It's no secret that Thor: Ragnarok features the destruction of the Avenger's signature weapon. But while we've long known that Mjolnir will be destroyed at the hand (literally) of Hela, the Asgardian goddess of death, some fans may wonder why the decision was made to demolish the iconic hammer.

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According to Thor: Ragnarok screenwriter Eric Pearson, the decision to take a major Marvel artifact off the playing field was not made lightly. In fact, much like Thor getting a new haircut, Mjolnir's destruction is an integral part of Thor's growth in the film, both as a character, and as a hero.

"Thor is born a handsome, rich, strong prince with a magical hammer. The only way we had to bring him down was by taking away his hammer, by stranding him on this strange planet, imprisoning him," Pearce told CBR. "We had to put his back up against the wall because he’s so powerful. We put him up against forces that he wasn’t fully prepared for. And, also, the lost confidence of losing his hammer and whether or not the hammer is his power, or whether he wields the power of the hammer - we’ve put a lot of doubt into his heart. That was more of the hero’s journey of finding the confidence in himself to rise up against all this crazy stuff that’s happening to him."

Opening in North America on November 3, director Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Cate Blanchett as Hela, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Karl Urban as Skurge, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk and Anthony Hopkins as Odin.