The Deleted Thor: The Dark World Scenes That Make Ragnarok Sadder
As character arcs within the Marvel Cinematic Universe go, Thor's has taken a turn we might not have expected at first. Thanks to Taika Waititi's work on Thor: Ragnarok, we've come to see Thor (Chris Hemsworth) as the funny Avenger, rather than the strongest. Kevin Feige must've liked what Waititi did with Thor, as that more humorous take on the character came out to play in Avengers: Endgame.
But just like the fourth entry of the Avengers films, Thor's story is full of sadness. Think about it: His entire first movie is about losing his powers after he's betrayed by his brother, Thor: The Dark World sees his mother Frigga (Rene Russo) die, and Thor: Ragnarok kicks off with his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) biting the dust as well. Thor's movies are a death-stravaganza of torment — and also jokes!
How much time have you spent thinking about that second Thor movie, though? Thor: The Dark World is largely considered one of the more forgettable films of the MCU. Back in 2018, Christopher Eccleston, who played the film's villain, Malekith, said in an interview with The Guardian that he hated working on Thor so much, he likened it to "a gun in your mouth."
However, not only is Thor: The Dark World good, it's so good that even its deleted scenes have a powerful impact you probably didn't realize. Let's talk about the maligned sequel, what makes it secretly great, and, specifically, let's talk about the Warriors Three.
The Warriors Three were very important to Thor at one point
The plot of Thor: The Dark World is a little all over the place. Thor's girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) accidentally absorbs one of the Infinity Stones, which both puts her life in danger and also awakens the Dark Elves, former nemeses of Asgard. These two plot elements are a little thin, so they get padded out with Foster's gang of scientists, the relationship between Thor and Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and, as you likely remember from Avengers: Endgame, the death of Frigga.
However, the movie doesn't introduce Thor at the same time as any of these other characters. No, Thor: The Dark World brings back our hero while he's in the midst of a battle he's very obviously going to win. Beside him on the battleground are some of his best warriors, including Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and the Warriors Three. The Warriors Three consist of Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Zachary Levi), and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano). The Three have a solid presence in Marvel Comics, but, for the sake of the Thor movies, the thing to know is that they're basically Thor's BFF squad of super fighters.
In one of the deleted scenes from Thor: The Dark World, we see Volstagg tell a tale of a battle won. During the scene, we see Volstagg's children surround him and celebrate his triumphs — which is a mighty big bummer when you remember what happens to the Warriors Three in Thor: Ragnarok.
The Warriors Three get a lot more sad when you remember Hela
Thor: Ragnarok's story is a little twisty, but it boils down to two main plots: Thor escaping imprisonment, and Hela (Cate Blanchett) regaining her power and taking over Asgard. In the case of the latter arc, Hela doesn't fight Thor at first, on account of his being trapped off-world. So she fights Thor's entourage instead.
While Hela is quick to find an ally in the form of Skurge (Karl Urban), she finds no such willingness to acquiesce in the Warriors Three. To say that she makes short work of them would be an understatement. Both Volstagg and Fandral are killed immediately. Hogun gets to fight a long, ultimately pointless battle before Hela murders him as well.
Now that, on its face, is a stone cold bummer. The Warriors Three may not have been the biggest part of the Thor movie franchise, but their affable natures added a lot of humanity and charisma to world of Asgard. But it's so much worse when you think of poor Volstagg's kids! Granted, it's still terrible when a person without children dies, but now we're stuck thinking about what happened to those little ones! Are they alive and orphaned? Did Hela kill them? Were Volstagg's kids killed by Thanos (Josh Brolin) when he boarded the Asgardian ship at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War? There are so many possible outcomes for Volstagg's children, and literally every one of them is terrible!
In the end, all we can do is pretend that there's also a deleted scene from Avengers: Endgame where Thor gives Volstagg a heads up when he travels back in time about the whole Hela situation. Hey, if Loki can get brought back through time travel shenanigans, then, for the sake of his kids, Volstagg can, too.