Thor: Ragnarok gets a ridiculously fun first trailer

The last Thor film, The Dark World, proved to be the nadir of the Marvel movies so far – both financially and artistically – but the fun first trailer for the Norse god’s third solo outing, Thor: Ragnarok, suggests we’re in for something altogether more inventive this time around. Much of the playfulness comes courtesy of this installment's offbeat choice of director, Taika Waititi, best known for his comic indie gems like What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

The Kiwi filmmaker has been messing around since he first got the Marvel gig, with the first footage he shot of Chris Hemsworth as Thor being a mockumentary showing why the muscle-bound Avenger didn’t join the rest of his pals in Captain America: Civil War – turns out he was hanging out in Australia with his new flatmate Darryl.

This first teaser trailer for Thor: Ragnarok suggests a daft space opera with its tongue firmly in its cheek. It begins with Thor hanging in chains over a bubbling pool of lava. “Now I know what you’re thinking,” the hammer-wielding superhero says direct to camera in the style of Ferris Bueller, “how did this happen? Well, it’s a long story.” Then Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song kicks in as we get the first glimpse of Waititi’s irreverent take on the material.

We see Thor captured and forced into a gladiator-style battle on an alien planet. He’s delighted when he discovers who his opponent will be, however. “We know each other,” Thor says to the crowd when he sees Mark Ruffalo's Hulk smash his way into the arena. “He’s a friend from work.”

We also see Tom Hiddleston back as Loki (easily the best baddie in the Marvel universe) and get the first glimpse of a raven-haired Cate Blanchett as a new villain who kicks Thor’s arse and brings his kingdom of Asgard to its knees. Best of all is Jeff Goldblum, whose glam rock-style character The Grandmaster looks like he’s stepped off the set of 80s sci-fi hokum Flash Gordon or Luc Besson’s Fifth Element.

Take a look at all the camp weirdness in the trailer above, and look back at What Thor Was Doing During Captain America: Civil War in the player below.