Thor: Ragnarok - What The Ending Really Means

9. Thor Is King (And Has New Powers)

After Odin dies in the first act, Thor becomes the rightful king of Asgard and by the end of the movie, he sits on the makeshift Asgardian throne (which is in fact the captain's chair of the Sakaarian freighter that ferries his people).

Strangely, there doesn't seem to be any talk of Thor inheriting the Odinforce when his father dies, and while he can be seen holding Gungnir (which can channel the Odinforce), there's no confirmation that he's now as powerful as Odin. Which would be extremely handy, given the coming battle with Thanos.

But, the film does confirm that Thor doesn't need Mjolnir - which is destroyed by Hela - to channel his true powers (as the God of Thunder). He can harness lightning as a conduit in place of his hammer, using it to blast his enemies. It's a cool upgrade, but there's no way he won't be swinging some sort of weapon in Infinity War (particularly as his time on Sakaar proved he can't necessarily count on it).