As is the case with any shared continuity, moviegoers will often question how the timeline specifically unfolds. And even with something as cohesive as the Marvel Cinematic Universe existing, it’s easy to understand how people get confused by landscapes populated with reboots, remakes or other films that may ignore some of its predecessors but will honor others (Superman Returns would be a prime example of that). So, even though the MCU has been quite straightforward for the most part, there are those wondering where Thor: Ragnarok falls.
The Taika Waititi-directed threequel is currently the talk of the town ahead of its launch in November, and just this week we received some new intel detailing how Ragnarok dovetails with the overarching Marvel Cinematic Universe. As expected, the cosmic flick takes place two years after Age of Ultron, at a time when Thor’s quest to locate all remaining Infinity Stones continues unabated.
That places Ragnarok directly beside Spider-Man: Homecoming and Captain America: Civil War on the ever-evolving MCU timeline, and subsequently explains Thor’s absence (and indeed Hulk’s) from the colossal Avengers dust-up of 2016. On the topic of the God of Thunder’s intergalactic quest though, Waititi revealed that he wasn’t too concerned about having the threequel fit neatly into the wider MCU.
There’s definitely a challenge with wanting to be true to what the fans want, and to the universe itself. But I have to keep reminding myself that I was hired for a reason, and I think one of those reasons is because of the kind of stories I tell, and the kind of films that I’ve made previously. Obviously it has to be… trying to unify my type of storytelling with this kind of content, and hopefully it all comes out really nicely in the end. But also… you know, I don’t want to make an episode of some larger thing.
I know that it will be, and that all the pieces will fit together. But it’s not my job to make sure they fit together. It’s not my job to make sure that this makes sense three movies down the tracks for one of the other franchises.
Continuing on, the director said that he wanted to ensure that Ragnarok is a great film and a great story in and of itself – which, judging by the trailers, he’s most definitely accomplished.
My job is to make a film that can sit alone as a standalone piece that obviously I’ll be proud of. But I want it to be a film that, if it’s the only Marvel film you see, that it’s a great film and it’s a great story in and of itself. The lucky thing is that there are a bunch of geniuses who run Marvel who make sure that it even if it’s a standalone piece, it is part of a great big jigsaw puzzle that could be appreciated as a whole as well.
Chris Hemsworth’s titular hero embarks on his journey of self-discovery when Thor: Ragnarok touches down in just a few short months, and yes, it’ll seemingly herald the “fight of the century.” We are, of course, referring to Thor and Hulk, who will entertain the wacky citizens of Sakaar before joining forces for the fight against Hela.
