Ever since Nick Fury introduced himself to Tony Stark in the closing minutes of 2008’s ‘Iron Man’, post-credit scenes have been a staple of Marvel’s superhero movies. Over the course of nine years and seventeen movies, these stinger scenes have presented everything from quick jokes to teases for future movies, sometimes within the same film. ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ is the latest example of a Marvel movie that tries to have its cake and eat it too, with regard to its two stinger scenes. The first, a mid-credits scene, sees the Asgardians cross paths with an enormous spaceship. Though the ship is unidentified, the implication is that it has some connection to Thanos and Thor’s journey to his next appearance in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’. The post-credits scene, by contrast, is a more low key and comedic affair that sees the Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster declare the revolution on Sakaar a draw while praising his own role in providing the rebels with someone to overthrow.
According to director Taika Waititi, the intention was always to close the film by revisiting the Grandmaster, but the exact nature of that scene changed during production. As Waititi explains:
“We were determined to not have too many of them. The thing (with Loki and Thor), that was the thing we did in reshoots. It was a last minute decision. And the other thing at the end, with the Grandmaster, was something we shot on Gold Coast that was something I planned for a long time. It was either going to be that or it was going to be Topaz and Grandmaster stowing away on the ship at the end. That could be on the DVD in the deleted scenes, those two in the crowd of the Asgardians and he pushes through and goes “I’ve never heard of this Earth place but… We got to keep a low profile.” And they kind of put these blankets over their heads and disband into the crowd.”
What do you think of the Grandmaster’s alternate fate? Would you have preferred the original post-credit scene, or was the one we got an improvement? Be sure to let us know in the comments and check back in the coming days for more on ‘Thor: Ragnarok’!
The latest entry in the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe, director Taika Waititi’s ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ is now playing in theaters everywhere. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, Jeff Goldblum, and Tessa Thompson.
