<Ul> <Li> Chris Hemsworth as Thor: The crown prince of Asgard based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name, who has become a "lone gunslinger" while solving universe - ending perils in his search to learn more about the Infinity Stones . As this is the fifth time portraying the character, Hemsworth said, "for me personally I got a bit bored of myself and thought we've got to try something different ." He spoke with director Taika Waititi and producer Kevin Feige, who all agreed a third Thor film would need "to really push the envelope and experiment and take it to another level;" this resulted in the character having shorter hair, a different outfit, his hammer Mjolnir being broken, and a new setting . Having the shorter hair was "hugely liberating and freeing" for Hemsworth, noting once he was able to remove the longer hair wig, "I instantly felt like I could move and speak and react differently...it allowed the whole thing to take on a different attitude . It felt like a completely different character". Hemsworth also stated that following the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ragnarok finds Thor exploring and policing the universe while enjoying being a "drifter". Hemsworth expressed interest in having Thor interact with Bruce Banner, as the two have not had a lot of interaction previously and "it would bring something different out of the characters," adding he hoped the film was a "(Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) sort of story" for the duo . Waititi said that he wanted to use more of Hemsworth's comedic talents showcased in films like Vacation and Ghostbusters, saying, "He's so good and underutilized in that department . He's legitimately one of the funniest things in this film ." Producer Brad Winderbaum added, "He understands sarcasm in a way he didn't in the first (Thor) film...It's a flip on the fish out of water because now he's not the butt of the jokes, wandering around, not realizing why things are the way they are . He's the one looking at the world and bringing a certain sarcasm and irony to this cosmic landscape ." Waititi cited Jack Burton from Big Trouble in Little China as an influence on the character . </Li> <Li> Tom Hiddleston as Loki: Thor's adoptive brother and nemesis based on the deity of the same name . On playing the character again, Hiddleston said he was interested in how Loki's attitude has changed, adding "I'm four years older...and there will just be new things (I) find in it . The most exciting thing about (Loki) is that he is always a trickster . It is trying to find new ways for him to be mischievous". Regarding the inclusion of the Hulk in the film, Hiddleston said that Loki has "a few chips on his shoulder" due to the previous interaction between the two characters in The Avengers . As the ruler of Asgard since the end of Thor: The Dark World, Hiddleston notes that "Loki has devoted most of his efforts to narcissistic self - glorification . Not so much on good governance ." Hiddleston added that he "never conceived of Loki's emotional connections to Odin or Thor as malevolent . He just wants to have a go, on the throne, which he does ." Winderbaum says, "So he becomes the King of Asgard, everything is great, it's a good party, but he failed to realize the threats that were just over the horizon, Hela being the biggest and most terrible one of all ." In regards to how Thor and Loki's relationship has evolved, Hiddleston said, "The opposite of love is not hate but indifference . So the idea that Thor might be indifferent to Loki is troubling for him, because that's a defining feature of his character is, I don't belong in the family; my brother doesn't love me; I hate my brother . And the idea his brother's like, yeah, whatever, it's an interesting development ." </Li> <Li> Cate Blanchett as Hela: The goddess of death, based on the deity Hel, who has been inadvertently released from her prison . About the character, Blanchett said, "She's been locked away for millennia getting more and more cross, and then, with a mistake, she gets unleashed and she ain't getting back in that box ." Blanchett also stated that Hela's headdress can be used as a weapon and that she can manifest weapons from different parts of her body . She also took care to discuss with Marvel and Waititi to help define when Hela would be masked and when she would not be . She noted the difficulty of playing the role in a motion capture suit, saying, "The headdress is such a huge part of when she comes into the height of her powers in the film . I only wore that really in the photo shoots ." Hela's design was taken from Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron, while the character Gorr from that comic, who has the ability "to manifest an infinite number of weapons", inspired a similar ability for Hela . Blanchett worked with stuntwoman Zoë Bell and studied capoeira in preparation for the role, along with working with Luke Zocchi, Hemsworth's personal trainer . </Li> <Li> Idris Elba as Heimdall: The former all - seeing, all - hearing Asgardian sentry of the Bifröst Bridge, based on the deity of the same name, who has gone missing . </Li> <Li> Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster: One of the Elders of the Universe fascinated with gaming and chance who rules the planet Sakaar, and enjoys manipulating lesser