MCU Fans Say the Writers Failed This Valiant Group in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’

In most ways, Thor: Ragnarok was a refreshing departure from the God of Thunder’s prior misstep in The Dark World. The character received a personality makeover — one that better aligned with the disposition akin to his fellow supers and left the stoic nature the Norse mythology retains behind. While it was quite the narrative risk, the movie was a critical success and a box office triumph. And, moving forward, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor would never be the same. 

Bombastic, unpredictable, laugh-out-loud funny, and action-packed, Thor: Ragnarok was nearly a perfect film. However, Hela’s black-and-white personality and lack of three dimensionality was not the only narrative blunder in this installment. The film also stripped dignity away from three characters who — based on their comic book legacy — deserved more respect. 

Fans argue that the Warriors Three deserved a more impactful death or a more significant narrative role in Thor: Ragnarok. When browsing through a reddit discussion concerning the movie’s treatment of these characters, a consensus quickly emerges: the movie did them dirty. 

Who are the Warriors Three and what did ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ do wrong when it came to these characters? 

The Warriors Three are a group of Asgardian warriors and close allies of Thor — individuals he has known since childhood. The three met when they joined Thor’s expedition to restore the Odinsword that had become cracked. Their names: Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg. The group is often there for Thor — assisting with his various missions, present for his coronation ceremony, and loyal to a fault. They deserved an honorable death, and many MCU fans feel that they were stripped of such. One MCU fan noted:

The Warriors Three deserved so much better than being killed off in 3 seconds.

Reddit User 

Others chimed in to agree with the above statement, often understanding why they were killed off, but annoyed at the lack of acknowledgement that followed suit. One fan stated: 

Tbh, Ragnarok was a rebirth, so I get their deaths were necessary. And although it’s sh*t Thor never even acknowledges their deaths because imo that would have justified it, I don’t think it is unfitting. Hella is out of all of our heroes’ league. It makes sense she would dispose of the Warriors 3 with a literal flick of the wrist.

Reddit User

Many fans agreed that their deaths were not only instantaneous, but minimized. One viewer noted:

That was the biggest problem i had with Ragnarok, Waititi focussed too much on having a fun movie that he didn’t give much time to address deaths and show the meaning of them to other characters; Even Odin’s death felt rather bland, we really don’t get to see what that means to Thor because the movie rushes to funny moments and action scenes.

The Warrior three deserved at least a mention by Thor, but it wouldn’t matter much because the first 2 movies didn’t develop them right to make us(the audience) feel the out of this world bond between them and Thor.

Reddit User 

Thor: Ragnarok could have given the Warriors Three a noble death. Thor could have mentioned their valiancy and bravery. Thor could have mentioned their friendship. They could have received recognition. But, in the end, they just died…quickly.