Along with an EW cover that shows off Chris Hemsworth’s (gasp) new shorter Thor haircut in the upcoming sequel Thor: Ragnarok, the first images from the film have been unveiled as well. Hunt for the Wilderpeople and What We Do in the Shadows filmmaker Taika Waititi directs the third standalone Thor movie, and while the Thor films have thus far been something of an ugly stepchild in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, everything about Ragnarok signals this could be one of Marvel’s best movies yet.

First of all, two-time Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett plays the villain Hela, the Goddess of Death who’s been imprisoned for millennia. She looks decidedly badass here in these images, and there’s just no way she gives a bad performance. Then there’s Jeff Goldblum in a very colorful get-up as the Grandmaster, one of the Elders of the Universe. I mean, come on. Who doesn’t want to see that?

What’s most striking about these images is how colorful they are, especially in the wake of the very grounded, very muted Captain America: Civil War. Waititi promises to bring humor and warmth to the MCU, which seems oddly appropriate for the Thor character, and while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 looks great, this is the superhero movie I’m most excited for in 2017.

Check out the first Thor: Ragnarok images below via EW, which also give us looks at Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, Tom Hiddleston’s return as Loki, and Tessa Thompson as the heroine Valkyrie. Also starring Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba,Thor: Ragnarok opens in theaters on November 3rd.

thor-ragnarok-jeff-goldblum-image
Image via Marvel Studios
thor-ragnarok-cate-blanchett-image-ew
Image via Marvel Studios
thor-ragnarok-tessa-thompson-image-ew
Image via Marvel Studios
thor-ragnarok-chris-hemsworth-image-ew
Image via Marvel Studios
thor-ragnarok-tom-hiddleston-image-ew
Image via Marvel Studios
thor-ragnarok-mark-ruffalo-chris-hemsworth-image-ew
Image via Marvel Studios
thor-ragnarok-tessa-thompson-chris-hemsworth-image-ew
Image via Marvel Studios
thor-ragnarok-tessa-thompson-taika-waititi-chris-hemsworth-image-ew
Image via Marvel Studios
thor-ragnarok-tessa-thompson-taika-waititi-image-ew
Image via Marvel Studios

thor-ragnarok-trailer