When asked, most fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would say that Thor: Ragnarok is amongst the best movies in the MCU, if not the best movie in the MCU. Countless viewers have considered Thor: Ragnarok to be their favorite entry into the MCU, and it’s not hard to see why.

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Directed by Taika Waititi and written by Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, and Christopher L. Yost, Thor: Ragnarok was essentially an instant success. It also cleaned up the first two movies in the Thor trilogy: Thor and Thor: The Dark World. In essence, Thor: Ragnarok ignored those two movies in a lot of ways, but this was ultimately the best decision for the trilogy and for the MCU as a whole.

10 Heimdall Has Been Replaced With Skurge, Who Doesn’t Care

Skurge's Shake Weight

One of the most iconic characters in the Thor trilogy before Thor: Ragnarok was Heimdall, played by Idris Elba. With such a stellar character playing the guardian of the Bifrost, Heimdall quickly became one of the more recognizable characters in the trilogy.

However, Ragnarok had Heimdall becoming a fugitive and a spy of sorts, while Skurge became the guardian of the Bifrost. Played by Karl Urban, Skurge almost lets Thor die when he nearly misses Thor’s call to the Bifrost; Thor is upset to find that Heimdall is an enemy of the people, but unsurprised to find Loki in charge of Asgard instead of Odin.

9 Scrapped Loki Taking Over Asgard As Odin

Loki posing as Odin curses quietly at Thor's return to Asgard.

The end of Thor: The Dark World saw Loki apparently dying yet again, as a heartbroken Thor believes that Loki has sacrificed himself, and tells Odin as much. However, it was revealed to the audience that Thor was not speaking to Odin, but to Loki in disguise as Odin.

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This seemed to be setting up a larger conflict where Thor and Loki fight yet again, but Thor: Ragnarok instantly had Thor exposing Loki and dragging him bodily out of Asgard back to Earth to find their father. This storyline was better off scrapped, and it was done so hilariously nobody even minded.

8 Jane Foster Broke Up With Thor Between Movies

Jane Foster smiling

Another iconic character in the MCU Thor trilogy was Jane Foster, a scientist and Thor’s girlfriend, played by Natalie Portman. The rumors said that Natalie Portman did not appreciate the direction that Jane Foster was going in, and so she stopped appearing in the MCU.

In fact, she didn’t appear in Thor: Ragnarok, and so it is mentioned in passing that Jane and Thor broke up between movies. Though Thor insists that the breakup was mutual, it seems it was anything but. With the news that Jane will be back in Thor: Love and Thunder, fans are excited to see how Jane is reintroduced to the MCU.

7 Odin Is Killed Off

odin from thor: ragnarok

Thor and Loki’s father, Odin, has often had to serve as the middleman or the mediator in conflicts between his sons. He has been trying to train up Thor as the next king for a while; however, when Loki confronts him, Odin usually just falls into an all-too-convenient Odinsleep.

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It’s unsurprising that Loki had a little bit of resentment towards him and sent him to Earth. Once Thor and Loki found their father again, Odin was near death. Odin was ready to die, and told his sons he loved them before he passed away. This is a hard, but well-done, goodbye for the brothers and for fans who had grown to like Odin.

6 Thor & Loki Have Another Sibling That Was Never Mentioned

hela thor ragnarok

Part of the troubles that Loki struggles with stem from the fact that he believes his parents value Thor over him. The brothers find out in Thor that Loki was adopted — he was actually a Frost Giant, and the son of Laufey, but Odin took him in to potentially use as a political pawn to unite the Asgardians and Frost Giants.

Loki didn’t really appreciate being used as a pawn instead of being raised as a son, and he definitely wouldn’t have been pleased if there was another sibling around being preferred over him. However, Ragnarok has Odin telling Thor and Loki they have an older sister more powerful than either of them before he dies and leaves them to deal with her alone.

5 Mjølnir Is Destroyed

Hela Crushes Mjolnir Thor Ragnarok

Thor may be the God of Thunder, but he also has an iconic and incredibly recognizable weapon: his hammer, Mjølnir. The inscription on Mjølnir, placed there (along with an enchantment) by Odin, reads, “Whosoever holds this hammer, be he worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.”

This is a weapon Thor values above all else, and yet Hela destroys it the second Thor throws it at her. During the film’s climax, Thor speaks with a vision of his father, who reminds Thor that he is not “the god of hammers.” Thor has powers beyond Mjølnir, and this film does a great job moving past the weapon and having Thor come into his own without it.

4 Cuts Thor’s Iconic Long Hair Off

Thor in the MCU with long hair on a white background

Thor’s iconic look in the MCU has a few staples: his flowing red cape, his powerful silver hammer, his piercing blue eyes, and his long blonde hair. This movie sought to take most of those things from him and dismantle Thor in a way that forced the man to build himself up.

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This was excellently done, and the movie portrayed Thor better than any other movie in the MCU, many would say. One of the funnier moments in this movie saw Thor having his hair cut (by none other than Stan Lee); he gets a cool new shaved look. Later on, his sister also cuts out his right eye, leaving him with his left eye and an eyepatch afterwards.

3 Introduces The Valkyries, Who Thor Already Loves

Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok

Much like the fans who love Thor, Thor is a fan who loves another set of heroes: the Valkyries. To the Asgardians, Valkyries are like their own superheroes, although they were all wiped out years and years ago by Hela. Only Brunnhilde survived — the hero that the MCU refers to as Valkyrie.

Though they haven’t been mentioned before, Thor is a huge fan of the Valkyries, and is beyond shocked to find out that Valkyrie is uninterested in helping him stop Hela and save Asgard. She saw so many brave warriors fall to Hela before, but she eventually is convinced to fight alongside Thor, Loki, and Bruce to save Asgard.

2 Asgard Isn’t A Place, It’s A People

Asgard Getting Destroyed in Thor Ragnarok

Thor is many things, but he is, above all else, a member of the royal family of Asgard. His father was training him to take over for him as king, and he feels an obligation to Asgard and its people. However, a vision of Odin informed Thor that Asgard is not a place. He told him that Asgard is their people.

Asgard is nothing without the Asgardians, and anywhere can be Asgard as long as their people are there. Thor realizes he must release the physical location of Asgard in order to save his people, and thus the magical realm that had been so carefully constructed in the first two movies is completely destroyed for good.

1 Thor Finally Accepts His Role As King Of Asgard

Thor At The End Of Thor Ragnarok On The Throne As King Of Asgard

Throughout the MCU, Thor struggles to accept his role as king of Asgard. Though he wants what’s best for his home, he is not quite mature enough himself at the start to take over. However, Thor: Ragnarok finally brought in a Thor that was ready to serve as King.

He takes his throne at the very end of the movie, sitting in the captain’s chair on the ship that holds the last of the Asgardian survivors. After all this time, Thor is finally ready to rule.

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