"Thor 3: Ragnarok" may be the most important film in Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe other than "Captain America: Civil War."
Executive producer Kevin Feige himself confirmed this via a report from Den of Geek. In the interview, Feige explained that "Thor 3: Ragnarok" is "a very important movie for us in Phase 3...we plan on taking Thor to another level." The site takes his side and for several key reasons.
"Ragnarok" refers to a key event in Norse mythology. Basically, it is the telling of the world's end when the Fire Giants, led by Surtur/ Surtr, wage war against the gods in Asgard. All the gods and giants die and the world is "reset" with only two humans, Lif and Lifthrasir, to repopulate the universe.
As pointed out by Movie Pilot, "Avengers: Age of Ultron" ended with Thor returning to Asgard as he searches for answers regarding the Infinity Stones sought by Thanos. However, "Thor: The Dark World" revealed that Loki is now posing himself as Odin and this might lead to "Ragnarok," that is, the end of the world.
The film may focus primarily on the war between Asgard and the Fire Giants, but somewhere in there would be the introduction of the final Infinity Stone. The report explains that Thanos, the main villain of the MCU, might make his first move in "Thor 3" and may even be responsible for the destruction of Asgard.
If this is true, then "Thor 3" will directly lead up to "Avengers: Infinity War" parts 1 and 2. Thanos may destroy Asgard, attain the final Infinity Stone, and then learn more about Earth from Thor or Loki. He'll head there, thereby beginning the final "Avengers" films.
While all of these are speculations, there is no denying that whatever happens in "Thor 3: Ragnarok" will affect the rest of the MCU moving forward.
"Thor 3: Ragnarok" will be released in theaters on Nov. 3, 2017.
