Where Does the Thor Franchise Go After Ragnarok?

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok, in theaters now.

Thor: Ragnarok was the third solo outing for Marvel's god of thunder, but it feels like the first film in a brand new franchise. Why? Director Taika Waititi stepped in and put his own weird, humorous spin on Asgard and its inhabitants. While Marvel Studios has only ever released a trilogy for any of its characters (Iron Man, Captain America), so where will the Thor franchise go from here?

Ragnarok was such a radical departure from any movie the titular character has been in before, match that with its early success, it seems as if Thor could be the first franchise to contain a quadrilogy. The way the film ended lends itself perfectly for a follow-up movie, as there are so many avenues to be explored. If this was to actually come into fruition, what would we see Thor and co. getting up to next? Join us at CBR as we explore the potential developments for the Thor franchise in the future.

Where Ragnarok Left Thor

First off, let's walk through where Thor: Ragnarok left Thor, Loki, and the Asgardians. Hela returns to Asgard after many, many years away with the intention of fulfilling the Ragnarok prophecy - which will bring destruction upon her home realm. The film ends with Thor himself bringing Ragnarok into action to stop his evil sister once and for all.

Early in the movie, Odin tells Thor that Asgard isn't a place, it's a people - which unknowingly at the time, guides Thor's later thought process and actions. After ushering the Asgardians to safety in a spaceship, Thor tells Loki to unleash Surtur, who ultimately obliterates Asgard. So as the movie concludes, Thor is ruling his people as King of Asgard with his team of Revengers (Loki, Valkyrie, and the Hulk) by his side. Thor even manages to lose an eye when facing off against the primary antagonist, Hela, which sees him donning an eye patch reminiscent of the one worn by his father, Odin.

The mid-credits scene for Thor: Ragnarok saw the Asgardians travelling through space in said spaceship, which is suddenly dwarfed by a much bigger craft. No details or descriptions for this ominous ship are given, but it's a safe bet that Thanos is on board. It was teased that Loki took the Tesseract, otherwise known as the Space Stone, from Odin's Vault before freeing Surtur - so it would make sense that Thanos is hunting the artifact down. This will likely lead directly into Avengers: Infinity War and its untitled sequel.

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Where Thor Could Go

So, where could Thor and the Asgardians end up in a fourth Thor movie? In Marvel Comics, Thor returns to Earth after Ragnarok and rebuilds Asgard just outside of Broxton, Oklahoma, buying enough land for his people using gold from the treasury - though we're not aware of Thor grabbing any loot in the movie. It's a good thing he has a rich friend named Tony Stark, isn't it? Asgard's new location on Earth actually makes the city a target by the Skrulls when the Secret Invasion comes around which could become a plot point further down the line in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Setting the Thor: Ragnarok sequel after Avengers: Infinity War could well allow for the Secret Invasion storyline to be adapted. Though it's easy to think it would need a more serious tone to accurately portray the huge scale of the event, Ragnarok literally means the end of everything and Waititi still pulled it off well while producing plenty of laughs.

In Secret Invasion, the Skrulls seek refuge on Earth after their homeworld is destroyed. Instead of calmly setting up on Earth as their new home, they secretly invade the planet by replacing its mightiest heroes. The story includes the Secret Avengers, who we may have seen formed after Captain America: Civil War, as a handful of heroes (Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, Cap himself, and the Winter Soldier) are operating outside of the Sokovia Accords.

It's worth noting that if Secret Invasion was indeed brought to life in a Thor movie, it would be more like Civil War in terms of the inclusion of other notable characters. It would require a whole host of heroes to have big parts in the movie, but Thor would need a strong enough character arc to remain the lead role in the flick. Marvel Studios did a great job pulling it off with Civil War, so it's definitely possible.

Another story from the comics that could be brought to life in a fourth Thor movie is the female Thor. Created in Jason Aaron's run on the Thor comics that began in 2015, Jane Foster becomes the God of Thunder. She is battling breast cancer, but whenever she lifts Mjolnir and becomes Thor, she's all well and good. Jane Foster is played by Natalie Portman in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though she does not seem eager to return to the franchise.

Marvel Studious could adapt this storyline to continue to freshen up the franchise, in which it would also add another strong female character to its roster. Jane Foster's version of Thor has been a critical and financial success, so as long as the story is solid and makes sense, then fans would likely be open to the transition. “We always look back to the comics to get those ideas… sometimes very specific storylines like ‘Civil War,’ sometimes just nuggets or characters like ‘Planet Hulk,’ Feige said recently. “So anything that’s happened in the comics, even a female Thor, become great potentials and the ideas from which future movies can be born.”

Who Would Direct?

Waititi has expressed his desire to return for a second whack at the Thor franchise, though he'd see it as Ragnarok 2, not Thor 4. This perspective is what steered the movie in a completely new and fresh direction. "People ask me, ‘would you do another one,’ and for sure I’d do another one because it wouldn’t even feel like doing a fourth Thor film, it would just feel like doing the second Ragnarok film,” the director explained recently.

“So it’s exciting cuz it feels like, if Chris were to do this again it wouldn’t feel like ‘oh it’s the eighth time I’ve done Thor,’ no it will feel like the second or third time I’ve done this character,” Waititi continued. “Same with Mark [Ruffalo]. His version of Banner is a brand new version which is way more interesting. And dare I say it, more human. They’re the more human versions of the character because I feel like the audience can relate to them right off the bat.”

So it sounds like Taika Waititi is definitely down to direct Chris Hemsworth and friends once more, and Marvel Studios will be keen to keep him on board with outstanding reviews and promising financial success of Thor: Ragnarok. What would you like to see from a fourth Thor movie? Sound off in the comments!

In theaters nationwide, director Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Cate Blanchett as Hela, Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Anthony Hopkins as Odin, and Karl Urban as Skurge.