Does Thor: Ragnarok have a post-credits scene? Yes, you fool! It's the 17th film to release in the shared Marvel Cinematic Universe and every single one does at least have one extra credits sequence. There is both a mid-credits scene and a post-credits button for Thor: Ragnarok and one is significantly more important than the other.
Below we detail, breakdown, and explain the two extra MCU credits tags attached to Thor 3 and compare them to what the previous Thor movies included and what else we've learned from the other post-credits content in Marvel movies in 2017. Spoiler warning. Obviously.
Related: Is The Thor: Ragnarok Post-Credits Scene Worth Waiting For?
In 2011's original Thor directed by Kenneth Branagh, the third solo character to get a movie in the MCU following Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, its singular post-credits scene had Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) enlisting the help of Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) to research the power potential of the Tesseract (the Space Stone) on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D., setting the stage for The Avengers and Loki being its antagonist. Two years later, director Alan Taylor's Thor: The Dark World became the second movie the Marvel Studios franchise to include two extra scenes - one story setup mid-credits tag and one post-credits 'just for fun' button. The first made a point of showcasing the updated location of one of the Infinity Stones with Asgard presenting the Aether (the Reality Stone) to The Collector (Benicio Del Toro). The other saw a massive Jotunheim Beast end up on Earth via a portal - a plot point that still hasn't been addressed in the MCU.
Thor: Ragnarok's Mid-Credits Scene Explained
For the third Thor movie, where director Taika Waititi describes the feature as a new beginning for the series, the mid-credits scene is the important one just like in Thor 2. It sets up what could be the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War by showing what's left of Asgard after Ragnarok - its surviving people - on a starship looking for a new home, presumably on Midgard (Earth). Thor and Loki are seen looking out into space as Thor reassures his brother, “everything’s going to work out fine."
And then another, much larger and ominous space vessel appears. It's dark grey and almost has an abstract face for its center hull. No characters, details, or description are given for this mystery ship but the obvious and safe assumption is that it's Thanos and his Black Order on their way to collect. We know these cosmic supervillains are going to scour the galaxy to assemble the six Infinity Stones and make their way to Earth (a.k.a. Terran) and the way the Thor: Ragnarok ends, it's rather clear that Loki has the Tesseract (the Space Stone).
We also know that from the Avengers: Infinity War teaser that Marvel Studios and Disney played for audiences at D23 and Comic-Con International that there's a scene early on when the Guardians of the Galaxy fly through space wreckage to find Thor's body floating before they recover him. Connecting the dots here, it seems the big bad ship destroyed Asgard's lifeboat unless there's a lot of story in between to be explored in Avengers 3. At Comic-Con though, Chris Hemsworth did say that Thor: Ragnarok does set this scene up so take that for what you will. We know Thor and Loki have important parts to play in the next Avengers, but we don't know who else from Asgard survives through the conclusion of Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Note: That Avengers: Infinity War footage also includes a scene of Loki handing the Tesseract to someone much taller than he is, so it's likely that he's giving it Thanos for failing to secure it in the first Avengers movie. Still, knowing Thanos, that's not enough since Loki also lost the Mind Stone (from Loki's staff which is now in Vision's forehead) so you may want to say your farewells to the God of Mischief.
Thor: Ragnarok's Post-Credits Scene Explained
Thor: Ragnarok's post-credits scene is just for fun and takes place back on the junkyard planet of Sakaar where The Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) has been having his fun with his gladiator games, pitting slaves against his Champions. He doesn't like that word (slaves) though as much he dislikes losing, and like always, he cannot admit defeat. Just look at the painting down below I saw on display at Disneyland's Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout attraction.
Throughout the course of the film, a revolt is led against The Grandmaster thanks to Thor and his "Revengers". The other Gladiator combatants escape Asgard with Loki on the starship that's eventually used to save the surviving people of Asgard when its destroyed (Thor and Loki's ship from the mid-credits scene) and the revolution leaves Sakaar in disarray.
The post-credits scene sees The Grandmaster and some of his companions in the very same predicament Thor was when he surfaced in a junk pile on Sakaar, and now The Grandmaster is without his power and riches. He uses the opportunity to congratulate the people of Sakaar, "The revolution has a been a huge success. It’s a tie." A tie? Hah!
As Goldblum has pointed out in several interviews while promoting Thor 3, his character is an Elder of the Universe and is "immortal" like his brother, The Collector. So, he's going to be fine and we already know he shot a fun Team Thor video and that he'll be back again at some point in the future, just like his brother, and just like director Taika Waititi.
More: Our Thor: Ragnarok Review
In Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk!
Thor: Ragnarok is directed by Taika Waititi and returns Chris Hemsworth starring as Thor and Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Loki. They are joined by Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson and Karl Urban, with Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins. Kevin Feige is producing with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Thomas M. Hammel and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Eric Pearson and Craig Kyle & Christopher L. Yost wrote the screenplay.
