins Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok as the mysterious and powerful new villain Hela. As you can see in the concept art image at the top of this article, Hela sports some pretty crazy headgear. You might not want to bring it up, however, because Hela is the Asgardian goddess of Death, inspired by the Norse goddess Hel. Hela rules over both Hel, the underworld and resting place of souls not destined for Valhalla, and Niflheim, the icy world that's home to those who died without honor; sometimes these realms overlap.

A frequent foe of Thor, Hela made her debut in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's 1964 "Journey into Mystery" #102. Born in the land of the giants, Hela is actually the daughter of the giantess Angrboða and ... Loki; not Hiddleston's Loki, presumably, but rather an earlier incarnation of the trickster god. She was appointed to her position by Odin but often tries to extend her reach to the victorious dead of Valhalla, which brings her into conflict with Asgard's ruler and his son. Hela's had too many schemes to count here, and not all of them were of her own making, but the one that will likely play out in Thor: Ragnarok involves the corruption of those who ferry souls to Valhalla, the Valkyries.

In addition to her god-like physical abilities--Hela can engage in hand-to-hand combat with Thor and hold her own--she also has a strength-enhancing cloak (without which she is pitifully weak and half-decayed), a resistance to magic, and mystical abilities that allow her to fire energy bolts, cast illusions, and levitate objects. Her "Hand of Glory" can one-punch even Asgardians to death. Also, as goddess of death, she has a touch of death that can finish off mortals so that she can claim their souls. If that wasn't enough, Hela's also an accomplished swordswoman, armed with her Nightsword, and can command the legions of dead in her realm. Quite the villain, indeed!

Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie

Tessa Thompson (Selma, Creed) will bring the classic hero Valkyrie to life on the big screen for Thor: Ragnarok. Otherwise known by her given name Brunnhilde, Valkyrie was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema and first appeared in "The Avengers" #83 in 1970. This hero, ally and one-time love interest of Thor was appointed by Odin to lead the Valkyrior, the group of valkyries who spirit the souls of the fallen away to Valhalla.

Valkyrie herself has had quite a few aliases who all acted as host bodies to the spirit of Brunnhilde. In addition to the Valkyrior, she's also teamed up with the rotating memberships of The Avengers, the Secret Avengers, and The Defenders. Valkyrie has had run-ins with Enchantress, Moondragon, the Beyonder and other villainous sorts, but she's also crossed paths with Doctor Strange, and of course, Thor.

Her powers and abilities are beyond those of mortal humans, but she is not immortal herself. An expert warrior, she wields the enchanted sword Dragonfang (which may have a connection to another upcoming Marvel superhero...) and a less impressive iron spear. Though she is immune to illness and impervious to injury, she can still die; at least she'll know when death is imminent thanks to her ability to see a person's "death glow." Her natural fighting ability is said to be matched only by Sif, who is conspicuously absent from this casting list. Sorry, Jaimie Alexander.

Karl Urban as Skurge

Karl Urban will add his might to the fray as Skurge. First of all, I'm just thrilled to see Urban joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His character is a bit of a brawny one as far as his casting is concerned, so I'm wondering if he'll be functioning as a computer-generated version or if he's just going to bulk way, way up. This Asgardian antagonist, otherwise known as The Executioner, originally wielded a double-bladed magical battle ax in his fight against Thor and other Marvel heroes. He's normally seen alongside the object of his affection, the Enchantress, who involves him in her and Loki's schemes. Essentially a brute-force henchmen for many of the Marvel storylines he's been involved in, Skurge actually has a pretty fantastic redemptive arc that might be seen on the big screen in Thor: Ragnarok.

Skurge has been a part of these schemes outside of Asgard as well, joining up with Baron Zemo on Earth as the "Masters of Evil" for a time and even battling the Hulk on a future Earth. Despite years of bad blood--like the time Skurge led a troll army into Asgard--the Executioner eventually teamed up with Thor and his allies for a rescue mission of sorts into Hel itself...

As far as powers go, Skurge's physical attributes are actually beyond that of the average Asgardian due to his peculiar heritage (he's half Frost-Giant and half Skornheimian). Like Valkyrie, he's immune to illness, but also toxins and poison, and heals readily when injured, which is a rarity due to his invulnerability. He's an expert combatant and his ax allows him special abilities like tearing dimensional rifts, and conjuring ice and fire. He also has the strange ability to spot Jane Foster in a crowd, thanks to his superior visual acuity; I doubt that will come in handy in the movie, but it could be a fun in-joke.

Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster

Jeff Goldblum joins the cast as the eccentric Grandmaster, not that we had to be told that Goldblum would be playing an eccentric character. And the casting is quite fitting for a Marvel creation that's this "out there." The Grandmaster isn't tied directly to the Thor story but is rather an overarching character in the Marvel Universe, and I mean "universe" literally, as in he's one of the Elders of the Universe and a master of the games played by countless civilizations.

Also known as En Dwi Gast, The Grandmaster first appeared in "Avengers" #69 in 1969, and was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema. Within the comics themselves, his origin story has been lost to time as he is one of the oldest known beings ever to have existed. The Grandmaster has a direct tie to the Infinity Stones and to Thanos himself, and is a close friend to fellow elder Taneleer Tivan, a.k.a. The Collector (Benicio del Toro). Not exactly a villain but definitely not a hero, The Grandmaster loves to play games by pitting groups of super-powered characters against each other. The possibilities are almost endless as to how he'll be used in Thor: Ragnarok.

The Grandmaster's powers are a bit bonkers as well since he can control energy left over from the Big Bang, known as the "power primordial." His mastery of technology far surpasses human understanding, and he's virtually immortal and invulnerable. Able to teleport, project energy, and cause life or death through sheer will alone, The Grandmaster is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. And Jeff Goldblum gets to bring him to life!