10 Awesome Moments From The First Thor: Ragnarok Teaser Trailer

Though those who attended San Diego Comic-Con last July were gifted with some exclusive footage of the movie, the rest of the world has been eagerly awaiting their first look at Thor: Ragnarok, the upcoming third solo effort for the God of Thunder. Finally, about seven months prior to its release in cinemas this November, we now have the first teaser trailer. And, wouldn't you know it, it's an absolute blast. There are jokes, action scenes, welcome cameos and proper comic book movie goodness abound in the preview. With Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" acting as the soundtrack, it definitely takes a leaf out of Guardians of the Galaxy's playbook, but hey, if that mold of space-based action-comedy worked before, why not try it again? There are several interesting tidbits hidden within the trailer, too, including some easily-missed familiar faces and some sneaky easter eggs that give us a few clues as to what might occur in the movie. On that note, join us as we run through 10 awesome moments from this first bit of footage and find out what the most important takeaways from it are. 10) "It's A Long Story..." We've known for a while that Thor: Ragnarok would be a very different film from the previous entries in the franchise. With talented indie comedy director Taika Waititi at the helm, it was looking likely that it'd be a lot more fun, irreverent and prone to thinking outside the box. Well, the trailer makes that clear from the off. It starts with Thor in a pretty bad place, chained up and dangling over a volcanic terrain. "I know what you are thinking," he tells us."'How did this happen?' Well, it's a long story..." We'd imagine that this is the start of the movie, too. If it is, it'd make for a fun, new structure for a Marvel film, and also a cheeky piece of fourth-wall breaking at the same time. Or, alternatively, this scene could just be being used out of context, with Thor recounting his troubles to another character. Possibly Hulk? We'll have to wait and see, I guess. 9) R.I.P. Mjolnir Previous reports about Thor: Ragnarok had revealed that the God of Thunder would be separated from his trusty hammer Mjolnir in the movie, but we didn't know why or how it would happen. Thanks to this trailer, though, we now know the tragic fate of meow-meow. The weapon, one of the most powerful in the whole Marvel universe, is destroyed by Thor's new nemesis, Hela. It's a brilliant way to kick off the action in the trailer as it promises that Thor will be in a lot of trouble. Hela clearly has immense power, as she's not only able to hold the hammer - previously only Thor himself (well, and Vision) could do that - but she can easily destroy it with a blast of electric energy, too. The decision to remove the hammer from the equation also recalls the recent Unworthy Thor story arc in the comics, where the character likewise loses Mjolnir (though on this occasion it's because he loses the right to wield it). Rest in itty, bitty charred pieces, Myur-mur. 8) "Asgard Is Dead" The Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn't have the best track record with villains. Apart from Thor's own Loki and a couple of others, many have failed to make much of an impact. It's still early days, so we might end up being wrong, but this teaser trailer has us feeling pretty certain that the franchise might have another super supervillain on its hands. Namely, Cate Blanchett's Hela. Not only does she smirk menacingly while destroying Mjolnir, but in the very next scene she's seen bringing Asgard to its knees. We've become used to intergalactic enemies invading Asgard in previous Thor movies - namely the Frost Giants and the Dark Elves - but we haven't seen a force manage to take over this mighty world before. It's particularly great that this formidable foe is a woman, too, as Hela's remarkably the very first female main antagonist of an MCU movie. 7) Valkyrie Another change from the previous Thor films is the lack of the Thunder God's gang of human friends: Dr. Erik Selvig, comically-incompetent intern Darcy and, most notably, Natalie Portman's Jane Foster. For Ragnarok, Thor will be swapping Jane for a new female companion: Valkyrie, as played by Westworld star Tessa Thompson. Jane was always a bit of a wet blanket as a character, but Valkyrie looks to be a much more dynamic and interesting addition to the cast. The trailer reveals that Thor and Valkyrie don't start out as allies, though. She actually works for the Grandmaster and, when Thor arrives on the planet Sakaar, she captures him to use him as a competitor in one of the big G's gladiator battles. Presumably, she'll switch sides and join with Thor and Hulk to stop Hela later on in the movie. Thompson is a talented actress, so we look forward to seeing her tackle such a badass role. Plus, her presence here makes it two for two in the strong women department. 6) The Grandmaster Thor: Ragnarok introduces two awesome new cast members to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first is, of course, Cate Blanchett and the second is THE Jeff Goldblum, Ever since it was announced that the Jurassic Park/Independence Day legend was entering the comic book world, fans have been eager to see him in action. Thankfully, the movie's first trailer does not disappoint in that respect. Like we said, Goldblum plays the Grandmaster, and we find out here that he's perhaps the ruler of Sakaar, and he gets his kicks from holding gladiator battles. With his big hair and outlandish make-up, he looks like an alien from a 1980s movie - and going by the 80s-style logo for Ragnarok, that's likely deliberate. He probably even beats Benicio Del Toro's the Collector in the flamboyancy factor. Still, he could have been even more OTT - the comic book version is blue-skinned, after all. Goldblum looks like he's having a blast in the part though, so let's hope he has a decent-sized role in the actual movie. 