Is This The End Of Asgard In 'Thor: Ragnarok'? How Will This Impact The MCU?

Ragnarok. The End of Days. The final destiny of the gods, the moment when Immortal Asgard will fall. When Marvel first announced that the third Thor movie would bear the title 'Ragnarok', that alone was enough to cause fans to sit up straight. Now, at last, we've seen our first glimpse of the film in a breathtaking trailer that suggests we may very well see the death of Asgard.

How Will Ragnarok Take Place?

Asgard has stood for millennia, but the last few years have seen the Asgardians tested as never before. Loki's treachery brought them to the edge of ruin, forcing Thor to destroy the Rainbow Bridge itself. Even as Asgard recovered, it was brutally attacked by the Dark Elves, and the Queen of Asgard herself was killed. In the aftermath of the battle with Malekith, Loki secretly took his father's place as absolute ruler of Immortal Asgard. We don't yet know what happened to Odin, although it appears that he has been banished to the streets of Earth. Whatever the truth may be, Asgard has been attacked time and again — and is now more vulnerable than ever before.

Set against this backdrop, the return of Hela — a powerful being mysteriously imprisoned in days long past — is a disaster for Asgard. The trailer provides us with horrific scenes of fire and ash sweeping across the city like pyroclastic flows, destroying all in their wake. Hela declares that Asgard is dead, and frankly, she's not wrong.

We know that Thor and Loki will search for their father in hope that he can help fight against Hela. However, even if Odin is somehow able to defeat this powerful foe, the fact remains that Asgard has been ravaged — devastated like never before. It's hard to even imagine how many died in Hela's attack. Even if she's defeated, killed, or just driven back, the fact remains — The age of Asgard is over.

What Does This Mean For The MCU?

When Thor destroyed the Rainbow Bridge at the end of his first film, it plunged the Nine Realms into chaos. Without Asgard's protection, the Realms were soon hit by war, with the Badoon and Marauders attacking Vanaheim, and the dwarves fearing that their forges would be overrun. When the Bifrost was repaired, the forces of Asgard had to rush to the aid of the other Realms, battling to restore peace. We saw the end of those conflicts in Thor: The Dark World.

If the age of Asgard is truly over, then all Nine Realms will be plunged into chaos once again, making it likely that races such as the Badoon and the Marauders will attack. What's more, it's entirely possible that they'll set their sights on Realms that would otherwise have been protected — Midgard (Earth) for example.

Meanwhile, we know from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that Asgard has imprisoned dangerous figures from across the Nine Realms (such as Elena Satine's Lorelei). The destruction of Asgard would no doubt see these prisoners freed, and they would escape through the secret passageways back into the Nine Realms.

But remember; if Asgard's power is broken, then it will no longer be able to defend itself. The vaults of Asgard hold many powerful artifacts, including an Infinity Stone, which would be left vulnerable. We know that #AvengersInfinityWar will see Thanos gather the Infinity Stones to himself, seeking to 'rebalance' the universe in some insane way. With Asgard's defences shattered, the Mad Titan's quest has just become a whole lot easier.

This trailer is absolutely breathtaking, raising countless possibilities for the future of the #MCU. If the age of Asgard is indeed over, then we're entering a time of chaos for the Nine Realms — one where anything can happen. Worse still, with Asgard defeated, a certain Mad Titan shouldn't find it too much of a challenge to get his hands on one of those powerful Infinity Stones...