life - forms . Goldblum described the character as "a hedonist, a pleasure - seeker, an enjoyer of life and tastes and smells ." He also said that Waititi encouraged improvisation in order for Goldblum to "make (the character his) own". Waititi explained that Grandmaster does not have blue skin in the film as the character does in the comics, because Goldblum had already played a blue - colored character in Earth Girls Are Easy, and because Waititi did not want to detract from Goldblum's personality by concealing his appearance . </Li> <Li> Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie: A tough, hard - drinking Asgardian warrior based on the mythological being Brynhildr, who was once a member of Odin's elite troops and now works as the bounty hunter SR - 142 for Grandmaster while hiding out on Sakaar. Thompson felt the various versions of the character from the comics "left us a lot of leeway" in creating the version in Ragnarok, adding that Waititi "has a healthy respect for the comics but also a total irreverence in the sense that he's like,' Let's create something new ."' About Valkyrie's inclusion in the film, Feige said, "(Thor's) relationship with Jane (Foster) may have evolved in unexpected ways in between The Dark World and Ragnarok and we wanted to pit him against a character who was much more his equal and in many ways his superior ." Feige also stated that Valkyrie has spurned her Asgardian heritage elaborating, "Thor thinks maybe that will create a bond between them and, on the contrary, she wants to forget it all entirely ." Waititi stated that Thompson's casting was not just about creating diversity explaining, "I'm not obsessed with the idea that you have to cast someone just to tick a box...You should cast people because they're talented . (With Valkyrie) I wanted to make sure we weren't making a female character that was boring and pretty . What I wanted was someone who was going to play the opposite and be even more of the' guy' character than the guys ." Regarding Valkyrie's wardrobe, Thompson said, "she's such a bad ass that she doesn't need a lot of metal to protect her . I'm essentially in leather ." Thompson stated that she was inspired by pictures of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day while training for the role . Thompson, who is American, worked with dialect coach Andrew Jack to create the character's accent, coming up "with something that simultaneously honors Asgard by sharing similarities with Thor's accent, but also feels distinct from it since she's been away from there for so long ." Thompson will also appear in future Marvel films . </Li> <Li> Karl Urban as Skurge: An Asgardian warrior, who is aligned with Hela and guards the Bifröst Bridge in Heimdall's absence . Urban shaved his head and worked out for the role, though he noted that "you won't actually see my body in this movie under the costume that I have, but it's important for me to get into the zone and feel (the part)." On Skurge aligning with Hela, Urban described it as "a working relationship" and said, "I think he makes a deal with the devil . And that's when the rubber meets the road...He's her henchman . He does the dirty jobs . And that sort of is something he has to--it plays on his conscience . It crossed a certain moral line ." He added, "Skurge quickly realizes that he either has to join her or die . He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's bright enough to make the right choice for him . He's a survivalist ." </Li> <Li> Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk: A genius scientist who, because of exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into a monster when enraged or agitated and becomes a successful and popular gladiator on Sakaar . Ruffalo, who said he is always excited to keep returning to the role as he sees "a lot of space for it to grow", hoped the film would explore the relationship between Banner and the Hulk . Regarding the relationship between Banner and Thor, Ruffalo said, "There's a little bit of Midnight Run, with (Charles) Grodin and (Robert) De Niro . I feel like that's kind of where we're heading with this relationship between Thor and Banner ." Describing the character, Ruffalo stated, "He's much more of a character than the green rage machine you've seen in the Avengers movies . He's got a swagger . He's like a god ." Ruffalo described Banner as being in "perma - Hulk mode", having suppressed the Banner side for a few years, and forming the vocabulary "of a toddler". Waititi said there was "a big conversation" regarding how verbal and conscious the Hulk would be compared to previous MCU films . Waititi added that the decision was a "larger group decision, rather than anything to do with just me or the writer" since it was taking into account future appearances for the character . Ruffalo noted that having the Hulk start to talk was "the start to separating of these two individuals", with Ragnarok the beginning of an arc for the character that would continue in Avengers: Infinity War and its untitled sequel . The arc stemmed from discussions Ruffalo had with Feige for standalone Hulk films, which Feige felt, because of rights issues with the character, would be a better fit in Ragnarok and the Avengers films . Waititi also provided some of the motion capture for Hulk after Ruffalo had completed his scenes . </Li> <Li> Anthony Hopkins as Odin: The king of Asgard, father of Thor, and adoptive father of Loki, based on the deity of the same name . Waititi was surprised by the improvisational ability of Hopkins after he was told "to be funny and to really destroy what's come before (with the role) and recreate it ." </Li> </Ul> <Li> Chris Hemsworth as Thor: The crown prince of Asgard based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name, who has become a "lone gunslinger" while solving universe - ending perils in his search to learn more about the Infinity Stones . As this is the fifth time portraying the character, Hemsworth said, "for me personally I got a bit bored of myself and thought we've got to try something different ." He spoke with director Taika Waititi and producer Kevin Feige, who all agreed a third Thor film would need "to really push the envelope and experiment and take it to another level;" this resulted in the character having shorter hair, a different outfit, his hammer Mjolnir being broken, and a new setting . Having the shorter hair was "hugely liberating and freeing" for Hemsworth, noting once he was able to remove the longer hair wig, "I instantly felt like I could move and speak and react differently...it allowed the whole thing to take on a different attitude . It felt like a completely different character". Hemsworth also stated that following the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ragnarok finds Thor exploring and policing the universe while enjoying being a "drifter". Hemsworth expressed interest in having Thor interact with Bruce Banner, as the two have not had a lot of interaction previously and "it would bring something different out of the characters," adding he hoped the film was a "(Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) sort of story" for the duo . Waititi said that he wanted to use more of Hemsworth's comedic talents showcased in films like Vacation and Ghostbusters, saying, "He's so good and underutilized in that department . He's legitimately one of the funniest things in this film ." Producer Brad Winderbaum added, "He understands sarcasm in a way he didn't in the first (Thor) film...It's a flip on the fish out of water because now he's not the butt of the jokes, wandering around, not realizing why things are the way they are . He's the one looking at the world and bringing a certain sarcasm and irony to this cosmic landscape ." Waititi cited Jack Burton from Big Trouble in Little China as an influence on the character . </Li> <Li> Tom Hiddleston as Loki: Thor's adoptive brother and nemesis based on the deity of the same name . On playing the character again, Hiddleston said he was interested in how Loki's attitude has changed, adding "I'm four years older...and there will just be new things (I) find in it . The most exciting thing about (Loki) is that he is always a trickster . It is trying to find new ways for him to be mischievous". Regarding the inclusion of the Hulk in the film, Hiddleston said that Loki has "a few chips on his shoulder" due to the previous interaction between the two characters in The Avengers . As the ruler of Asgard since the end of Thor: The Dark World, Hiddleston notes that "Loki has devoted most of his efforts to narcissistic self - glorification . Not so much on good governance ." Hiddleston added that he "never conceived of Loki's emotional connections to Odin or Thor as malevolent . He just wants to have a go, on the throne, which he does ." Winderbaum says, "So he becomes the King of Asgard, everything is great, it's a good party, but he failed to realize the threats that were just over the horizon, Hela being the biggest and most terrible one of all ." In regards to how Thor and Loki's relationship has evolved, Hiddleston said, "The opposite of love is not hate but indifference . So the idea that Thor might be indifferent to Loki is troubling for him, because that's a defining feature of his character is, I don't belong in the family; my brother doesn't love me; I hate my brother . And the idea his brother's like, yeah, whatever, it's an interesting development ." </Li> <Li> Cate Blanchett as Hela: The goddess of death, based on the deity Hel, who has been inadvertently released from her prison . About the character, Blanchett said, "She's been locked away for millennia getting more and more cross, and then, with a mistake, she gets unleashed and she ain't getting back in that box ." Blanchett also stated that Hela's headdress can be used as a weapon and that she can manifest weapons from different parts of her body . She also took care to discuss with Marvel and Waititi to help define when Hela would be masked and when she would not be . She noted the difficulty of playing the role in a motion capture suit, saying, "The headdress is such a huge part of when she comes into the height of her powers in the film . I only wore that really in the photo shoots ." Hela's design was taken from Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron, while the character Gorr from that comic, who has the ability "to manifest an infinite number of weapons", inspired a similar ability for Hela . Blanchett worked with stuntwoman Zoë Bell and studied capoeira in preparation for the role, along with working with Luke Zocchi, Hemsworth's personal trainer . </Li>

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