These 11 'Thor: Ragnarok' Theories Hint At An Epic Finish For The MCU Hero

We're still a couple of months away from the November premiere of Thor: Ragnarok, but already the excitement for the final installment in Thor's solo MCU journey is palpable. While there's a fair amount fans do know will happen in the film — Thor and the Hulk team up and Asgard is destroyed by Hela — we'll still need to examine some theories about Thor: Ragnarok to get a better sense of what to expect. It's not enough to know that certain events will take place just because the epic Ragnarok trailers tell us so; what's really in store for fans?

Thor's time in the MCU could be coming to an end. After Ragnarok, he'll appear in the Infinity War films and then, who knows what will happen to our favorite flaxen-haired Asgardian? As such, the stakes are high for Thor to not only go out on a high note but to make sure the day is well and truly saved; there is no time to do things half-heartedly.

That means that Ragnarok is poised to be very action-filled. With Hela surfacing to exact revenge on Asgard and its residents through its destruction, Thor teaming with former Avenger the Hulk and his adopted brother Loki, and the hero possibly acquiring new superpowers, there's going to be a lot to drink in when we all head to the theater to see this film.

But that also means there are a lot of questions about how exactly this final chapter and prelude to Infinity War will play out. Fans and journalists have developed some intriguing theories about what to expect and it's all incredibly fascinating. Let's go discuss some fun Ragnarok theories, shall we?

1. We'll Learn More About The Final Infinity Stone

According to Reddit user Dngnmstr89, the Soul Stone could be hidden in Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. This would explain why Hela is seen crushing Mjolnir in the trailer (aside from showcasing her brute strength) and would explain how she would be able to create a weapon so powerful as to bring down Asgard. The Soul Stone would be a huge discovery and the person who possesses it would be able to collect or capture other people's souls, meaning one could take down their enemies by literally sucking the life out of them.

2. Or, Heimdall Actually Possesses The Soul Infinity Stone

Dngnmstr89 also touches on the popular fan theory that Heimdall is in possession of the Soul Stone and it literally lives within him. Screen Rant has followed up on this theory, noting that Heimdall is able to see all souls across the Nine Realms and his eyes has a golden hue about them — which is also the reported color of the Soul Stone.

3. Thor Is About To Discover Who He Truly Is

A fan theory from Redditor almighty_smiley posits that Thor is actually going to be better off without Mjolnir because he will finally become the god he was always meant to be. Seeing as this could be one of Thor's final MCU films, it would make sense to have his character arc complete insofar as he is able to literally channel lightning rather than call on Mjolnir to channel it for him.

4. Hela Is Working With Thanos

Redditor aymesyboy brings up the very valid theory that Hela is working specifically with Thanos to bring about the destruction of Asgard. The theme of destruction is common between these two villains and Thanos, a man who worships death, would probably be all for teaming with Hela, the goddess of death.

5. There's A Bigger Reason Thor Arrives At Sakaar

So, in the trailer, we see Thor arrive on the literal trash planet Sakaar; it's how he gets scooped up by Valkyrie, who will become part of his team in the fight against Hela. It's not immediately clear how Thor ends up on Sakaar, though, (a fact Screen Rant readily points out in their trailer analysis) and there's no indication from his previous films as to why he'd end up in a place like this. What is Thor searching for? Is he searching for the final Infinity Stone?

6. Loki Will Commit Some Savage Treachery Against Thor

While Loki has been prone to treachery in the past, there's a good chance that he will do something irreparably awful while acting as if he wants to team up with with Thor, Valkyrie, and the Hulk. There have been suspicions about why Thor would trust Loki in the first place, adopted brothers or not, but Comicbook.com reminds us that Loki might be working with Thanos, the figure who backed Loki's attack on New York City in Avengers. This would mean that Loki might have a hand in controlling the fate of the Tesseract, as the site points out, and furthermore, Loki might have direct involvement with procuring or securing the final Infinity Stone for Thanos.

7. The Timing Of Thor's Meeting With The Guardians Of The Galaxy Is Interesting

Comicbook.com also pointed out how interesting it was that Thor's meeting with the Guardians happens when he reportedly hits the windshield of their spaceship as he's floating through a debris field. Would this scene, which could imply Thor is floating in space after Asgard is destroyed, be featured in Ragnarok, too, to act as a bit of excitement-building for Infinity War?

This would also mean that the Guardians actually have a bigger role in Ragnarok than we may have thought. Not only will the meeting between these MCU heroes act as the connective tissue to Infinity War, but the Guardians could be the ones to drop Thor off at Sakaar on their way to their next adventure.

8. Dr. Strange Could Have A Bigger Role Than We Expected

Nerdist's Jessica Chobot posits that Dr. Strange will help Thor find Odin while Thor is in New York City. During his search, Hela will appear and destroy his hammer Mjolnir (which we see in the trailer) and Dr. Strange will be called on to help Thor (and possibly Odin) get off Earth in the absence of Mjolnir being able to help Thor travel. Very interesting indeed.

9. There May Be Even More To The Story We Haven't Seen

Back in April, at Movie Pilot, one writer pointed out that Ragnarok may be drawing on more than one famous Thor comics storyline. While the "Ragnarok" storyline is obvious thanks to images of Hela and the destruction of Asgard being shown in the trailer, the writer theorizes that there may be more to the story than we could even know. With the appearance of the Hulk, this idea is bolstered by the fact that director Taika Waititi could draw from the "Planet Hulk" storyline, so would he get creative and fill out Ragnarok with other story elements from the Thor universe?

10. Okay, But What Really Destroys Asgard?

Hela may call on Thanos for help, but Movie Pilot also points out that those shots of Asgard's destruction, with fire tearing through the city, imply some other evil beast may be have a hand in this fiery scene. Enter Thor comics villain Surtur, a fiery demon who possesses a weapon called the Twilight Sword. The sword can wreak havoc and destruction who Surtur himself breathes fire. Considering Hela is carrying a sword when we see her attacking the Asgardians, there's a good chance Surtur is close by.

11. Actually, How Does Valkyrie End Up On Sakaar?

I'll finish with a personal theory. It's interesting that there's very little commentary on how Valkyrie goes from fighting Hela during the destruction of Asgard to working on Sakaar as a bounty hunter of sorts. Can we really trust her? She may have something unexpected up her sleeve that we should all keep an eye on and it's very likely that she could be just as much of an enemy to Thor as she could be an ally.

What's next for Thor in Ragnarok? Your theory is as good as mine.