WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok, opening Friday in North America.


From the moment the first teaser debuted in April, fans were eager for Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok to arrive in theaters. The trailers promised a lot, from a battle between Thor and Hulk and the shocking destruction of Mjolnir to the fire demon Surtur and, of course, Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song."

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Of course, the purpose of a trailer is to excite potential audiences by offering a taste of all of the action, drama and humor the film has to offer. Frequently at least some of the footage used in marketing doesn't make it into the final cut. And in the case of Thor: Ragnarok, there were three weeks of reshoots ahead of Comic-Con International, which means some scenes were bound to be lost to make way for new ones.

While Taika Waititi's sequel definitely delivers, some of the crowd-pleasing sequences from the trailers didn't make their way into theaters, while others don't appear in the way we thought we would. None of those changes affects the plot, but it's interesting to consider what changed, and why.

The Big Mjolnir Moment

Let's start with one of the most obvious changes: the location in which Cate Blanchett's Hela destroys the enchanted hammer Mjolnir with her bare hand. Early trailers and promos depicted the confrontation between the goddess of death and Chris Hemsworth's Thor taking place in a New York alley, with the ensuing explosion radiating out across the city.

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That changed in the final promos and, naturally, the film, in which Hela instead destroys the thunder god's signature weapon on the edge of a cliff in Norway, almost immediately after the passing of Odin. Waititi explained that the alley didn't properly convey the emotional impact required. We can't argue that, as the new setting was perfect for Odin's peaceful death scene, and made more sense than a dingy all mere blocks from Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum.

Loki On the March

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Fans of Tom Hiddleston's Loki were excited to see him back for the first time since 2013's Thor: The Dark World with the teaser that depicted the god of mischief, wearing his gleaming horned helmet, leading an army to Asgard, flipping knives as he walks. It's a great shot, but it doesn't show up the final film.

The trailer scene looks to take place near the end of Thor: Ragnarok. There are helpless Asgardians behind the god of mischief, as well as odd-looking warriors. They appear to be marching through a valley, either escaping from Asgard or marching toward it. We can only assume that it would have been pretty much like the ending we were given.

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The final scene takes place on the Bifrost Bridge, as Loki joins Thor, Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). However, he's not clad in regal attire or spinning twin blades. There isn't an army at his back, and he never actually marches through Asgard, although that's not to say he doesn't show up during the climax, leading a group of warriors like the god he is.

Whether the inclusion of that scene would have changed anything is uncertain, but if it means Loki would have remained a villain, then we're glad that Waititi opted for the ending sequence that he did. Loki's character clearly developed further than what might have been initially intended.

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The Revengers on the Bifrost Bridge

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One of the more memorable shots in the first trailer depicts the four main heroes -- the "Revengers" -- standing together on the Bifrost Bridge, ready to battle Hela. After that unforgettable moment, we were excited to see how that showdown would unfold. However, in the final film, there's no showdown featuring the foursome, and our heroes never line up neatly across the Bifrost like they do in the promotional footage.

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Thor, Valkyrie and Loki are there, but Hulk is a little preoccupied fighting Fenris, the giant wolf brought back to life by Hela. Another big difference is that during this particular moment in the siege of Asgard, there are shiploads of Asgardians fleeing their ruined city.

While it might have been awesome to see Hela face off against all four protagonists, the changes made to this scene don't change the plot much. It appears as though there would have been a huge battle on Bifrost between Thor and Hela, and Asgard would have been on the brink of destruction.

The Eyes Have It

You might also have noticed that, in the trailer, Thor has both his eyes, which isn't the cast at this point in the film, as Hela had already cleaved one out of its socket. This was an intentional edit to avoid robbing the audience of a shocking moment.

These scenes were enough to get us excited for Thor: Ragnarok, but the final product isn't any less spectacular because of their absence. In fact, it's clear enough these edits might have made the film better, especially with regard to the end sequence, which is where most of the changes were made.

Waititi has a rather unorthodox style, but he certainly knew what he was doing. Each character seem to develop organically, the plot has a flow, and the jokes are (for the most part) hits, which is pretty impressive, considering a lot of the film was reportedly improvised.


Opening Friday 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.