Thor: The Dark World dropped his hammer on the box office, posting a stout $86.1 million to lead all contenders. To date, it has banked $327 million worldwide, and has a very good chance at approaching the $1 billion global mark…something that is becoming status quo for Marvel Studios.

While the end credits for Thor: The Dark World teased Guardians of the Galaxy, fans of Asgard’s protector probably want to know when they’ll be able to see Thor 3 in theaters again – if ever. Let’s break down everything that we know about Thor: Ragnarok, starting with a release date.

When Does Thor: Ragnarok Open?

loading...

Marvel has officially set a November 3, 2017 for Thor: Ragnarok. Yes, at four years, that will be a long time in between Thor movies. There were only two years in between Captain America: Civil War and Captain America: Winter Soldier. But, considering Thor is sitting out Civil War, we have to wait a little bit longer for his newest adventure.

Who is Directing Thor: Ragnarok?

Unlike Guardians of the Galaxy 2 or Captain America: Civil War, the director of the last Thor movie won’t be returning. Alan Taylor was reportedly unhappy working with Marvel and the two agreed to part ways after Thor: The Dark World. Taking Taylor’s place is Taika Waititi, the New Zealand director behind the cult comedy What We Do in the Shadows and the upcoming action-comedy The Hunt For the Wilderpeople. Waititi has been described as a cross between Wes Anderson and Edgar Wright and his comedic sensibilities will be perfect for a movie that Chris Hemsworth has said he’d hoped would provide more laughs.

Who’ll Be the Villain?

loading...

Well, we know that Thor’s half-brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), faked his death in Thor: The Dark World, and now sits on the throne of Asgard. We don’t know what became of Odin, but Loki, posing as a fortress guard, tricked his father and, later, his brother to know lord over the kingdom he has coveted since we met him in 2011.

That’s a huge set up for Thor 3, if producers decide to go in that direction. They’ve essentially put a pin in Loki, knowing that they can use him later is need be.

Also joining the cast is Cate Blanchett who will be playing Hela, the goddess of Hel, the land of the dead. Hela will reportedly be teaming up with Loki to wreak havoc on Asgard, launching a series of events that banish Thor from his world to another, where he’ll run into an old friend.

What Other Marvel Superheroes Will Be Appearing?

Typically, the Thor movies have been light on superhero cameos (though Chris Evans did pop up as Captain America in one brief, inspired bit in Thor: The Dark World), but in Thor: Ragnarok, Thor is going to get a co-star: Hulk. Mark Ruffalo will co-star in the film, which has been described as a buddy action-comedy. In the film, Thor will be leaving Asgard and will stumble upon Hulk, who had been drifting through space after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Hulk’s presence has grown stronger and he remembers Thor, and the two team-up to take back Asgard from Hela and Loki.

Also rumored to be making an appearance is Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury who, like Hulk and Thor, sat out the events of Captain America: Civil War. What contributions could he have to a movie that largely takes place in worlds other than Earth?

So Wait, Where’s Odin?

loading...

“He dies,” Anthony Hopkins said during ‘Thor’ interviews. “I’ve done two. That’s enough.”

Taylor basically backed up those claims, stating, “That was a big twist. It took us a while to realize that we were actually going to kill him. And then it took us a while to realize that we were going to do that at the end.”

Feige tried to sugarcoat it with superhero diplomacy, explaining, “Like all of our plans at Marvel Studios, we know where we would like to go if given the opportunity. We have very good ideas whether the All-Father is with us or not.”

There have been increasing rumors though that Hopkins will in fact return for a very brief, but important part in Thor: Ragnarok, the details of which, we won’t spoil for you here.

Can We Get Even More New Villains?

loading...

In a way, I hope so. Imagine if Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man had to face the Iron Monger in film after film. Listen, Loki’s great, but Thor has decades of comic-book antagonists from which to choose, and the movie’s stars have their own ideas of places that a Thor sequel can head.

In a recent interview, Hemsworth hinted at the expanse of the Thor universe, and the endless possibilities facing the character. He stated:

I liked that Thor has another universe or the universe to sort of take care of and keep him occupied. I think that in the comic book the sort of end of days, Armageddon aspect is probably the direction in which it will all head in. Where it’s sort of the end of all things and there’s obviously no script or anything when I read the comic books I thought it was an interesting way to go.

Fans of Thor’s books jumped on this hint as the possibility that Ragnarok – or the destruction of Asgard – could be a future plotline. With that story would come the introduction of Surtur, leader of the Fire Demons of Muspelheim. When asked, during the Dark World junket, if he wants to see Thor take on the Fire Demons in Thor 3, the actor raved, “Bring them all in!”

More From ScreenCrush