One of Marvel’s riskiest ever sequels, Thor: Ragnarok, is celebrating its fifth anniversary as fans reminisce on the best Thor film by a considerable distance.
Taika Waititi’s first swing at Hollywood moviemaking was a surprise success in 2017, with the film seeing a rebirth of Chris Hemsworth in the role of Thor. The previous two films had struggled to find an identity and even Hemsworth himself said he was unhappy with how The Dark World ended up.
With a fresh new vision, Thor thundered back into cinemas with Cate Blanchett as the dastardly warlord Hela. One of the film’s greatest contributions to meme culture came with the behind the scenes still of the Oscar-winning actress looking bemused at Waititi’s iPad.
Ragnarok can also be credited as the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film to prominently feature Hulk’s backside, something fans had been requesting since day dot and finally got to see. The lack of dong still remains a point of contention, however. #RestoreTheHulkDongCut
Scene-stealing in Ragnarok was Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange in a delightful extended cameo, teleporting Thor around the Sanctum Sanctorum while he works out what to do with the God of Thunder and his adoptive mass-killing brother.
Where Ragnarok ranks among the best Marvel movies is a very big debate, with it arguably the best film released in the series: at least until Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame in the two years following.
Thor: Ragnarok will soon have to contend with another popular series taking on the Ragnarok name as God of War Ragnarok nears its launch. Only one of them features a disembodied head who gives you advice, though.
The entire Thor series of films can be streamed on Disney Plus.