The Thor: Ragnarok trailer is here and it continues the recent trend of pairing a tentpole action movie with an iconic song. This time around it’s Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” which is apropos, all things considered. But while Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) may be immigrants against their will and Hela (Cate Blanchett) is immigrating to Asgard against ITS will, the role Loki (Tom Hiddleston) plays remains a mystery. It’s entirely possible the trickster god is playing both sides, or, more likely, is playing his own side (as we don’t yet know if Hela is Loki’s daughter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe).
What we do know if Loki is seated with the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) to watch his brother fight to the death in gladiatorial combat. Then the Incredible Hulk comes bursting through the door, and you can see Loki’s life flash before his eyes. It takes a skilled actor to showcase that much panic without a word, but Hiddleston manages it. You can practically hear him thinking “Oh no. No. No no nonononono.”
Not that you can blame him. The last time Loki and the Hulk met, things didn’t work out in the Asgardian’s favor. One can only imagine that once Thor and Hulk break free of their gladiatorial bonds, shenanigans will ensue as Loki joins the crew. Based on Marvel’s love of winking at fans, expect some variation on Loki’s first painful encounter with Bruce Banner to play out in Thor: Ragnarok. Perhaps Hulk will smash with love?
