thor ragnarok

Okay, so it’s not an official still from Thor: Ragnarok, but Marvel was kind enough to kick off the New Year with a new behind-the-scenes image featuring Chris Hemsworth’s mighty Asgardian hero and director Taika Waititi (looking very…director-y). The studio also unveiled the first official plot synopsis for the upcoming sequel, which confirms a bunch of stuff we already know while reaffirming our faith in Ragnarok as the first great Thor movie.

Because Thor: Ragnarok is a gift for all of us who wondered what the two M.I.A. Avengers had been up to during the events of Captain America: Civil War, it’ll be combining two very exciting comic arcs from Thor and the Hulk. Rumors of Planet Hulk have abounded for most of this year, and Marvel seemed to confirm that parts of that storyline would make it into the new Thor movie when they revealed Hulk’s gladiator armor back in July. Now, the director himself confirmed that not only would Thor: Ragnarok reference Planet Hulk, they’ll actually be going there during the movie.

Late yesterday, Taika Waititi treated Marvel fans to a surprisingly lengthy video from the set of Thor: Ragnarok, which offered our first look at Tessa Thomspon’s Valkyrie makeup (or some of it) and showed off a few of the characters and props we’ll see in the new sequel (among other things). You might have missed a followup to that video over on Instagram, where Chris Hemsworth shared a photo to support the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe — and revealed his sleek new Thor costume.

Thor: Ragnarok will take us back to Asgard to show us what our favorite God of Thunder and his large green buddy have been up to since Age of Ultron, and with a director like Taika Waititi, we’re willing to bet this could the funniest Marvel movies ever made. Waititi is one of the most talented directors around (if you haven’t seen What We Do in the Shadows, what have you been doing with your life?) and when we heard he’d be directing a Marvel movie we were extremely hopeful that he’d breathe new life into the Avengers saga. With filming on Ragnarok wrapped, the director shared a Facebook Live video of the last day on set.

While I tend to enjoy the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I’ve always felt so far that the two Thor movies are the weak link in that particular comic book chain. They’re well-cast for sure, but the plots tend to be underwhelming, the settings and effects aren’t always up to the scale of god beings soaring through the stars, and the villains (apart from Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, of course) have been even more forgettable than the typical Marvel baddies.

When an incredibly talented actor or actress signs on to do a superhero movie, there’s a tendency to wonder if their time could be better spent doing more independent films. When it was announced that Cate Blanchett would be joining Thor: Ragnarok, for example, people were confused. Blacnhett has been nominated for major awards for her work in movies like Carol and Blue Jasmine; does she really to do a Marvel movie to maintain her status as an A-list celebrity?

It should go without saying that this post contains major spoilers for Doctor Strange — specifically the mid- and post-credits scenes from the Sorcerer Supreme’s big debut. In addition to introducing new mystical elements (and threats), Doctor Strange establishes some very interesting connections to the MCU and teases events to come. If you’re curious about what the future might hold and can’t wait until November 4, we have the full details on the mid and post-credits scenes from Marvel’s latest.

Any child of the nineties should have a soft spot for New Zealand actor Sam Neill. Not only did Neill help launch one of the biggest franchises in film history in Jurassic Park, he also played a key part in the first Jack Ryan adaptation (Hunt of the Red October), anchored a brilliant science-fiction horror movie (Event Horizon), and helped turn Jane Campion’s The Piano into one of the most critically acclaimed movies of 1993. And now, after a long and storied career in film and television, Neill is finally getting the recognition he so rightly deserves: he’s been given a small role in a Marvel movie.

There were two glaring omissions from Captain America: Civil War: namely, Avengers Thor and Bruce Banner, who were nowhere to be found in the film’s whopping two hour and 27-minute runtime. Thor: Ragnarök director Taika Waititi obviously noticed this and thought he’d have some fun with it, so he created a short mockumentary about what the God of Thunder got up to during his absence that was screened at this year’s San Diego Comic Con and recently released online. While that video was only a one-shot, there might be a chance that Thor’s Australian “roommate” Darryl might make another appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Last month, after a handful of set photos from Thor: Ragnarok made their way onto social media, fans stumbled across a possible little easter egg for the new movie. Thor was seen holding a business card with the street address for Doctor Strange, suggesting that somewhere along the way, Thor would be in need of a magical consultation. This seemed to suggest that Benedict Cumberbatch would make a guest appearance in Thor: Ragnarok, offering perhaps his first real exposure to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole.