Will Other Avengers Appear In 'Thor 3'?

It's that special time again: Filming for Thor: Ragnarok is officially in full swing. Now, while we all comb through news sources to get the latest scoop, we can also expect to see plenty of updates from Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo. We've already been blessed with some fun behind-the scenes peeks from Ruffalo as he's gotten back into his CGI Hulk self, of course — but watching both him and Hemsworth begin to document for us uber-Marvel fans their film process has left me wondering: Will there be other members of the Avengers team in Thor: Ragnarok ? Or will this MCU film be entirely self-contained, as previous Thor films have been wont to do?

This film is certainly set to be a game-changer for the MCU in a few ways, the two most prominent being the ushering in of Phase 3 of the scheduled Marvel films and the conclusion to the independent Thor storyline. Ruffalo's inclusion in Ragnarok is an exciting addition, without doubt. Ruffalo has also commented that the relationship between Thor and The Hulk for Ragnarok will be markedly more buddy-buddy in nature. An MCU buddy movie between two formerly opposing forces? Count me in because I definitely 'ship it. But what about those other Avengers?

Well, after putting on my sleuthing cap, I've been unable to earth any hints that other members of the Avengers team will be making an appearance in Ragnarok. The biggest clue has been (you guessed it) Ragnarok 's IMDb page. This is by no means a definitive cast list (things change all the time, after all) but if there were any other big Avengers' teammates suiting up for this flick, they'd have been announced along with Ruffalo a long time ago. Another big clue I picked up on comes via Screenrant. Amidst a story on director Taika Waititi's vision of the film, it was mentioned that Thor's story is in a special MCU club, where the action takes place in a more cosmic, otherwordly setting. Aside from Thor, the other Avengers are all Earth-dwellers and their ability to traverse galaxies or worlds is rather limited. Hulk may be getting pulled across world to help Thor (with the help of Heimdall) but chances are probably slim other Avengers will follow. My best guess is that one or two of them may show up in a post-credits scene, as has happened in previous MCU films.

So, does that mean it's really just going to be Thor and The Hulk, battling it out alone? Well, technically, Loki is in Ragnarok. Depending on how you define who is a part of the Avengers or the Avengers-verse, his inclusion may count. But that "cosmic location" nugget got me to thinking about a certain team of intergalactic bandits that just wrapped filming on their own sequel. A squad by the name of Guardians of the Galaxy — does it ring any bells? While the Guardians have yet to tie in with the Avengers, this could be the link to bringing them in. The way I see it, as one major hero storyline comes to a close, another is just beginning; Ragnarok could be the metaphorical connective tissue. From the details of the baddies in Ragnarok that are circulating, it sounds like Thor and The Hulk are going to need all the help they can get.

Images: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Giphy