5) Heimdall's On The Move He's easy to miss, but Asgard's gatekeeper Heimdall, as played by Idris Elba, turns up very briefly in this trailer. At around about the 1:00 mark, we see Heimdall taking out one of Hela's henchmen while in a forest area. He's tough to spot though as the character is without his usual golden armour and antlered helmet. Instead, he's sporting some fetching dreadlocks and what looks to be a cool, swooshing cloak. He's also notable for being out of his usual post at the Bifrost, guarding the gateway between the Nine Realms. It's definitely the right move to take Heimdall off the Rainbow Road the Bifrost for this movie though, as it will give us a chance to see what the character can do when in the thick of the action. Elba can play a tough-as-nails action hero like the best of them, and Heimdall has proven to be an incredibly capable character in previous movies. It should also mean that Elba is a little more invested in the role than he has been in the past. 4) Skurge The Executioner Shortly after Heimdall's cameo, we get another brief look at another of Thor: Ragnarok's cast members. This time, it's a new addition - Skurge the Executioner. With a name like that, we don't need to tell you that Skurge is a villain. What you might have missed though is that he's played by a near-unrecognizable Karl Urban (Star Trek, Dredd). In the trailer, we see Skurge mowing down his enemies with a machine gun in each hand. Marvel comics fans will no doubt be ecstatic with this scene, as it references perhaps the character's most definitive moment from the comics. The short version is that he loses his ax in battle and so goes in guns blazing. The longer answer will likely give away an important plot development in the movie. So jump to the next page now if you're spoiler-phobic.... Simply put, Skurge turned away from Hela in the comics and sacrificed himself upon joining Team Thor in their battle against her forces. We might have the wrong end of the stick, but this moment is a pretty good indicator that this plotline will play out in the movie, too. 3) Look, It's Loki! For many people, God of Mischief Loki is the number one reason to watch the Thor movies. He stole the show in the original, gave the assembled heroes a run for their money in The Avengers and livened up the subpar Thor: The Dark World. Given his overwhelming popularity, it's surprising that Tom Hiddleston only features in a very minor way in this teaser trailer. Like most of the other characters, we get a glimpse of Loki whilst he's in the middle of some action, decked out in his ceremonial helmet. It's impossible to tell at this stage just whose side he's on, though. Will he be joining up with his adoptive brother again, like in The Dark World, in order to stop Hela? Or is he actually teaming up with the Goddess to take down Asgard? And is he still pretending to be Odin? Even harder to spot is his second appearance in the trailer. Loki pops up on the Grandmaster's couch, watching the gladiator battle between Thor and Hulk. From what little we see of him, he's looking pretty nervous, probably getting painful flashbacks to when Hulk smashed him around back in The Avengers. 2) Hulk In Armour The big climax of the trailer is what we've all been waiting for - the appearance of the Incredible Hulk. We haven't seen Bruce Banner's alter ego since he left Earth at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Both he and Thor were absent for Captain America: Civil War and now we finally know what they've been up to. It turns out that Hulk has ended up on Sakaar as well, and looks to be one of the Grandmaster's chief gladiators. This is exactly the plot of popular comics storyline Planet Hulk. The only difference in that is that the Illuminati - a team of elite Avengers - decided to jettison Hulk into space for the Earth's safety. The storyline also led to World War Hulk, where Hulk returns to Earth and goes on a rampage to get revenge. We wouldn't expect the second storyline to really be tackled in the movies right now, though we hope it will someday. For the time being, we're just happy to see Hulk decked out in gladiator armour, as it's one of those overtly comic book-y images you don't ever expect to see on film. 1) Thor vs. Hulk Of course, it's the unwritten number one rule of superhero crossovers that the heroes need to fight first before they later team-up. After tussling in The Avengers, Thor and Hulk are set for a rematch in Ragnarok as they're pitched against each other by the Grandmaster. Thankfully, they're not going down the old route of them not getting along, as Thor is overjoyed to see his old pal. "Yes!" he cries, before shouting out to the crowd: "We know each other, he's a friend from work!" It's a hilarious moment, and the best example of Ragnarok's very different tone. Despite the ominous-sounding title, it will surely be the most outright fun movie of the Thor trilogy. The threequel has previously been described as a kind of cosmic road trip, and the humour the film will derive from Thor and Hulk's dysfunctional friendship should be one of the many highlights. Tell us, what was your favorite moment of the recent Thor: Ragnarok trailer? Drop us a comment in the usual place and let us know!