Not so long ago, the idea of a third stand-alone Thor film might have made even the most ardent of MCU fans a little nervous. After an excellent first outing helmed by Kenneth Branagh, the sequel was a poorly written, sloppily directed mess that couldn't even count on the enduring power of Loki for good publicity. Killing the franchise and swallowing Thor into the MCU as a frequent cameo player (along, perhaps, with Loki) would have worked. Few would have even complained too much. But, Marvel and Kevin Feige still have confidence in the God Of Thunder, and that should actually be classed as a very good thing. Before the announcement of Doctor Strange, Thor was the closest thing we had to a cosmic element of the MCU, and that meant the opportunity for a more diversely creative approach. And we all know how limited diversity in the MCU has been so far. So, Thor Ragnarok is a legitimate part of Phase 3, and it now almost has a director - with Flight Of The Conchords' helmer Taika Waititi all but confirmed for the chair. Other than that, all we have is the title and the participation of some of the cast - which doesn't even include two seriously significant members yet - so the rest is left to speculation. And thankfully, since Ragnarok's very existence suggests that something big enough to gloss over the sins of The Dark World is planned, that means the rumour mill is at double speed...
12. None Of The Human Characters Are Coming Back
Given that the crux of the plot will see Gods falling, semi-immortal characters dying and a dramatic shift in Asgard's very make-up, it seems particularly unlikely that Thor is going to come back to Midgard for a little holiday. He already knows his agenda thanks to Ultron, so he's hardly going to need his ragtag bunch of human sidekicks. The EvidenceIt's just logical. Jane Foster might be key to Thor's personal arc, but she should be removed from his military and political persona. And it is entirely unlikely that the plot is going to have any need to shift focus to Earth when Thor has literally just left it.
