What Happens to the Warriors Three in Thor: Ragnarok?

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Marvel Studios' Thor: Ragnarok, which hits North American theaters on November 3.

The Warriors Three have been in the Thor movies since the first installment in the Marvel Comics-based film franchise. A collection of Asgard's more elite, experienced warriors, they've been with the God of Thunder through thick and thin. Whether it's facing off against Frost Giants or attempting to defeat the Destroyer, the team is always expected to appear alongside Thor in some capacity. However, the marketing for the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok has left the team out for the most part, so their fans have been worried about their fate.

Marvel Studios' latest effort, Thor: Ragnarok, does indeed include the Warriors Three -- though the film doesn't stand Fandral (Zachary Levi), Hogun (Tadanobu Asana), and Volstagg (Ray Stevension) in good stead -- with Cate Blanchett's Hela threatening to destroy their home, Asgard, and everybody who lives there. Above all else, the Warriors Three aim to defend Asgard and its people, so it's no surprise to say that they were quick to challenge Hela when she shows up.

Thor and Loki are visiting their father, Odin, when Hela first appears in the movie. Loki, mistakenly, calls upon Skurge (who has taken over from Heimdall) to bring them back to Asgard. Hela, of course, hitches a ride in the bi-frost to gain entry to the realm in which she wishes to rule. When the villain arrives back in Asgard for the first time in quite some years, she's greeted by Skurge, Fandral and Volstagg.

Despite being great warriors, two thirds of the Warriors Three can't challenge the Goddess of Death in the slightest. They meet their demise swiftly, but honorably. They want to stop Hela from getting to their fellow Asgardians, and while they try their best, they don't even last a matter of seconds. It's a bittersweet end for Fandral and Volstagg, but at least they met their fate whilst defending their realm.

Hela soon moves on to the main part of Asgard, where she is greeted by Hogun -- the third and only alive member of the Warriors Three at this point -- who is leading a legion of Asgardian warriors, each prepared to stop Hela from taking over their realm. What happens next is nothing short of incredible. Hela makes slight work of hundreds of troops, displaying her immense combat skills and rather powerful skillset: creating weapons out of thin air. Hogun manages to survive until the end of this impressive display -- which ends rather quickly -- but is impaled on a huge spike after he tells Hela to leave Asgard.

One character that is synonymous with the Warriors Three is Lady Sif. She has fought alongside Thor and the Warriors Three on many occasions, so you'd perhaps expect her to be present on Asgard when Hela arrives. Surprisingly, Jaimie Alexander doesn't reprise her role as the Asgardian warrior in Thor: Ragnarok. Whether she's on Earth -- which we know is a possibility as she has appeared in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. -- or she was simply among the Asgardian army, Sif didn't show her face on screen.

Recent comments from Ragnarok producer and Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, suggest that Sif was indeed in another realm at the time of this movie. "If she had been on Asgard, she might not be alive, so that's one of the advantages [of not having her in the film]," he said. This quote suggests that Sif is open to appear in the future, though she'll be disappointed if she expects to return to Asgard -- which is destroyed, when Ragnarok is fulfilled.

While Thor, Loki, the Hulk, Valkyrie, and Korg are able to rescue the bulk of the Asgardian civilians, the Warriors Three definitely met their demise, so it's unlikely they'll return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe any time soon.

In theaters now, Thor: Ragnarok is a production of Marvel Studios directed by Taika Waititi starring 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.