“So much has happened since I last saw you! I lost my hammer – like, yesterday, so that’s still pretty fresh.”
If you caught Thor: Ragnarok‘s spectacular showing at San Diego Comic-Con – and if you’re reading this, chances are you did – you’ll know that Chris Hemsworth’s Norse god is in for quite the journey come November. Marooned in Sakaar’s cavernous gladiator pit, that aforementioned piece of dialogue comes when Thor clocks eyes on Mark Ruffalo’s enraged Hulk – for the first time since Age of Ultron, no less – who emerges into the Colosseum-esque arena prepped and ready to kick ass and take names.
Of course, we know that the God of Thunder will be at a disadvantage following his encounter with Hela, the Goddess of Death (Cate Blanchett), who shatters his prized weapon Mjölnir into a thousand pieces and essentially brings Asgard to its knees. That titanic tussle between good and evil takes center stage on the newly-revealed cover for this month’s issue of Empire Magazine. In keeping with tradition, the outlet has showcased its subscriber-only illustration first, which was designed by Russell Dauterman, the Marvel artist and illustrator best known for his work on the current Thor comics.
Dauterman knows a thing or two about Asgardian lore, then, and sure enough, Ragnarok‘s subscriber cover is a thing of beauty – a real collector’s item worthy of a nice black frame. Indeed, if you happen to hold a subscription to Empire, you’ll notice that Ragnarok‘s cover bears a striking resemblance to Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s.
Thor: Ragnarok makes a beeline for theaters on November 3rd, and though Chris Hemsworth has outlined the connective tissue that exists between Taika Waititi’s threequel and the oncoming Avengers: Infinity War, it seems the latter’s inaugural teaser – a teaser that leaked onto the interwebs following its premiere at SDCC – in no way spoils the events of Ragnarok. And yes, as this is a Marvel movie, you’ll want to hang around after the credits.
